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

Paddy's day

Well, we made the most of Paddy's day. We went to a party and then to an Irish bar.

The pic of the weeks shows the two Irish teachers, myself and Erin (from California, but her parents are from Roscommon).

Mini Paddy's day
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We had a celebration for Paddy's day in school. In one class I assigned the students Irish names from a hat. So we had students that included Padraig O'Rodriguez, Aodh O'Jara, Brigid UíAlfaro, Fionn McVilquez, and studied Irish history, arts, music, and watched a bit of Riverdance!

Read Paddy's day
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One of the teachers had a house-warming on Saturday, so we started there. Everyone was impressed with her new posh house. Hot water in the bathroom!

Afterwards a group of us went to Stan's Irish Pub in an area of San José. It did have a bit of an Irish look I suppose. But Stan is tico and there was a band playing latin-American music. I had my first Irish Car Bomb there. Maybe everyone knows them, but I'd never heard of them before working with Americans over here. A bottle of Guinness is poured into a pint glass, and then a shot glass of Bailey's and whiskey is dropped down into the middle of the glass. It starts foaming, and you have to drink it quickly before it foams over. Unfortunately, Stan spoiled the effect, because he added the shot contents at the bar, and brought a tray of Guinness with disgusting congealed heads. However, we still drank them.

Reflections on Granada
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The drama and trauma of the wallet pushed out more general reflections on my visit to Nicaragua. I really liked it, but the only downside was that there was so much poverty. It really was visible everywhere you went. And people approach you for money constantly. In one case a guy showed me his infected foot and doctor's prescription for anti-biotic. I wasn't much help, having only 40c in my pocket at the time, this being post-wallet disappearance.

When I was sitting on a bench reading, before the wallet incident, a pleasant young guy called Julio sat down beside me. He started talking. Where was I from, the usual. Then he asked if I needed any marijuana. I said no. He asked if I wanted cocaine. I said no. Girls? No. Boys? No. Realising that I didn't want what he could supply, he went back to general chit-chat. And then wandered off after a while. I felt bad that this is what money and tourism means in a poor country. Drugs and prostitution.

Spanish
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One thing that the conversations in Granada showed me was that my Spanish is actually improving. I feel I've been on a plateau for a long time, with little improvement. But maybe all the time studying verbs and vocabulary is finally paying off. I'm also speaking more Spanish of necessity in school. Last week, a former student contacted me wondering if I gave conversation classes. I suggested an intercambio, where we speak one hour in Spanish, then one hour in English. So we're now doing that twice a week, and I really am quite confident of a good improvement.
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Well, that's it for this week. This is our last week before Semana Santa, when we're off for the week. The following week is just 3 days, because there is a bank holiday, and Barbara, my boss, is back the following week. So the end of this busy, busy time is nigh.

Chao,

Éamon

Today's headline in La Nación: Man killed his companion in San José and then committed suicide

Granada, Nicaragua

Well, I finally made it to Nicaragua. I was very impressed with the town. And most importantly I didn't have any border problems and I'm now completely legit in Costa Rica for another 90 days.

The downside was that my wallet was lost or stolen during the trip. It was a downer, but it's the first real difficulty I've had in all my time away.

The pic of the week is the beautiful cathedral in Granada, which typifies the colonial architecture of the town.

The trip
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This trip was long overdue. I was delighted on returning in July to discover that Irish people now got an automatic 90 day visa for Costa Rica. However, between one thing and another, I never did my visa run in October. I tried to do it at Christmas, but the buses were booked out and I couldn't get a ticket. So I was six-months over. I had rehearsed all my excuses, and faked a very real looking plane e-ticket in case I was challenged. But none were needed, and the border crossings were very simple.

The journey is nine hours from San José, but two hours of this is taken with the lengthy bureaucratic process at the border.

Granada
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Granada is on the shores of the huge Lake Nicaragua. It's about 2 hours over the border. I really didn't expect it to be such a beautiful place. It's an old Spanish colonial town, and I was amazed at how beautiful it is. Very different to anything I've seen in Costa Rica. There were beautiful colonial buildings and wide tree-lined streets. The tiled roofs looked beautiful after the corrugated iron which is everywhere in Costa Rica. And it was quite a bit cheaper than Costa Rica too.

The Wallet!
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On my first day there, Friday, I went for a walk down to the lake, and wandered into the Centro Turistico, a tourism 'complex' just out of the town by the lake. Despite the name, it was actually deserted. There were lots of bars and shops, but only one of them was open. It was like a seaside town in the off-season which had seen better days. Even though this should be high-season.

I had a beer with ice (a very tico trait I have become accustomed to), and sat reading my book at a table on a raised platform overlooking the Lake Nicaragua. It was hot, but there was a lovely breeze off the lake, and I remember thinking that I don't really need much more in life. I was completely content with my beer, my book and a day off.

