Today we officially hit the one-week mark at our new site. What an interesting week it was with getting to know our host family, our community, and, of course, the local weather. At first, we thought one of our biggest challenges would be acclimatizing to the hot, sunny and humid weather Sarapiqui is famous for. But in the eight days we’ve been here, only three have had sunshine. We’re currently riding a five-day raining streak, and hoping it ends soon. With that streak arrived cooler temperatures and slower pace of life than normal.
Getting to know this Tico family has taken more of an initiative than it did with our family in La Fila. Mario and Esterlina were easy – they spilled their hearts out to us all the time, which is one reason why we grew so close to them. Our new family is just as fantastic, but way more reserved. Day by day they are opening up to us more and more. One thing both families have in common is a strong work ethic. They’ve all shown us that Pura Vida isn’t just a rite of passage – it’s earned when you work hard every day.
Thankfully, all those long winters in Alaska paid off this week. We switched into survival mode and rid ourselves of cabin fever before it even began. For instance, we didn’t let the rain deter us from our favorite routine so far, which is going for walks throughout La Rambla and Otoya. We do it not only for the exercise but to indirectly tell people that the gringos they saw yesterday weren’t just a pair of lost tourists. Seeing non-locals walk around these parts must be strange because, honestly, there isn’t much going on other than things at the church, pulpería (like a kiosk with food and supplies), elementary school or salón communal (a multi-use building).
Another routine we’ve slid into is playing games at home with our host brothers – lots of games. School is on break until February, so other than milking cows twice a day, the boys have plenty of time to kill. We’ve killed it quite well by playing Amish Dice, Blokus Duo, Uno, chess and Frisbee. Megon discovered that Diego and Carlos are chess sharks and I discovered that Juan is absolutely addicted to Blokus Duo.
Speaking of killing, the boys have now successfully slaughtered two cows since our arrival. Both cows were machos (males) and about two weeks old. Eating veal is cruel, you might say, but considering this is a milking farm and machos don’t give milk, it makes perfect sense. They have one bull, which is surprisingly friendly, but doesn’t have a name. My goal for this week should be to name it. Any ideas?
Getting to know this Tico family has taken more of an initiative than it did with our family in La Fila. Mario and Esterlina were easy – they spilled their hearts out to us all the time, which is one reason why we grew so close to them. Our new family is just as fantastic, but way more reserved. Day by day they are opening up to us more and more. One thing both families have in common is a strong work ethic. They’ve all shown us that Pura Vida isn’t just a rite of passage – it’s earned when you work hard every day. The most surprising observation of the week came on Christmas Day. Other than the Feliz Navidad I said to my host mom while she cooked her usual gallo pinto con juevos for breakfast, you wouldn’t have known at all that it was Christmas. No present exchange. No special meals. No obvious traditions. It was just another day in Otoya, which was surprising, considering we currently have a Christmas tree and nativity scene in our living room. All we could do was shrug our shoulders and laugh it off. And finally, my favorite quote of the week came from Megon (whose favorite holiday of all time is Christmas) when she said with a smile, “Well, I’m really looking forward to next Christmas.”
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