Noteworthy

Well, readers, I think I hit an all time record for blog views yesterday: 95. That's probably more than I've gotten in a whole summer down here in the past. To be fair though, I should probably subtract the number of times that my family clicked on the link. (Just kidding, family! Feel free to continue to boost my blogging confidence.)

Yesterday was my day off even though I spent most of it at the office. Today, I’ve vowed to go in later. In this line of work, it’s important to relish your days off. I may not see another until my flight home in July! Even though I work for a language immersion school, and I am a teacher in the States, I don’t teach while I’m here. I’m mostly a guide/chaperone for groups that are studying Spanish at our school (Centro Panamericano de Idiomas: CPI for short). It’s a wonderful way to meet people from all over the world AND practice my Spanish. :)

Okay, on to more interesting moments over the past 24-48 hours…

1. My final meal the States was a Burrito Bowl from Chipotle…as if I won’t be eating enough rice and beans here in CR.

2.I felt like it was good sign that at my departure gate in Atlanta there was a giant clock in the shape of a carrot—my favorite vegetable. Don’t ask me why it was a good sign, it just seemed like it could be.

3. I bought my official “Selección Costa Rica” jersey for the World Cup! ¡Vamos los Ticos!

4. Despite my enjoyment of Costa Rican Cuisine, I made one of the most “American” meals I could have made down here last night: The Blue Box: Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. I used local butter, “Numar”, so I felt it was more authentic, even if the box directions were in English as well.

5. I ran this morning! *See below for more on this topic.

6. I drank my first cup of Costa Rican coffee today. Mmmmm.

*If you’ve been around me for the last 7 months, you’ll know that I’ve been battling High Hamstring Tendinopathy in my left hammy (my sister too!) for nearly 20 months. In simpler terms, my rear-end hurt. Horribly. Through a series of PRP injections and physical therapy from the best physical therapist in the world, I am seeing great results. So…this morning I put on my running shoes and took off on my old 2 mile loop around San Joaquin de Flores. I had completely forgotten about what it’s like to run the roads at 6 A.M. when Ticos are loading the buses to head to work for the day. I took off sprinting (it’s a relative term right now), dodging broken sidewalks, drainage ditches, cars, buses, and pedestrians. By ¾ of a mile in, I was red-faced and out of breath; pretty demoralizing considering the last time I ran this loop I was training for a marathon.

Here is what I quickly recalled as I slowed my pace (and heart rate) and puttered along for the next 1.25 miles. First, I used to run at 5 A.M. to avoid all of the morning traffic. I’ll easily make that adjustment tomorrow morning. Secondly, the first ¾ of a mile is always fast on this loop until I can get to the road with less vehicle traffic and more runners/cyclists. I don’t know how to remedy that one.

On a fun note, when I used to run miles upon miles on this same route, there was a viejito that I passed every day while running.  From opposite sides of the road we would wave at each other and call out “Buenos días” as we passed. One day, we happened to be finished with our run at the same time and briefly spoke to each other. He is Tico but lived in Chicago for many years. He spoke English while I spoke Spanish. I can’t remember his name, but it was such a pleasant moment. I began to look forward to seeing him every day on the loop. This morning when I went out, I secretly hoped that he would still be out there. To my delight, he was! I’d imagine that he doesn’t remember me, but I was so excited to see him still out there running. Morning: made.

Well, I have the day off again today, but I’m going to walk around San Joaquin just to see it again (assuming the rain lets up) and then head to CPI to pick a few things before my group arrives tomorrow!

Pura vida,

Jessica Lynn