Saturday, 5 January
At breakfast, Zetdi and I told the new students some helpful tips about the home and the town. They went as a group to the beach today so they took off around 9:30. Apparently, there are 14 other students from their school in indiana here as part of a study abroad program and they get 4 credit hours for the two weeks they will be here. I asked Meleidy more about the DHL package and told her that my mom did not send anything. The package was addressed to Meleidy, not me, and came from phoenix but requires $20 to get the package. Since she has no idea what the package is, she decided to just forget about it.
I headed to the cafe to check my email in hopes that the new orleans group had written to me. Nope. I ended up chatting with Henry for a bit and he asked if I had found a place to open a bar yet. I told him that I would not suggest doing it in Quepos – there has got to be a nicer little town to do it in. After writing some emails, uploading the updates to the site and checking the news I took off. It was nice to get in and out in less than an hour for a change. I went to super mas to get some snacks and more sun block and then went to the atm to get money for the day. I then headed home to lube up and wait for Zetdi.
We got to the bus station just as the bus was loading and it was another packed ride. Zetdi spent the morning shopping for a new swimsuit and did not have any success. Apparently, the bottoms here are more revealing then she would like. She also told me that a bikini can cost $50 and I was blown away. So much for so little material. So glad I am a guy and do not have to worry about how well it fits my chest or bum. We found Leo at the beach and got some chairs next to him. It was a partly cloudy day so the sun was coming in and out and when it was in it was hot. Zetdi and I went for a swim to cool off and she did not stay long for she did not like have to continually dive under the waves. I stayed for a while longer and body surfed some of the waves. Most of the time though I would just float out in the water and watch the waves come in. I was out far enough where I could still stand with my head above the water and this was also where most of the big waves started to break. I got pretty good at determining when to go under a wave, when I could swim through the wave and when the wave would not break so I could just float over it.
After I came back and dried off in the sun, Zetdi and I went to find lunch. We ended up at a little place that had outdoor seating with shade and we ordered sandwiches and a fruit plate. She likes a beer called rock ice with lemon so I gave it a shot. Apparently it tastes like crap without the lemon and salt in it but this one comes with the lemon and salt already in the can. It was alright – a bit too salty for me.
After lunch, we went back and sat in the chairs and watched the people on the beach. There was one lady wearing a g-string and when she would get up to go into the water, she would cover her bum with a boogey board. We were watching the boogey boarders and there were some pretty good ones – doing flips in the waves and such. At one point three people got on a banana boat next to us so we watched them try to get out. I say try because the lady in the back would fall off every time a wave hit them. It must of took them about 5-10 minutes before the boat was hooked up to them and finally towed them out of the waves. Zetdi was getting irritated at how much the lady was falling off and causing the others to fall off too. I asked her what it was like working the summers in Alaska and she said that she worked long days due to the sun being up for a long time, but it was nice because she made a lot of money. I started to think that I might look into for a summer job if I have nothing else going on. It would unfortunately be mostly college kids working up there, but I might be able to find a fun job that lets me get out and have fun in the little free time that I have. I told her about wwoofing and she said she had some friends that did that and some liked it and some did not. Some would end up babysitting the kids for most of the day and did not like that. Zetdi said that I should do wwoofing or an alaska job before working in new orleans. She said that new orleans just does not sound like fun.
I went back in the water and was frustrated at how many boogey boarders and surfers there were in the water. I tried to find an open spot so I could play in the waves again, but they kept creeping into my space. Again, I just floated in the waves and tried to guess which ones would be big and when they would break. I only surfed one wave and it was the one that took me back into shore. When I got back, Zetdi took off in hunt of a swimsuit and I stayed for a bit to dry off. On the bus ride home I was actually able to sit down. A lady sat next to me and fell asleep. When we got to the bus station I had to wake her up by slapping her on the face. No, just kidding. I touched her on the arm and she was embarrassed that she fell asleep. I went to the bakery to get a snack and then headed home. The new students were back already and asked that I show them where the cafe and such were. They took a shower and I waited by listening to music and laying on the floor in the dark. Not sure why, but it just felt like the thing to do.
We ran into Zetdi as we were leaving and she joined us. She ended getting on the wrong bus – direct bus to playa Dominica which is about and hour south of here. Luckily, it made a stop in the bus terminal in Quepos so she was able to get off. She was getting nervous that she was heading to Dominca. I walked the students around town and showed them some places to eat, internet cafes, atms, bus terminal, etc – pretty much the same tour I gave Zetdi. Zetdi stopped off in a tour company to pick up some maps and brochures for she needs to find a place to stay when her boyfriend comes on Tuesday. Apparently, he did not want to stay in a hostel so she told him that he was going to pay for wherever they were going to stay. When we got back I took a shower and then laid on the floor listening to music again.
After dinner, Meleidy and Sharon were playing Mario Kart so I sat to watch. I started to get motion sick from watching so I went outside and sat in the hammock. The others eventually went up to their rooms and I went in to say good night to Meleidy. She gave me the controller and told me to play with Sharon – I think she had had enough losing. Sharon and I ended up playing together on the same team and we did really well. It was funny to hear her say ahora (today) to tell me to throw my stuff at the other drivers. It sounded just like something any kid in america would say. I went upstairs afterwards and listened to music while I waited for 9pm to roll around which is when we decided we would all go out.
