down with prepositions and definite articles and the like not getting their far capitalized treatment! it's for them that i like to write in lowercase; that might be 1% true. the other 99% or so is that i like to change rules to my fancy.
sure, the luster of life in small town Orosi has faded. I have Done all The free Activities at Least one Time. i've dirtied myself a couple times in the hot springs that're lukewarm to the degree that were it an actual bath, it's at the temperature i would be looking to raise my foot up to turn the hot water knob to heat this bitch up. I've Hike The Peaks Immediately Me And Found The Road Trails Less Than Appealing. i'vE nurtureD A growinG resentmenT witH mY olD paL RIGHTEOUSNESS. And still, I could see myself missing a few things here.
I enjoy he local supermecado, where I acquire much of the food I'd eat. That has something to do with it employing a few cute, smiling, 18 year old or so amigas, as tellers. I could miss all that.
I may not be eating onions as much coming up, as they apparently don't grow well in the warmer more tropical southern area I'll be residing in, and I will be pretty isolated from anyone other than the few local residents, so I may miss walking the 1/2 block from my door to the local farmer's market where I often grab 1 or 2 onions for about 20 cents...and maybe some rare radishes if they happen to be in stock, and definitely avocados and mangoes and cucumbers and garlic when I need it.
I could miss the sex eyes given off by nearly all females aged 11 1/2 - 40 something.
It's possible I'll miss the perfumed smells that never seem to leave 7:8 hotel rooms because they only have window and door openings to airflow facing one direction. It is possible. I'm not making that up. No, I don't care for the smells much, but people have felt a longing for less. Besides, I was inspired enough to write this down in a notebook -
It smells of liters of colonge and perfume;
Walking down the street,
a good 18 meters away at nearest,
I at my door,
sweeping,
watching,
then smelling the pungence
I could miss the local swimming pools where many locals gather on weekends for drinks and sunshine and family time. Granted, I also have not participated in this fun, as they charge 3 American dollars to enter the pool area, and I'm looking to stretch my dollars as far as they'll take me out here. Oh, I showed up twice, I just never got further than the bar.
Once I just watched for a few minutes, got the gist of the place, then left. The second time I contemplated going in - it was my birthday - then decided to wait; this was not my crowd. I ordered an overpriced whiskey and soda - the soda served not from a gun, but a glass bottle opened just for me for the low low price of $2 or so - and watched. My crowd did not show up, and it became clear they wouldn't. Here were families, some young couples, and a few very young and sexily dressed girls. When my observation time, which coincided with my drinking time, ended, I left my whiskey glass and walked out with the soda glass. I finished it over the next hour and attempted sometime later to return it to the supermercado for a deposit refund - no dice, they didn't sell that particular product.
I could miss these things, but I probably won't. I may, however, miss two people. These two people are two of the people I happen to have given much of my Rican spent money, and there's a reason for that.
The first is Francesca. She's from Sweden. She speaks bits of English, I speak bits of Spanish, and often our language meets up somewhere. Her smile is great and she's a young enough 40 or so that she reminds me of the heroine from Chocolat. You could argue that I was primed by a friend whom saw me off from the states with a quote from that self-same movie, but I think it has more to do with her delicious breads, tasty coconut treats, and alluring accent and smile. (note, i attempted to locate that quote, something about the wind blowing equating to the depp character taking off, but facebook is getting cheap and weak and thus I wasn't able to go back 1 1/2 months to copy and paste the quote mi amiga used when i alerted the world i was definitively exiting the US, stage right, because i'd purchased a one-way flight to get gone)
Perhaps it was the 3rd time I visited her, a niece of her's snapped a picture of me from across the street - Francesca alerted me to the camera and posed with me, then told me it was her niece. The girl and her friend were cute and probably of age - they came over to the shop after - but I haven't seen them again, as far as I can tell.
Francesca and her husband run a couple local businesses. The only one that I've put money towards involves her cooking, as she makes some of the most delicious breads this side of Italy. I was introduced to her from the volunteer I took over for, and on that first day she gave me some freebies. She's continued to treat me well. I've returned that favor.
I could get some fresh baked bread for a bit cheaper at the local franchise bakery, but those seem to lack the love that her little shop, smaller than some walk-in closets, is filled with (she does her baking at her home). So, whether it's her the $1 wholegrain bread or sweetbread or an egg loaf, or the heavy $3 loaves of chocolate, mango, or carrot bread, it's been Francesca I've supported all along. Today I tried her carrot bread for the first time and had to put in considerable effort not to eat the whole loaf. Because she's awesome, when I bought the more expensive bread, she tossed in a loaf of sweetbread on the house.
When I told her last week I might be leaving, she confided in me that she didn't care for Frank, the owner of the hotel I work for. Makes sense; me, being around him more, I do care for him, I just don't care for a number of his business decisions as they relate to bringing in outsiders. I think hearing those words from Francesca allowed me to get more in tune with some anger and resentment - thank you for that, Francesca.
