Secret Santa

Running a bit late this week. It was quite a busy weekend, and I just never got round to writing. Then we went out after work last night to mark the beginning of our last week. As you do.

A bit a culture
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A group of us went to the ballet on Friday. It was in the Teatro Nacional. This building is in all the guide books as the architectural gem of San José. From outside, it doesn’t really look all that much, so I didn’t really understand. But inside, it’s really beautiful. It’s very European in styling and looks like an old theatre from Vienna or somewhere. The ballet was ‘The Nutcracker Suite’, and it was great to have a bit of culture after all this time away!

On the way up to the theatre (there were about 13 of us going) we were showered with confetti on Avenida Central. Apparently it’s a local custom for December. The street looked like it was covered in snow, because all the confetti was white. People were covered with it. As I passed I heard one kid say ‘There’s no point throwing it at him, he has no hair’.

Christmas party
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Saturday was the Intercultura Christmas party. It was our last Saturday of the semester, and the bus picked us up outside the school at 4pm. The party was on a kind of a farm, with swimming pools and a large function hall. There was free drink and food all night. The ‘dance floor’ was out on the grass under the moonlight, with smoke machines and disco lights. It was a really excellent night. And my God the Latinas can dance. The Spanish teachers were up on the dance floor as soon as the music started, and I don’t think some of them stopped all night.

We had a Secret Santa running in work all week. It’s like a Kris Kindle, but you buy little presents for your person all week, and then a proper gift for them that you present to them at the party. I got a bottle of Champagne from my friend Anna to have on Jack’s return.

After the party some of us popped into a couple of the Heredia bars to round off the night!

Los Colombianos
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The biggest group of immigrants in Costa Rica are the Nicaraguans. The next biggest group are Colombians, and I have a real affection for them. Marcella who we met very early on is Colombian, as is Paula my Spanish teacher. I’ve had several students that I’ve really warmed to, only to realise after a time that they’re also from Colombia. We were out on Thursday, and I met Nixon, the Colombian barman from our local much-loved bar, El Cholo, and two of his friends, a Colombia three, if you will. When we moved to another bar they introduced me to another friend he asked where I was from. When I told him, he said ‘Oh, Irish! You are my friend. You help us train the FARC. Thank you, we need someone to help us against the Americans!’

End of term
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While I’m delighted it’s end of term and to have the break, there are a number of teachers that are leaving that I’m really going to miss. It’s part of the life of an English teacher abroad that the turnover is quite high, and people are constantly moving on. There are 4 of the American girls leaving, along with Tom from London. While it was similar last semester, I had only just started and didn’t really know anyone that well. This time all five are people I really get on with and I’m really going to miss.

Costa Rica in the news
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This week Costa Rica hit world headlines twice, which is more than they have in all the time I’ve been here. First they were drawn against Germany and will play in the opening match of the World Cup. This has generated enormous excitement.

The second, sadder, story was that the guy who was shot on the plane in Miami, after allegedly claiming to have a bomb was Tico. Although he had American citizenship and had lived there for many years, he’s from Costa Rica and his parents still live here.
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Well, that’s it for another week. I’ve another two days of work, and it’s holiday time, so I’m really dying for the break.

So until next week,

Pura Vida,

Éamon

Saturday’s headline in La Nación: We open the World Cup