It turns out that the other students in the program were meeting us on our corner at 9pm. When Leo and I saw a group of 10 students walking to us, we looked at each other and Leo asked if we were going to have to be babysitters for the night. Sadly, yes. I ended up being the tour guide and decided to go back to the bar that Zetdi and I went to on new years. It took us twice as long to get there for we had to keep stopping for people because some wanted to go to the internet cafe and some needed to go to the atm. Leo got fed up and left during this. I didn’t blame him and at the time wished that I could go with him.
When we finally got to the bar, Zetdi led a team of girls to the bar to get drinks. I didn’t make the trip for I got stopped by a guy that wanted to talk. It turns out he is a local and works on the beach selling kayak trips, snorkeling, etc. He had a very low, raspy voice that made me wonder if he yelled or talked a lot all day. I think he wanted to talk to me for he saw me arrive with all of the students (all of which were female) and he was hoping to get some action. He was trying to convince me that we should all go to Byblos later to dance, drink, play pool, etc. He introduced me to the bar owner – Jim – and I asked him hist story about being here since he is an american (guessing). He said that he was in the recycling business and made frequent trips to Costa Rica and finally had the resources to come and stay.
I finally made it to the bar and ordered a beer. Some of the students took off to look for the others at the internet cafe. Zetdi came over and sat with me and we chatted. She told me how the students were mentioning that they had to travel in groups of 4 or else they would get in trouble with the professor/trip leader. Most of the students are sophomores in college, so Zetdi and I were taken aback a bit for that seemed more like a high school or younger comment. Granted it is very good to travel in packs at night, but the ‘get in trouble’ part was weird. The guy that talked to me earlier was now trying to hit on one of the girls and I could tell that she wanted to escape. Earlier he mentioned that he would buy me a beer so I went over to him and ask him where’s my beer and we went to the bar. I turned around and told the girls to escape while they could. Tony would be so proud.
I ended up buying him a beer – taking one for the team to keep him occupied. He introduced me to a ‘friend’ of his – a prostitute. I am pretty sure that this is the prostitute Angela met at Bamboo Jam. I say hello and then go back to talking with the guy. She starts rubbing her hand on my back and I try not to convulse. Luckily, this did not last long. I noticed that the students started to move to the back where there were seats and room to stand and chat. I told the guy I wanted to go check how they were doing and move. On the way there I notice Zetdi talking to a big white guy and asked her if she is doing ok – she says yes. I sat with the students and talk to the two that are living in my house.
Zetdi joined us and told me that the guy was in town for a fishing trip and she seemed disgusted by him. She tells me that she is getting heartburn and that it sometimes happens after she drinks a lot. I gave her a look for she had only had two beers so far. The problem she was facing was that she wanted to have another beer. Somehow her and another student decide to have tequila shots and I join them along with the only other guy student that showed up from the internet cafe. It was weird doing the shot with the green orange fruit instead of lime.
On the tv was the steelers vs the jaguars and the steelers lost. Sorry Tony. On the projection screen were miscellaneous rock concerts. It started out with the Rolling Stones and Zetdi made the comment of not understanding how anyone ever thought these guys looked good. Somehow the video switched to something like Artisa’s best of collection. The first thing we saw was Barry Mantelow – or however you spell his name. We started laughing for he was swinging at an awards show and it was so obvious that he was lip sinking. Clue number one was the he was holding the mic next to his stomach. It then switched to other 80s people before it was finally turned off and local music was put on. I asked Zetdi if she follows sports (since a game was on tv) and she says that she follows college basketball (she played in high school). She does not like pro basketball for she feels that they do not play up to the rules – traveling, double dribble, etc. She does not follow any other pro team, but does watch her college play.
At some point a guy joins us and starts talking to us, well mostly Zetdi. He is from Holland and is in Mexico studying Spanish. He is traveling south to Panama for the winter break with a friend and had just gotten into Quepos. Zetdi asked him a lot about studying abroad since she wants to do this in the fall in Spain. We were both amazed at how good his English was. I was amazed and jealous of the way she can just talk to anyone in a genuine and sincere manner.
The guy from earlier showed up and joined us. The students shortly thereafter leave to go home. I asked if they would be ok getting home and the said yes, so Zetdi and I stayed. As soon as Zetdi finished her beer, she was ready to go – tired and wanting to get away from the guy – so we went home. I change out of the smoky, smelly clothes and sit on the balcony enjoying the cool evening. I put on my ‘hmmm’ playlist – misc songs that can usually put me in the relaxed and refreshed state of mind. I sat there staring out into the darkness thinking about life – what the hell am I going to do for money, am I ever going to be in a relationship again, how I am getting better at being comfortable in groups and talking to people, how I am so glad that I am not in my old job, how I feel less stressed and more able to enjoy life. I was the last one to go to bed and was sitting out there until my ipod died. I then came in, drank some water and went to sleep after the room stopped spinning.