Today I told her I'd be leaving. I'll see her again before I leave, as I see her most every day. Even if I am not shopping from her, I might be from the fruit market that's next door to her, and I almost certainly will be walking through the streets - when I reach the corner, she and I often catch eyes and wave, regardless of the direction I take from there.
And then there's Dr. Braulio Xavier Torres. My accents and rolling r's aren't so hot, so I'm more likely to call him Xavier or "friend," like last Thursday when I showed up late on Thursday afternoon to have one of the fillings switched out due to continued sensitivity, "Dr. Torres!" said with a big smile.
I've gotten on in my years enough that I wanna hug Xavier like a proud older brother. That's how I feel about him. He's cool, he cares, he smiles a lot, and believably refers to me regularly as, "my friend."
His English is passable enough that we don't lack for understanding, and poor enough that I rarely - maybe never yet? - correct the cute misspeaks. (Example, "sensible" instead of "sensitive," as it relates to my teeth. I did inform him where his English was incorrect on his business cards for tourists, and he made the changes accordingly.)
When he learned I was getting a package sent here, he asked if he could have a camera he was buying from Amazon added into said package. That deal fell through, and he was cool as ice about it. That's telling in regards to shipping prices coming into CR, and in regards to his quality personality: he asked, seemingly w/out expectation.
He vacationed last weekend on the Pacific coast, further north than I'll be living. He was enamored by it. Kind of wants to take his business out there now. I might work on him doing just that, so as he'll be closer to his ideal for himself, as well as closer to me, via a coastal drive, one direction or another.
I inquired to him about last Thursday about the medical dr's office next door, and naturally he walked me out so that he could introduce me to them - it might get me a deal, or a leg up, or just better communication of my needs, since he didn't think they spoke English there. The office was closed. Maybe next week, maybe not.
I settled on leaving Orosi on Wednesday morning because Braulio - I'll be able to pronounce that name someday - has office hours in town Tuesday-Thursday. I mentioned getting together for a hike this past weekend, he countered by asking me to stop by late Tuesday so we could have a cup of coffee - I bet he also wants to make sure his new filling took away the "sensibility." It did. Though there is one other that I thought may go away with time, and now being the only sensitive tooth, it's been heightened. So, he may have one more filling for me. And then I'll fill him in on my travel plans. And if coffee turns into a couple Imperial cervezas at a local bar, excellente. We can discuss him coming out to Dominical for his next vacation, or, just as I've offered to all my American amigos, I will let him know he's welcome to crash at my new home. For free. Everybody is. This Gringo keeps his word.
sure, the luster of life in small town Orosi has faded. I have Done all The free Activities at Least one Time. i've dirtied myself a couple times in the hot springs that're lukewarm to the degree that were it an actual bath, it's at the temperature i would be looking to raise my foot up to turn the hot water knob to heat this bitch up. I've Hike The Peaks Immediately Me And Found The Road Trails Less Than Appealing. i'vE nurtureD A growinG resentmenT witH mY olD paL RIGHTEOUSNESS. And still, I could see myself missing a few things here.
I enjoy he local supermecado, where I acquire much of the food I'd eat. That has something to do with it employing a few cute, smiling, 18 year old or so amigas, as tellers. I could miss all that.
I may not be eating onions as much coming up, as they apparently don't grow well in the warmer more tropical southern area I'll be residing in, and I will be pretty isolated from anyone other than the few local residents, so I may miss walking the 1/2 block from my door to the local farmer's market where I often grab 1 or 2 onions for about 20 cents...and maybe some rare radishes if they happen to be in stock, and definitely avocados and mangoes and cucumbers and garlic when I need it.
I could miss the sex eyes given off by nearly all females aged 11 1/2 - 40 something.
It's possible I'll miss the perfumed smells that never seem to leave 7:8 hotel rooms because they only have window and door openings to airflow facing one direction. It is possible. I'm not making that up. No, I don't care for the smells much, but people have felt a longing for less. Besides, I was inspired enough to write this down in a notebook -
It smells of liters of colonge and perfume;
Walking down the street,
a good 18 meters away at nearest,
I at my door,
sweeping,
watching,
then smelling the pungence
I could miss the local swimming pools where many locals gather on weekends for drinks and sunshine and family time. Granted, I also have not participated in this fun, as they charge 3 American dollars to enter the pool area, and I'm looking to stretch my dollars as far as they'll take me out here. Oh, I showed up twice, I just never got further than the bar.
Once I just watched for a few minutes, got the gist of the place, then left. The second time I contemplated going in - it was my birthday - then decided to wait; this was not my crowd. I ordered an overpriced whiskey and soda - the soda served not from a gun, but a glass bottle opened just for me for the low low price of $2 or so - and watched. My crowd did not show up, and it became clear they wouldn't. Here were families, some young couples, and a few very young and sexily dressed girls. When my observation time, which coincided with my drinking time, ended, I left my whiskey glass and walked out with the soda glass. I finished it over the next hour and attempted sometime later to return it to the supermercado for a deposit refund - no dice, they didn't sell that particular product.
