the people of Costa Rica protest CAFTA

How inspiring is this?!

















Here's an article about the protest against the Central American Free Trade Agreement: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070930/pl_nm/costarica_usa_protests_dc

The Ministry of the Presindency and brother of Oscar Arias said that there are only "4 gatos" supporting the NO to the CAFTA agreement.

This is a common expression to say that very few people are involved in something.

So the crowd of more than 100k people are calling themselves "Los cuatro gatos que tuvieron gatitos" the four cats who had kittens.

I really hope that the Referendum next Sunday is approved, which would effectively remove Costa Rica from CAFTA.

with friends in Portland, Seattle (Ballard), and San Juan Island

Biking in Eugene with Jen & Calvin & Rocco! We met up with Jen's brother Joe & sister-in-law Rose for the ride.


















Beer tasting with Sarah and Adam!


















Being glam with Evie and Autumn - oh yes, we are those girls!


















Surprise! Friday Harbor has moved to Ballard! Well, not quite, but it was great to have so many people show up to see me when I stayed over with Whitney. This was my first chance to meet Morgan & Misa's little guy... he makes an awesome monster baby face, by the way!







Visiting with best friends from elementary and middle school!

(Auralee top, Liziee bottom) and their beautiful daughters!

Kashmir Cocktail Lounge Grand Opening!!!

Since getting home about a week ago I've been mostly trying to get caught up on email and just relaxing into being home in our own space with my wonderful Julito.

And then there was a shocker of social interaction, the pre-opening party and the grand opening of the Kashmir Cocktail Lounge.

To borrow some text shamelessly from my friend Cyril:
***************************************
My good friends and fellow CouchSurfers Anna & Joe Russell have been working tirelessly for months preparing for the opening of one of the coolest new venues in Costa Rica.

They left Australia 4 months ago to come to Costa Rica and begin working on this bar, which is also the central focus of their reality TV Show: "No Way San Jose". A 13 episode show which will be aired throughout the world.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=RVEHgz92Duw
www.tvfinternational.com/index.cgi?program_id=1005&page=cata...

Located in the trendy Ribera de Belen area, Kashmir Cocktail Lounge has an international appeal, featuring live performances by the best bands.

Saturday 29th (was) the grand opening, featuring Gandhi.
***************************************

Other friends helped out during the day, but I got myself in deep by volunteering to help out with the actual grand opening event! This meant taking orders, making drinks, serving food and drinks, helping organize the cash register and then just generally cleaning up as we went along. I was doing a little bit of everything to help fill in the inevitable gaps that will happen on the first day of business anywhere!

The evening was truly amazing. The lounge was packed - so many people showed up! The drinks and food are delicious (though there were some... shall we say... delays) and the ambiance is sexy and elegant. I even got to break a few beer bottles and clean it up on film - I guess I made sure I'll show up in the footage for the reality show!!!

Going Home

I've had the chance to see so many old friends and spend some quality time with my parents. However, I've found it impossible to meet up with all the friends I wanted to see, so perhaps you can understand perhaps why I haven't kept up my blog so well. It's the last day of my trip and I'm so glad to be going home!!! Home to Julio, home to our little house, home to family and friends in Costa Rica. Home where I'll be able to be reliably connected and able to keep up with my part of our great business, Boyero Tours.

I have experienced the great hospitality of friends, family, and new friends (via the hospitality network Couchsurfing.com!) However, it has been extremely frustrating at times because my laptop wouldn't connect to the wireless network, or there wasn't one, or you had to pay through the nose to use it, etc., etc. Anyway! I struggled to stay connected and work on itineraries and emails to clients and potential clients throughout the nearly 4 weeks I've been away, but it hasn't been a picnic. On my next trip to the States I'll do a few things differently – first off I'll probably buy a Tracfone (prepaid cell) and see how that works – it's just too frustrating to be without a cell phone in this day and age, especially in Portland where all my friends have one. Second, I will schedule out a chunk of time each day (when friends and/or family are working or have other activities) for working on Boyero Tours, not just expect it to happen organically - this mistaken strategy ended up feeling like I was taking time away from visiting with family and friends. Thirdly I will look ahead of time for places I can get wireless connection and maybe pay a one-time monthly fee or something for hotspot access if I won't be able to get consistent free wireless access.

Okay, so... I'm still getting the hang of this blog thing. I write differently than I would if I was writing purely for myself, say in a journal. I suppose that's good, but it is strange to write for an audience, albeit a small one.

