Well I made it! I sit here in the spacious, cozy and colorful Reyes home in Cuidad Neily in the San Vito valley. The birds looping what sounds like a Planet Earth soundtrack outside as the rain lightly patters on the fenced barrio.
After I made my last post, I took a nap in the guest room of Paula´s little house and woke up with a start, soaked in sweat. I think I´m going to stop taking this Malaria medication because there is no threat of illness, but the dreams are getting annoying. Last night I dreamt I was backstage at the musical Wicked with a pizza delivery boy and Sarah Holmes. Too much. Anyway, later my padre adoptiva, Ronald came home with Paula and her boyfriend. Together we ate a delicious dinner of beans, rice, Guanauana and my first red meat in what feels like a month. The RNC was on TV, and I did my best not to act as I would have at home as the red-clad crowd yipped about freedom fries and their love of our current vacador. I still think I may have gotten my point across though, because when W. reared his head, Ronald said Mira! Tu mejor amigo! I´m upset to be away from the electric political scene that must be buzzing in Ann Arbor right now, but my dad e-mailed me my absentee ballot today, so at least I´ll be able to vote.
I spent the night in San Jose and the nest morning, Ronald took me to get new tires for Paula´s car. This turned out to be a three-hour ordeal because we were searching for the best price and the actual installation was took an hora tica, but I got to watch Spanish cartoons in the waiting room which was fun. (On a total side note, Wheatus fans will be delighted to hear that the credit song on the animated Jackie Chan cartoon show is an altered version of Punk A** B****!) Ronald is a very nice father. He wanted to pick up a mango for Paula and he tried three different Pulperias to find her one. It reminded me of my parents. Strangely no one in San Jose seemed to have mangoes, so we settled on nectarines and watermelon.
After dropping her car off, we set out on the five-hour car ride to el sur. I tried my best get into the first chapters of Malcolm X, but the view was completely unbelievable. We sped up out of the valley into the mountains and once we broke out of the clouds, I saw the most beautiful vista of my life. It occurred to me that if the Alps were baked potatoes, the central range of Costa Rica would be steaming garlic buttered mashed potatoes... don´t try to read into that, it just popped into my head (potato metaphor... oh yeah, that´ll look great in the blog). Ronald has made that trip many times, and it was so fun to drive with him, going triple the speed limit, switch-backing like crazy, but a feeling of safety too. He let me put on a CD listening to Paul sing Go the Distance coated memories of La Finca and home in syrupy nostalgia, as good memories often are when returned to in long car rides.
I fell asleep for the last two hours of the trip, and awoke drool-coated to a roaring birthday party in the Reyes home. This was a little overwhelming, until I realized I could put the yelling, zeal and commotion into the context of a Harmon family gathering. After that, I felt right at home and did my best to joke around with the extended Reyes family. I met my mom, Magaly, and my two other sisters, Katerina and Francini who all seem so nice. I was shown to my own (hyper pink) room at around 10 where I unpacked and crashed.
I woke up at 8 this morning and ate gallo pinto con platanos y carne with my sister Francini and her best friend who stayed the night. Now we´re going to travel the 15 minutes to Panama where everything, especially the perfume, is supposed to be really cheap. ...I think I received the correct placement.
Ama y paz,
Elaine
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