I could miss these things, but I probably won't. I may, however, miss two people. These two people are two of the people I happen to have given much of my Rican spent money, and there's a reason for that.
The first is Francesca. She's from Sweden. She speaks bits of English, I speak bits of Spanish, and often our language meets up somewhere. Her smile is great and she's a young enough 40 or so that she reminds me of the heroine from Chocolat. You could argue that I was primed by a friend whom saw me off from the states with a quote from that self-same movie, but I think it has more to do with her delicious breads, tasty coconut treats, and alluring accent and smile. (note, i attempted to locate that quote, something about the wind blowing equating to the depp character taking off, but facebook is getting cheap and weak and thus I wasn't able to go back 1 1/2 months to copy and paste the quote mi amiga used when i alerted the world i was definitively exiting the US, stage right, because i'd purchased a one-way flight to get gone)
Perhaps it was the 3rd time I visited her, a niece of her's snapped a picture of me from across the street - Francesca alerted me to the camera and posed with me, then told me it was her niece. The girl and her friend were cute and probably of age - they came over to the shop after - but I haven't seen them again, as far as I can tell.
Francesca and her husband run a couple local businesses. The only one that I've put money towards involves her cooking, as she makes some of the most delicious breads this side of Italy. I was introduced to her from the volunteer I took over for, and on that first day she gave me some freebies. She's continued to treat me well. I've returned that favor.
I could get some fresh baked bread for a bit cheaper at the local franchise bakery, but those seem to lack the love that her little shop, smaller than some walk-in closets, is filled with (she does her baking at her home). So, whether it's her the $1 wholegrain bread or sweetbread or an egg loaf, or the heavy $3 loaves of chocolate, mango, or carrot bread, it's been Francesca I've supported all along. Today I tried her carrot bread for the first time and had to put in considerable effort not to eat the whole loaf. Because she's awesome, when I bought the more expensive bread, she tossed in a loaf of sweetbread on the house.
When I told her last week I might be leaving, she confided in me that she didn't care for Frank, the owner of the hotel I work for. Makes sense; me, being around him more, I do care for him, I just don't care for a number of his business decisions as they relate to bringing in outsiders. I think hearing those words from Francesca allowed me to get more in tune with some anger and resentment - thank you for that, Francesca.
Today I told her I'd be leaving. I'll see her again before I leave, as I see her most every day. Even if I am not shopping from her, I might be from the fruit market that's next door to her, and I almost certainly will be walking through the streets - when I reach the corner, she and I often catch eyes and wave, regardless of the direction I take from there.
And then there's Dr. Braulio Xavier Torres. My accents and rolling r's aren't so hot, so I'm more likely to call him Xavier or "friend," like last Thursday when I showed up late on Thursday afternoon to have one of the fillings switched out due to continued sensitivity, "Dr. Torres!" said with a big smile.
I've gotten on in my years enough that I wanna hug Xavier like a proud older brother. That's how I feel about him. He's cool, he cares, he smiles a lot, and believably refers to me regularly as, "my friend."
His English is passable enough that we don't lack for understanding, and poor enough that I rarely - maybe never yet? - correct the cute misspeaks. (Example, "sensible" instead of "sensitive," as it relates to my teeth. I did inform him where his English was incorrect on his business cards for tourists, and he made the changes accordingly.)
When he learned I was getting a package sent here, he asked if he could have a camera he was buying from Amazon added into said package. That deal fell through, and he was cool as ice about it. That's telling in regards to shipping prices coming into CR, and in regards to his quality personality: he asked, seemingly w/out expectation.
He vacationed last weekend on the Pacific coast, further north than I'll be living. He was enamored by it. Kind of wants to take his business out there now. I might work on him doing just that, so as he'll be closer to his ideal for himself, as well as closer to me, via a coastal drive, one direction or another.
I inquired to him about last Thursday about the medical dr's office next door, and naturally he walked me out so that he could introduce me to them - it might get me a deal, or a leg up, or just better communication of my needs, since he didn't think they spoke English there. The office was closed. Maybe next week, maybe not.
I settled on leaving Orosi on Wednesday morning because Braulio - I'll be able to pronounce that name someday - has office hours in town Tuesday-Thursday. I mentioned getting together for a hike this past weekend, he countered by asking me to stop by late Tuesday so we could have a cup of coffee - I bet he also wants to make sure his new filling took away the "sensibility." It did. Though there is one other that I thought may go away with time, and now being the only sensitive tooth, it's been heightened. So, he may have one more filling for me. And then I'll fill him in on my travel plans. And if coffee turns into a couple Imperial cervezas at a local bar, excellente. We can discuss him coming out to Dominical for his next vacation, or, just as I've offered to all my American amigos, I will let him know he's welcome to crash at my new home. For free. Everybody is. This Gringo keeps his word.
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