National blackout

Folks,

It's been a week of power blackouts and water shortages.

The interruption to power supplies was worse than anything I've experienced in my time here.

The pic of the week is Friday's front page following Thursdays blackout. The headline is National Blackout.

Electricity outages
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We had a few power cuts over the past few days. On Wednesday we were without power throughout two of the schools three buildings. We relocated earlier classes to the gardens and patio, because it was still bright. Later classes had to be moved into the dance room, or near emergency lights.

National Blackout
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Then on Thursday night came the big one. I was doing an exam with my final class of the evening. The power dipped for a few seconds and came back. Then it slowly dipped and was gone. It was unusual, because it usually goes like you've turned a switch. We moved to the table in the kitchen, where there were emergency lights, and they continued the exam. Then word came around that it was national, and unlikely to be back soon, so we had to close the school.

There was nothing we could do but to make an early trip to Mulo, the bar across the street. Looking better than ever in candlelight. Crossing the street, it was strange watching how dark the whole region was. The mountains were dark, there was lots of traffic, but no traffic lights. I felt it was quite dangerous.

Mulo closed at 10 o'clock because they were almost out of candles, and we went to my local bar, El Cholo. They were even serving food from the kitchen there, although it was funny seeing the chef trying to cook while wandering around with a candle in one hand. The power had gone at 8.10, and came back for us in Heredia at 11.30.

Most power in Costa Rica comes from hydro-electric or thermal plants. This is a vulnerable time of the year after the dry season. So on Thursday a failure in the line between Arenal and San José meant that the system couldn't supply demand and just collapsed.

Party
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After the power came back, I suggested a few people come back to my apartment for a few drinks. It became a full impromptu party, with everyone salsa dancing. It spilled out onto the balcony. When I arrived home on Friday the neighbours were laughing. "Well, there's a man who had a party last night!"

TLC referendum
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The biggest political issue throughout my time in Costa Rica has been the ratification of the Tratado del Libre Comercio, or in English Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). It's hugely controversial, and the President's election campaign was built on its ratification. Last week, in a surprise decision, the Electoral Commission indicated that it would approve a referendum if enough signatures were submitted, and the government then decided to submit it to referendum itself. So the decision is now in the hand of the people. It's the first such nationwide referendum, and is likely to take place in about three months. The outcome is far from clear.
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Well, that's it for this week. Hopefully we'll have power throughout the week, and I'm hoping to travel to the coast next weekend.
Chao,

Éamon

Today's Headline in La Nación: Unpredictable schedule for next power cuts

"It's raining and it's warm"

Folks,

It was back to school after Semana Santa off, and it was my last week in charge at school, and I'll be delighted to see Barbara back tomorrow. We're now into rainy season.

The pic of the week is from the Good Friday procession. It's Christ's, I don't know, coffin?, and is the climax of the procession. Because it's dare you can't see the people carrying it. The coffin itself is lit by neon!

"It's raining and it's warm"
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We've made the transition to rainy season. I have the umbrellas back out. But although we have rain, the temperatures are also rising. It's actually warmer here in winter than summer. I was doing the weather appropriately enough with my intro classes. To the question, What's the weather like today?, they answered, It's raining and it's warm. I was amused at how un-Irish a phrase that is.

Maurice and Colette
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Many of you will know Maurice Devitt and Colette Healy, from Irish Life. They were out here on holidays recently. They were on a tour travelling around the country, but we managed to meet up just before Semana Santa in San José. It's great to meet up with people from home. They'd loved their holidays and were very impressed with Costa Rica. I feel some sense of pride in Costa Rica, and I'm always delighted when people like it.

Semana Santa
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Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is one of the busiest times in Costa Rica. The only other comparable time is Christmas week. For Semana Santa, the cities empty and everyone heads for the coast or the mountains. The roads are dangerous at the best of times, but more dangerous when they're so busy. This year 40 people were killed on the roads.

The Good Friday procession in Heredia is very impressive. There is a cast of hundreds, and thousands more watch it in the street. The participants are dressed up as the apostles and people from biblical times. There are kids dressed as angels, and woman in dresses with long flowing trains (soggy from the rain) carrying various things representing Christ's life. There are drums and things like those noisy corncrakes they have at football matches. It's a long slow march, every reverential, very funereal, and very Latin.

An Irish family
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One of my friends in school is Erin. She's from an Irish family in California. Her family are visiting en masse this week. It was funny because her parents are so Irish. You'd swear that her dad had just come directly from Roscommon his accent is so thick. They visited the school during the week, and he popped into my office to tell me that they were going across the road (to Mulo's) for a few beers if I wanted to join them. It was 3pm. And if I wasn't teaching at 4, I'd have been tempted!
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Well, that's it for this week. Next week Barbara returns to work, so hopefully I'll be able to spend a lot less of my time at the school.

So until next week.

Chao,

Éamon

Today's Headline in La Nación: Regular gasoline to rise tomorrow by ¢16 a litre

Second Anniversary Edition!

Well, Thursday was the second year anniversary. I can't believe it. It's flown by. For this weeks email I've decided to have a retrospective of some of my early mails and impressions back in April 2005.

The pic of the week shows the 'card window' in the apartment. There is an unsightly washing balcony behind it, so we started putting up cards that people sent. So every card I've received here is on the window. Birthdays, Valentines, Christmas, St. Patrick's Day, you name it!

Incidentally, I know there were problems last week with the Irish Life profanity filter. Many apologies for my appalling language when describing the bodies of the masks in Barva!

