Holidays...

Thursday, Frisay and Saturday of last week I was participating in a service learning project. While most students went in groups to one of the sites proposed by the school, I chose to donate my time and energy to the group of people that I have already been working with (some of whom I owe a lot for the sharing of their migration stories) in La Carpio. A group of local men and women are building their own daycare center, recognizing the need for places for parents to take their children, and for children to learn- My three days were full of moving furniture, digging, building and lots of cleaning. Not the most interesting, but helpful nontheless.

Sunday I went to the football game between Heredia and Alajuela, two regional teams. People were fully decked out in their red and yellow jerseys, pants, hats, bandanas and face paint. I had never been to a soccer game before, but this seemed to be more violent on the field than I would expect from a non-contact sport. A lot of guys spent a lot of time writhing around on the field, clutching ankles and knees, and in the end Heredia lost. Alas.

I came home to a lunch of fried fish and and french fries. Food is still the greatest mystery of travel to me. Despite the fact that I have discussed with my host mom several times that I don't like eating humongous meals, I'm still always served the largest portion of everything. Exercize in self-assertion.

Last night my friend Susannah invited me out to a fancy dinner with her and her boyfriend. We went to a fancy Asian restaurant in a not very nice part of San Jose. The interior decorating was beautiful, with a room representing the art and cultural of each of the countries represented on the menu. There was an India room, Thai room and Japan room. We ate sushi, samosas and I had eggplant Thai curry. Oh what a delectable change from beans and meat and rice. I felt very envious of Kyle eating sushi all of the time in Japan.

Today is a holiday, but I am at school seeking refuge from the constant feeding that happens when I spend entires days at home. I am working on a paper about urban segregation in response to my accumulative experiences in La Carpio, however my attention has wandered over to email. I am excited because I also found a restaurant in Heredia called 'Petit Paris' that actually serves imported beers! Next time I have the urge I'm heading in for a Forbidden Fruit. Refreshing in some many ways.
Hope all is well with all.