I paid for the beer, and that's the last time I saw my wallet.

I sat on a bench down at the lake shore for another couple of hours, finishing my book, and then wandered back into the town as the sun was setting. I stopped for another beer (it sounds like a lot of beer, but this was only number 2!) at a bar with an outside table where I could watch the sun setting over the cathedral. When I went to pay, I realised that my wallet was gone. The bill was C$20 (20 Córdobas, about 80c), but I had C$30 separately in my pocket, and so could pay it.

I retraced my route, to the bar where I'd been so content, the bench and all the paths in between. Nothing.

It could have been stolen from my pocket, but in all honesty I think I may have put it into a shallow pocket instead of the usual zipped one where my passport remained untouched. It probably just slipped out.

The aftermath
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I lost about $35 in US dollars, and about the same in Córdoba. I would have been completely stranded had I not taken out my Costa Rican colones out of my wallet earlier and stuffed them into a book in the hotel. I don't know why I did this. I've never done it before. But I said, there's no point lugging around three currencies. When I got back to the hotel and counted it was around €70. It was enough to pay for the hotel (I had to downgrade my room!) and get me back home.

The hotel called the police, so I was taken to the station. A very dreary place, but decorated in the Dublin colours, which made me feel at home. The officer took my statement on an old typewriter with carbon paper. There wasn't one PC in the station.

If I ever write a book it will include a scene in a Nicaraguan police station.

Emergency fund
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I reported my card stolen (I thought it sounded better than lost), and it hadn't been used. They then offered to transfer me Emergency Fund money, which I was able to collect at my local supermarket here in Heredia on Tuesday. The minimum amount they would transfer was €850, far in excess of what I would need to tide me over. When I went to collect it it was such a huge amount of money that the guy had to collect it by going around to 4 separate cashiers.
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Well, that's it for last week. Sorry about the delay, but it was pretty hectic after I got back. I'm looking forward to St. Patrick's day tomorrow, so going to have an early night now in preparation.

So until next week,

Chao,

Éamon

Today's Headline in La Nacion: Colombian convicted for selling ecstasy in clubs

Lunar Eclipse

Folks,

Well, it's been another busy week in work. But I think I'm getting the hang of it, and feel a lot more in control. It's amazing the amount of things that are involved in running a language school. I decided not to go to Playas del Coco this weekend, because I wanted to catch up and not rush unplanned into next week, and also because I'm going to Nicaragua next week anyway.

The pic of the week shows that we had an eclipse too! However, it had already started before darkness and moon-rise, so we didn't get as good a view as those of you in Europe. However, you can see the different angle of the moon here. It's usually on its back when it's a crescent, as opposed to on its side at home.

TLC marches
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I woke up the other day to the sound of music and marching. It's not that unusual an occurrence, but I looked out to see what was going on. It was a protest march against the TLC. This has been rumbling on since long before I came here. It's known in English as the Central America Free Trade Agreement or CAFTA. It's between the United States, the countries of Central America and the Dominican Republic. Costa Rica is the only country that hasn't yet ratified it. If it was going to referendum I feel it would be lost, because people do seem to be very opposed to it. However, I think it's going to parliament soon, and the feeling is there will be enough support there to pass it.

Women in Parliament
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I was surprised to see in an announcement this week that Costa Rica has the third highest proportion of women in parliament. After Rwanda and Sweden. There are 22 out of 57, or 38.6% in Costa Rica. Ireland has the same number of women, 22, but out of a parliament of 166. This has Ireland at 13.3% in 81st place.

Rain today
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We haven't had rain for ages, but today I got that tell tale smell. As soon as rain hits the city you can smell it. I guess it's the evaporation from the warmer footpaths. I'm not sure. But you usually get the smell before you see or feel it. The weather has been beautiful during the days, but can still be a little cold at night, which is much different from last year.

Irish
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It's amazing how few Irish there are in Costa Rica. I am the only Irish person ever to apply to the school. Well, I was, until Wednesday, when I had an application from a Meathman currently travelling in Cuba. Maybe the school will find a Paddy to replace me.

I was travelling home from the cinema last night by taxi, and the driver said 'You're not tico?'. No, I said, 'Irlandés'. '¿Holandés?' he asked. They always confuse Ireland and Holland. 'Ah, Ireland,' he said. 'I've never had anyone from Ireland in the taxi ... Vikings! It's a Scandinavian country?' When we finished he said the first thing he'd do today was look Ireland up on a map.
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Well, that's it for this week. I'm going to Granada in Nicaragua on Thursday, so won't be back until Sunday or Monday.

Have a good week.

Chao,

Éamon

Today's Headline in La Nación: Commercial property is registered at national park entrance