You can see the entry here (if you're not going to be too offended). If this every happens again, the entry is always available on blogger.


April 9, 2005 A few days after we arrived.

The journey
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Hi, well we’re finally here. I’m writing from our hotel room in San José. We were exhausted after our flights. We had a 6 hour 40 minute flight to New York, followed by a one hour 40 minute flight to Atlanta, and then a final 3 and a half hour flight to San José. All with breaks in between. All in all we were travelling for around 24 hours.

April 9, 2005

San José
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After all the planning, packing, stress and travelling we’re finally here in San José, and I have to say that, to be honest, it’s a bit of a disappointment. I had read beforehand that it’s a pretty uninspiring city. On first impressions that’s a bit of an understatement. As Jack put it, it’s a hole! It looks very old fashioned. Everything seems to have been built in the sixties. There is a lot of poverty. Loads of homeless living in cardboard boxes, literally. It’s quite dirty and polluted. There’s some quite obvious prostitution. All in all, it looks to qualify for ‘hole’ status. We did venture out to some of the suburbs, which are a definite improvement on downtown. Still, given that it’s where we’re likely to be living because of the language schools (and there are lots of them), it seems a shame given that the rest of the country is so beautiful.

April 17, 2005 - Our first visit to Manuel Antonio

Getting there
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As ever, the journey to Manuel Antonio was not without event! Our taxi to the airport should have taken 20 minutes, but took 45 as a truck had crashed into a bus on the motorway. We got there with minutes to spare. The domestic terminal is a tiny hot overcrowded building right next to the tarmac. When we went onto the tarmac to board, we were confronted with a tiny 6-seater Cessna! It was so small that Jack had to travel in the co-pilot’s seat, with the steering thing moving around in front of him. It was so small that the plane was buffeted about with every little gust of wind. I was so nervous. But the views were incredible. Especially when we came out of the cloud and saw the pacific coast for the first time.

April 24, 2005 - We took the first apartment we saw (and I'm still there!)

Our apartment
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We’re so tired of hotel living that we decided to look for an apartment in Heredia even though we haven’t work yet. Even if it’s just for the first few months. We spent a thoroughly disheartening day wandering around and looking in papers and on supermarket noticeboards. On the way home I bought the English language Tico Times, and found an ad for a furnished apartment in Heredia, with phone (like gold-dust here, a long story for another time), internet connection, washing machine, TV and cable. We went there today and it’s fine. It beats the hotel hands down and it will do for now. So we’re really delighted and moving in on Sunday 1 May.

May 1, 2005 - I got a job! In a school that I've built my tico life around. I love it, and I love the people I've worked with over the two years. I wish I was back on those early hours though!

Eamon, el Profesor
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Thanks for all your good wishes for my interview. I've been taken on in the Intercultura school in Heredia. Turns out it's just three minutes walk from our new apartment. Only a few hours at first. Six hours training last week, and 4.5 hours teaching this week. I could get used to this! There's a teacher leaving at the end of the month, so I'll pick up extra hours as I go along. When I get to 15 hours per week I get free Spanish lessons. I also have an email message from another school, so I may pick up some more hours there.

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That's it for this week. Happy Easter everyone. Normal service will be resumed next week.

Chao,

Éamon

Mascarada

It was a busy weekend with the Mascarada in Barva, and the Mundoloco festival in Fraijanes. But it's Semana Santa, and so I'm off for a full week.

The pic of the week shows my friend and colleague Jennifer with one of the 'masks' at the Barva Mascarada.

Mascarada
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The Mascarada in Barva is an annual event. The people in Barva love their festivals, and there are several during the year. For the Mascarada, there are lots of people dressed in heavy masks. They are typically a full over-sized head and you put it on resting on your shoulders. There are clothes, usually with big boobs or a big bum included, which come down over your body, and you look out through the chest.

The festival was really enjoyable. A real family occasion with all ages and generations represented. There were food stalls, live bands playing typical music (I can't remember the name), and everyone dances with everyone and hits each other over the head with balloons.

Mundoloco
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One of my ex-students invited me to the Mundoloco festival in Alajuela. I thought it was in the city, and didn't prepare myself for the chill of being up a mountain in drizzle, arriving in my t-shirt with no jacket. It was a last minute decision to wear jeans instead of shorts. It was in Fraijanes, in half-way up the Póas volcano in Alajuela province, not the city.

When I arrived, not only was the weather quite Irish, but the band playing were Costa Rica's most famous Celtic Music band, Peregrino Gris (the Grey Pilgrims). It was like being in a time warp back to Ireland. They were playing dai-dely ai music on fiddles, tin whistles, bagpipes and bodhrans. Celtic symbols were everywhere. You'll see what I mean on their website.

Later we were treated to different forms of world music, all from local tico bands. I really enjoyed it for both the music and the quirkiness.

Rainy season looms
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Although some days have been quite hot recently, we've had the first downpours of the year. Although short, they're very, very heavy. The heavens open, and the drains can't cope after the drought of the summer. Although the forecast is good this week for Semana Santa, I feel the rainy season proper isn't far away.

Notice
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I gave my three months notice to my landlord over the weekend. I'll be leaving at the end of June for the coast, and telling him I was leaving really made it all seem quite imminent and real.
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That's it for this week. I'm off work for Semana Santa, or Holy Week, but I don't think I'm going away. I hadn't got anything booked, and with being busy at work the apartment has been neglected a bit.

Chao,

Éamon

Today's Headline in La Nación: Train from Heredia to San José will take 19 minutes