The locals

We've been gone for a week in the mountains visiting the indigenious reserve up 4000 feet higher than we are currently. Jason and I are both working on stories about that adventure, but this is a little catch up of before and after our trip.

The past two days have been such a blast. We have been spending most of our time with the caretaker family. Marcos works for Ginnee and Phil. They built a house for Marcos and his family on the property and they provide him with a job that is right here so he has no travel cost, which is really wonderful. The small structure that is between the two homes is where Marcos and his family lived before the new house was finished. I would considered this to be a barn. There is not electricity it's made of wood but falling apart. The new home is beatiful. There is an outside kitchen that is the length of the house in the back. It is covered and has a little nook for a table and chairs at one end. The length of it is filled with a deep long stainless steel sink. There is two stoves, one which runs off methane gas that they collect from the cows (poopie), the other off propane. And at the very end there is a tile bar that was built facing the patio isq area to the side of the house. So it's a great place to host if it's not raining. And Zenia can stand behind the counter and overlook the work on the green house or some of the gardens. The inside is all tile. It is a small two bedroom home. The front living area has a couch and some chairs with lace lining placed in the seat. Then there is another dining table inside with a quarter of a wall separating the two areas. The windows are all covered in lace, some of the lace is bright pink to accent the rest of the room. There are paintings done by the daughter hanging around the home. They are painted on pieces of fibrolit that are left over from the construction of houses. I saw her collecting some more when we were at the soccer game to bring home. There are colorful flowers all over the house that will never die because they are not real, yet they bring a bright energy into the home. And of course there are pictures of the family around, though there are not many because they do not have a camera of any kind.
It's been great to be invited into the locals home and see how they live and what they choose as their daily surroundings. Last weekend, after picking the pejibaye we all dined together at their home, and the next night Marcos found out that we like to drink. He treated us to some Costa Rican liquor and beer before we left to stumble home.

Yesterday, when Jason, Lucia, and I were looking over pictures of the mountain trip with Ginnee, Marcos came over and invited us to go to Carlos' casa. Carlos is another worker of Ginnee's. He lives in a village not far from us. When headed up the mountain there is a fork in the road, to the right is Esperanza and Ginnee's, to the left is the Jimena's and the small village where Carlos lives (I don't know the name yet). We excitedly accepted the offer, and boy, we're we surprised when we arrived. It was a birthday fiesta for two little girls turning 2. There were at least 15 children there though I would estimate closer to 20. But just as many adults. Sadly it was hard to communicate because Jason's and my Spanish has not come very far yet. The house was small but I loved it. Made from wood with the traditional Tico tin roof, there was a patio with a cast iron stove and seating around all the walls. When you entered there was the small living room with just a few chairs and a table. You walked further back into the home and there was the kitchen and a little tiny nook just big enough for the sink and a prep area for food. The oven was around another wall. They used the spaces between the wood on their walls to hang pots and pan and the tops of them. I got to glance in the bedrooms. They have shelving to the ceiling with clothing and blankets and almost a communal sleeping area that was separated only by sheets hanging between beds. I love the patio. The stove reminded me of sitting around the bonfire with my friends back home. The bathroom was enclosed but because the ceiling sat so high from the top of the walls it gave it an outdoor shower effect and let in lots of natural light. We drank with Marcos and the other adults. We danced to the music. We sang happy birthday in Spanish twice. We also had some dinner of delicious rice and beans, cake, and jello with ice cream on top! Amazing food! On top of all of this it was a beautiful night out. On a clear night there is never a reason for a flashlight because there are so many stars. You can actually see some light pollution coming from around the mountain from I believe Tarrialba but the mountain blocks that for us. It was almost a full moon that night as well. We rode home in the back of the pick up truck and our dear friend Marcos asked if he could visit us in the states. Of course you can Marcos!

