Costa Rica: FYI

So I'm getting to the point where I absolutely suck at blogging. I think mainly because I don't really like just writing what I did in a day. Here's why: typically it's not THAT eventful, and you don't want to to read that anyways. So therefore, I'm going to leave you hanging from now on for a little bit, and then when I've decided it's time, I shall unleash wisdom from Latin America upon you. It's time.

So I've decided to share with you kids some likes and dislikes of mine in Costa Rica. Anybody have a preference which one I start with? .... ok good. let's start with likes.

In Costa Rica, I like...

1. The weather. Because it's awesome. I know that every day after school I can wear athletic shorts and a tank top. I do not have to be concerned a snow storm may show at any time. It's just nice!

2. The chill atmosphere. Nobody is in a hurry anywhere. If you're late, it's not that big of a deal. They get over it, because they're probably late too. Run out of time to do something today? Psh, do it tomorrow, next week, whenever.

3. Torta Chilena & Chocolate Tres Leches Cake - these little desserts have changed my post meal life. We all know that I don't really have a sweet tooth. For these two desserts to have blown my mind the way they did is a BIG deal.

4. Easy to travel. I can see Pacific in less an hour, and the Atlantic in about 4. That's crazy. I've never even seen these oceans from the US! You can just travel around the country without a car if necessary, how cool.

5. Blackberries and Pineapple - Costa Rica has great fruits, really a lot of them are awesome. But blackberries (moras) and pineapples (pinas) are by far and away the best. They honestly taste DIFFERENT here. How does that happen? I don't know. God smiles upon Costa Rica's fruit.

6. Rain forest. I don't think I really have to explain how awesome this is. We don't have them in Oklahoma, and they provide awesome entertainment like waterfall rappelling and canopy tours. 2LEGIT2QUIT.

7. Taxi drivers - They are a hoot. They let me practice my Spanish without laughing at me and they get me from point A to point B. And if you get lucky, they'll say something incredibly inappropriate or crazy.

So I'm not saying that's all the good stuff, I'm sure there's more. BUT I feel it's time we moved to the not so great stuff...

I dislike...

1. Cost of living in Costa Rica. You may think oh it's a developing nation, it'd be awesome and cheap to live there. FALSE. They have unreal taxes and have to import a lot of things, not cheap. I love the taxi drivers, but their meters jump so bad it's not even funny. No taxi costs the same, and they're always trying to rip you off. It's the worst.

2. They are ALWAYS late. Obviously I said this was also sort of a thing I like; it's a two sided coin. You can't count on anybody here. They may be late, or just not show up at all. I'm punctual and I hate it.

3. Public Buses. YES they do get me to the various places I want to go. But they're disgusting. The drivers drive like maniacs. People look at you like they want to kill you. Not so great.

4. All the food I love in America that they try to imitate. Their typical dishes of Costa Rica are awesome and different. I wish they'd just stick to them. Every time I go to a restaurant and order something other than their typical dishes (they only have two so it gets old quick) they completely butcher it. It's shocking how bad they can actually make pizza and spaghetti. shocking.

5. Rude ticos. I am glad they love their country, I am. But telling me that I'm a stupid gringo from the stupid USA just ticks me off. I've never once told anyone here that the U.S. is superior. Never. But they will tell me all the time how much better they are, SPECIFICALLY because they don't have a military. But what if someone attacked little Costa Rica? Whose military would they need to come take care of it? Yep.

6. DIRTY. Costa Rica is so dirty. When I was preparing to come here, I heard how eco friendly Costa Rica is. Lies, it's all lies.

7. This is my last one, since I ended on 7 on likes as well. BUT it's a big one. For some reason tico men think it's appropriate to yell at women and demean them however they'd like. I'm not a fan. Every day I either walk or run a few kilometers down the street. I get so much crap. Today, I actually decided to count. On a 30 minute walk, I was honked/waved at 10 times, whistled at 4 times, and two men that I walked by actually had the audacity to mentally undress me all the while knowing I know what they're doing. It's disgusting.

So yeah, there's some likes and dislikes. I'm sure there's more, but eh. Pura Vida!