Déjà vu

Oh my God! What a strange culture shock and deja vu to be back at AFS Intercultural Programs after a three year break! Probably anyone reading this already knows, but I worked for AFS for more than 4 years, starting fresh out of college in 2000 and continuing through most of 2004, just before my move to Costa Rica. Working for AFS was the major force in my professional development and influencing my post-college friends circle. It occurred to me that I could have some fun while helping to pay for this trip. I applied to be a temp (an Information Center Seasonal Advisor) at AFS for two weeks while visiting friends in Portland. I can honestly say that I loved it!!! I got all the good parts of AFS without the burnout factor. It was inspiring and refreshing to be back on the phones, encouraging students to go abroad and families to host exchange students here in the US. (Ha ha... if you are interested or know someone who is, call 1-800-AFS-INFO to talk to an Advisor! The exchanges are mostly high school, but there are “18+ programs” for college age and beyond as well.) I also hope that I was also able to be helpful for new staff with my combined Admissions experience and phone techniques. Thankfully, I know that I was – it was gratifying to hear a new Seasonal Advisor say in a meeting: “It's been great to be able to listen to Sarah Joy. When I overhear her conversations (with students) I keep saying 'wow, what was that?! I need to write this (phrase) down to use it myself!'”.

waste...

Another little cultural difference I've experienced after being outside the US for more than a year has to do with garbage... I have been quietly shocked at the amount of waste I have seen in the States – especially the amount of food and packaging that goes into the garbage cans and presumably to the landfills. It's only getting worse in Costa Rica too... but it's something that so many people don't even seem to think about or be concerned with. An important footnote to this is that Julio and I are environmentalists and try to live what we preach: “reduce, reuse, recycle” (including the reuse of food scraps through composting).

Thai food cravings

My favorite restaurants all seem to have changed their menus, changed ownership or aren't quite as good as I remembered them. This was particularly disappointing on my quest for delicious affordable Thai food. In Costa Rica there is one fine dining restaurant for Japanese, Korean, and Thai food in the capital city of San Jose but I don't know of any small, yummy and affordable Thai places like I was accustomed to having on practically every block in Portland. (Plus I don't like most Chinese food, though it's readily available in Costa Rica.) What I'm getting at is that when I come back to the States for a visit I'm especially interested in eating Thai food – I think anyone who has gone to a restaurant with me in the last few weeks can attest to that!!!! Here are a couple of Thai restaurant reviews:

Portland, Oregon

Sweet Basil Thai in NE Portland was a great new find for me (thanks, Anna & Rob!) and Chopsticks on Hawthorne hit the spot (thanks, Evie! It's strange we didn't ever go there when we lived 3 blocks away!) Sadly, my old favorite on SE Division, Bangkok Kitchen, has changed ownership and my favorite chicken satay and salad roll recipes will have to be savored only in memory. I didn't get to visit Typhoon, E-san or Aroy Thai (all in downtown) on this trip, but I hope that they haven't changed too much!

NW Washington

My parents took me out to The Golden Triangle on San Juan Island for my birthday but we were underwhelmed, especially for the prices. The Thai Kitchen in Anacortes was good for take-out, but didn't impress. When we ate there a week and a half later it redeemed itself and I got my last great Thai food fix of the trip with a satisfying chicken satay & creamy peanut sauce, tofu in green curry and pad thai. Mom and I would have visited Bai Tong near SeaTac as was becoming our “last dinner” tradition, but apparently it's moved to Southcenter mall and is reported to have dropped in quality – so sad!
Dear readers - please send me any great Thai recipes that you might have – I've decided it's time for me to learn how to cook great Thai-style food at home to satisfy the cravings!!!

Denver friends, old and new

On their way to catch their flight, Aaron and Lisa dropped me off at my friend Ann's house in Denver. She and I met in the Dominican Republic on our semester program there in 1999 and became fast friends. As the years have gone by it's been harder and harder to find time to see one another and we had dropped out of email communication, but we re-connected just in time to fit in a visit in Denver. Ann is as beautiful and glowing as I remembered her, although much has changed! She's now a pediatrician, has a great husband who is quite the jokester (Jonathan), is 13 weeks pregnant, has a beautiful historic home, and two affectionate dogs (Trinity and Heidi). Ann has a lot going on, but it was great to get the chance to catch up with her and to finally meet Jonathan.

Perhaps we've mentioned this (talk about it all the time!) but since March of 2006 Julio and I have become avid Couchsurfing hosts. It's an amazing free worldwide hospitality network – it's a great tool to find new friends in any town or city, nearly everywhere in the world! We've hosted dozens of people, but this was just my third time actually being the guest. My lovely hostess Julia set me up with a great foam mattress at her apartment as well as coordinated a fun outing with other Couchsurfing hosts and guests at a nearby restaurant – it was so fun to meet and share stories about travel and all the other things we have in common.

fun with Aaron & Lisa

Other dear college friends of mine, Aaron and Lisa, also went to the wedding and it was fabulous to share more good times with the two of them, including a wild ride on Colorado's longest alpine slide, grooving to Michelle's dad Gordy's guitar and crazy lyrics, and drinking just a little too much wine (or bourbon, as preferences go) at the wedding reception!

