Limon, Costa Rica

If you woud have told me on Thursday that I would be able to cross off half of my list-of-things-to-do-before-i-die in one weekend i would have told u good joke. But indeed this weekend was absolutely filled to the brim with random new things.
On Friday morning we went to LASP (one of our schools here) for a charla (chat with a native costa Rican) this particular chat was given by a native of limon province in costa rica. Limon is unique because it is where 24% of the black population in Costa Rica lives. He talked about poverty, racism, inequality, and the role president obama could have in changing these things. It was very interesting. Then we loaded up the two 24 passenger vans and an SUV and headed out to Limon for the weekend. On the way we stopped at a coffee plantation…(pics of all this are on facebook…I cant remember how to get pictures onto my blog at the moment). We learned about the dangers of pesticides and monocultures and how you can eat the berry around a coffee bean but it is a natural laxative and leaves a funny taste in your mouth. Then we piled back in the vans and drove to a pineapple plantation….quick survey…who thinks pineapples grow on trees? Wrong.  no worries I didn’t know either. After the pineapple plantation we drove for about an hour. We drove past the coolest thing I have ever seen with my own two eyes. We drove past El Rio Sucio (the dirty river) and el Rio azul(the blue river) they run literally side by side and then after a certain point combine and form one river. It was amazing. Then we got to the chaquita banana plantation…first stop was the sorting, stickering, and shipping part of the process. Then we drove to the actual plantation where we got to see the bags of pesticides that surround our delicious fruit. Not going to take the time to explain everything here but if your contemplating buying organic fruit, do it. After the banana plantation we had lunch then drove for another hour or so. Saw waterfalls and trees and giant leaves called los sombrillos de pobres. Poor mens’ umbrellas. …sorry to interrupt myself but my next door neighbor is listening to “its been a hard days night and ive been working like a dog…” and I am cracking up : ) anywho the scenery was awesome. When we got to limon we checked into hotel Miami…which was shockingly nice. Then we got into a group of four and set out to find some strangers to interview. After 3 awkward Spanish/Jamaican English interviews we headed to a typical costa Rican joint for dinner…Pizza Hut!!!  we were all craving home and we weren’t sure when we would get another chance to eat American food without offending our host families so we went for it…and it was amazing! Then we went to mas o menos…the sort of mini walmart here and bought bread and jelly and apples for breakfast(yes that’s right…I eat jelly now…go fig.) Then we walked around for a bit but it was getting dark and we were getting a disproportionate amount of catcalls so we figured it would be best to head back to the hotel. Saturday morning we got up and drove for about an hour to a native peoples reservation. Did you know that costa rica and the USA are the only two nations who have put their native people groups onto reservations? Guess where CR got the idea. So we listened to a bri bri woman talk about her life and the work her people do on an iguana farm. It was fascinating especially when she talked about the way missionaries have come in and in an attempt to change her faith have ended up changing her culture. Lots to think about with this charla. Then to let our brains rest a bit we went to the beach. Ate pineapple and watermelon and some more traditional food pic-nic style. Then we headed back to the hotel. For dinner we had a traditional Jamaican Costa Rican meal of rice and beans flavored with coco, platanos, chicken, and a salad with I have no idea what inside of it.  Then the real fun began. There was a live band at this little place we rented out and where there is music there is bound to be dancing. I tried the wall flower thing for a bit and it was going well until our intern sean decided to make the wall flowers join in the fiesta. Luckily I wasn’t the only first timer and they patiently taught me. I figure it only took about a half hour to learn one salsa step which I preceded to do for the rest of the night.  I had a shockingly good time getting pulled out of my comfort zone and into a truly awkward situation. Then we headed over to TCBY for a bit if late night ice cream.  Sunday morning I was put on the catholic church group so off to church we went. Oddest mass I have ever been to. The priest only spoke Spanish. The congregation spoke English but with a heavy Jamaican influence. I understood very little but could still follow to an extent due to my superb background knowledge of the catholic church. The music was fun but downright strange. The lyrics were the same as catholic churches in the states but it was as though we gave them the lyrics and not the notes. Not a single song followed the traditional rhythm, beat, or tune. It was fascinating but fun. Then we loaded up the vans and headed home. Got dropped off in Guadalupe and walked about a half hour to get home wearing my skirt from church and my running shoes…looked entertaining but my flip flops were giving me blisters  Over all this weekend was amazing and eye opening and downright fun. But now I am back in the real world and my family is gone so I should get some homework done. Love you all.
Pura Vida
KT