New experiences

We're relearning the basic functions of life. We don't want to transfer our north american ways to a new place. Instead we want to learn to do things the Costa Rican way. We're trying to learn from our neighbors and other locals we bump into so that we learn to live like Ticos.

Some new experiences have come our way as a result. We don't have a car, so learning to get around on public transportation is paramount. We're learning how to walk safely on the streets, constantly dodging the cars which DO NOT yield to baby strollers or pregnant women.

For instance, I crossed a major hurdle earlier this week when I went grocery shopping by myself for the first time. The process starts with a half mile walk in the rain on streets that have no shoulder and then slope off into a deep trench. Once in the store, I use my fledgling Spanish to try to read labels and ask attendants for help. The prices are very high, so I usually about die as I hand over my debit card. To get home, I load my arms with all my bags and scurry across a busy street so that I can hail a cab going in the right direction. Once inside I try to give directions to my home in Spanish and fumble in my purse to find the right coins of colones to pay the driver. It's an adventure.

Yesterday I took the bus with a friend to do some shopping at Office Depot across town. The bus was incredibly crowded. Before any new people could get on the bus, some had to exit the back of the bus. Then we all inched back in the aisle to add the new people in front. Each stop was a new shuffle with my pregnant belly bumping people. The whole time we were trying to stay aware of who we were touching to make sure we weren't being pick pocketed.