Michelle & Jeff's Wedding

My beloved friend Michelle who I met when we were going to Lewis and Clark College got married to a wonderful man named Jeff on Saturday. Since this was the whole point to my trip to Colorado and the impetus for getting me to the States at all this year, it was a much anticipated event! Michelle has always been someone I admire for her true kindness, relaxed elegance, and easy smile. I am so glad that she has found someone who seems to compliment her so perfectly and I am honored to have shared their special day with them. It's a rare pleasure to hear such genuine and personal sentiments embedded in wedding vows, as well as in poems and songs shared by family and friends.

Pillow Menu!

My flight from Costa Rica to Mimi ended up being delayed due to technical difficulties, so for the first time in my life I ended up with a voucher for a free nights stay in a hotel room plus dinner and breakfast. I was at the Holiday Inn by the Miami airport and the first thing I saw when I walked into my hotel room were four pillows propped up against the headboard. I then notice that they are slightly different shapes and sizes and am drawn to the little card off to one side. It explains that this is a pillow menu and describes each pillow's contents and characteristics and that you can get more of the one you like best from housekeeping. Well, some of you might already know, but I love a good pillow – or two – or three! But four?!! I LOVED it! What a great idea!

The Ugly American

Just before my flight left Costa Rica, Julio and I were returning a rental car to an agency that we use often when I overheard the most detestable conversation I can recall.

First I have to describe this couple - the heavy-set man American man in a Hawaiian shirt next to me at the counter was about 35 years old with a loud voice and abrasive attitude. His Barbie-inspired Tica girlfriend was just too much – she had huge breast implants, platinum blond hair (no dark roots because she gets it touched up every week I'm sure), a chihuahua with a rhinestone collar in it's carrying case, and her hot pink cell phone.

The man was angry at the rental car agency for something and thought he was being ripped off. So rather than complain about the company, he started verbally attacking the employee, calling him a “piece of shit” and being generally abusive. The employee dealt with it very well, asking him to calm down and that they'd work it out. I did not deal with it well. I was shaking with rage and indignance... we were supposed to ride in the same shuttle with that couple to the airport, but I just couldn't. I said in a loud voice to Julio: “I am so upset - I can't believe one person would talk to another person that way! I can't be in the same vehicle with him, let's walk instead.” Our paperwork was done after a couple more minutes and I realized I just had to say just one more thing – but this time directly to the man: “You are the kind of American who makes us all look bad! You are an asshole.” Then I left, still shaking and angry, but pleased with myself for voicing my opinion. Of course, he did call out some explicitives after me, further proving my point.

For the most part Ticos (Costa Ricans) are very willing to reserve judgement until they've gotten to know you. However there are some touristy areas where the locals just get used to the vast majority of US travelers being rude and stupid and then they treat everyone accordingly. It drives me crazy because Julio and I (and in turn our clients) work hard to be culturally sensitive and patronize locally owned businesses – our attempt to cultivate the opposite of the “Ugly American” stereotype.

Culture shock: Boruca to Miami

I have been outside the USA for over a year, living in Costa Rica and traveling within Costa Rica as well as to Nicaragua and Panama. I get to see all types of lifestyles, from the very simple (cold showers and curtains for doors) to rather luxurious and Westernized (fancy Gringo-style houses with all the regular amenities and gourmet groceries). However, I am reminded which side I want to lean towards when I visit Boruca, one of the most magical places for me in the world. It always reminds me of the old adage: “Live simply so others can simply live”. We don't need to have a whole lot of “stuff” to be happy.

Boruca is an indigenous community nestled in the mountains about 6 hours south from the capital/Central Valley of Costa Rica. Many of the local men carve and paint intricate and beautiful masks and the women spin, hand dye and weave impressive cotton textiles. There's only a handful of cars and so it's safe for children to run from house to house visiting their extended family. When Julio and I visit we are invited into the homes of family or friends of our friend Pedro and are treated to amazing food cooked by his mother. Just a couple of days ago I was sitting in the dining area with a beautiful red earthen floor and listening to Pedro share lovingly about his ancestors and the significance of spirals – that in their religion there is no beginning nor end, that life passes as if in a spiral (also the flight of a sacred bird, the vulture), on a beautiful unbroken path.

Imagine then... just 36 hours later I was sitting in a hotel bar in Miami with too much stimuli, just having seen my first Starbucks in a whole year (hard to imagine, isn't it?!), reading about US presidential candidates in the trashy USA Today newspaper and watching a TV special about right wing conservative pastors' plot to swing the votes towards more conservative laws and elected leaders. Ugh. I wish I was back in Boruca conversing with the locals and watching the time pass slowly by.