Today was futbol day! Every Sunday there is a gathering in Attiro, the closest town, for community futbol. The people that come have a few jerseys that they bring. Sometimes there are many teams, but I believe there were only two today. Players would switch out in the middle of the game or when a new game began. Lucia, Jason, and I went down with Marcos and Zenia and arrived about 30 minutes before anyone else. When someone came with a ball, the three of us kicked it around with a child that was there and a woman who obviously played regularly. Then the guys started to change into there cleats. I opted out of playing today because of the blisters on my feet from last week's hike up the mountain. Jason got in and played for half a game bare foot. A new friend Jose, offered Jason his cleats but Jason refused because he also has blisters. Jose pointed to his feet and said, "No fungo, no fungo." Neither Jason or myself understood until he left and we realized he was telling us he didn't have any fungus on his feet. Later Marcos explained to him that we have blisters and that's why we were barefoot. We were outside watching futbol for about 3 or 4 hours before everyone dispersed because of the pending rain. Marcos son, Wainer, is the one who can drive, so he ends up driving us everywhere. He came to pick us up. I guess he doesn't like futbol much because he didn't come. He didn't participate in the party last night either. But not many 18 year olds like to party with their parents at a 2 year olds birthday party so I understand. On our way back home we took the wrong turn up the mountain, or so I thought. Jose, the man that had offered Jason his cleats, had invited us to his home. He lives in Jimena's. Now the reason for the apostrophe is because it's the name of the village but also the entire village is related to each other. So it's actually their last name. Mira, Ginnee's housekeeper, lives there. The village was really lovely. The homes are taller because they stack bedrooms on top of the first floor. More like tree house though they are not actually attached to any trees. There are small gardens of flowers everywhere. There was a beautiful church painted baby blue with a pink trim. It was a beautiful place. I felt really happy and comfortable here. We saw two parrots sitting in a tree outside of Jose's front door speaking to each other in the rain. Since I've told you about the other two homes we were in I can't leave out this one. It was my favorite. It was wood with the tin roof but the tin sat on top of the second story most of the ceiling was wood. The house had several exits. The living room was a good size with a entertainment area, tv and radio, a couch, three chairs lining the walls, and a table in the corner with more seating. The room was filled with knic-knacks,some broken, many from mother's day, posters with excerpts from the Bible, many pictures of the family, some random pieces that were probably just found and brought home, and the bright fake flowers everywhere. The flowers were in vases and hanging from the ceiling all over the house. There was a separate room in the back with a sink that look outside through the wood boards into the mountains. If you continue to the right there is another table and counter space that all leads to two exits. One is under the stairway, the other goes to the left to another sink, prep area and an outdoor stove. Then there is a small trail that loops around through flowers back to the stairwell. They have two pet birds of some kind. I forgot to take a picture but they reminded me of a quail mixed with a chicken. Short legs, round body, they never really opened their wings but perhaps that's because they were caged. Maybe a pigeon of some kind but they are really pretty. Up the stairs there is about 5 very tiny bedrooms with just enough space for a bed and a small table, with cloth for doors that were access by the balcony/hallway. I really love this house. We were here for a long time, about 5 hours. Teaching some words in English, speaking spanlish, and lots more drinking. We had a delicious dinner. A stew with chayote (a tropical squash), plantains, and carrots, rice and beans, green beans, and some awesome coleslaw with radishes. Really great food and perfect timing because the alcohol was really having a strong effect on my empty stomach. There was Jose, Jason, Lucia, Marcos, Zenia, one of Jose's sons and myself and we all finish a liter of Cacique liquor and a 6pack of beer. It was another party but more intimate than the night before, so everyday we are feeling closer to the community that we have become apart of. Oh, I almost forgot about the walk up the mountain. Before dinner, Marcos's daughter and her boyfriend, Titi (who is another one of Jose's sons) took us up the mountain to their little futbol field that they built them selves. We are going up there to play on Wednesday with them. The entire family plays, it will be loads of fun.
We didn't get home until almost 9. Jason and I were both rather drunk so we hit our beds after making plans for tomorrow. Tomorrow we will build a shelf!