Cool and refreshing is the rain on this quiet day in Costa Rica. I’m row staying at the Hotel de Colours on the Boulevard de Rohrmoser. I attend classes every morning from 8 until Noon. What I thought was going to be a group class has turned into a private lesson and my instructor is from Belgium and has lived in the United States (Florida) and now here in Costa Rica. He also teaches Spanish at a regular school in another part of town. Today we sat poolside for a bit until the sun became too warm. He’s a good professor and I enjoy my lessons with him.
It seems that I struggle with how some letters are pronunciation, however, I’m learning. I find myself becoming easily upset when I cannot get the word or understand something, so every now and then I have to ask for a short break. As I sit here now typing, the rain falls upon the pool water and created little circles and bubbles. Lush tropical plants surround the pool and there is a handsome man sitting on the other veranda typing on his laptop. There doesn’t seem to be a lot of people here as it is always very quiet. Other than the man across the way from me, I’ve only seen the staff and one other person. I decided to stay here after my first lesson when the hotel offered me a better discount for my stay. It’s not as lively as the Hostel Pangea and it is further away from things, situated in an upscale neighborhood. However, I use the term upscale loosely, as the homes may be bigger and have yards, however, the construction is the same as in the barrios, not to mention they all have security bars on them. I suppose to protect the valuable possessions inside.
I will continue to stay here until early Saturday morning, then return to the Hostel Pangea. As I have been here Leonardo, one of the staff (he’s very handsome but only speaks Spanish), was assisting me in practicing my Spanish. I know that in time I will be able to speak the language but as for now, I find the struggle to hear things makes it difficult to fully understand. I try to listen to the Spanish television and radio because I hope it will help me learn the language better. Although down here I am not as inclined to watch TV because there is life when one walks around. It’s not like in the states where everyone drives here they all walk. That is the other thing about this upscale area; all of the homes here have parking areas, carports or garages.
The rain has slowed to a trickle now and there is soft music coming from the lounge area. It’s cooler now than it was this morning and I enjoy this time of the day here. Who knows, maybe the humidity will help my skin get better. Every afternoon it rains here as we are still in the rainy season until the end of the month. As I gaze over the small garden, something occurred to me, that most of the gardens here aren’t as lush as I would expect. I suppose I had in my head a garden full of flowers and colors. There aren’t a lot of trees in the neighborhoods except in the parks. All I keep thinking is, wow, please let me have a small place to grow a garden, I’m sure I could create something very beautiful.
After my classes I enjoyed a short nap before taking a walk around the area. It was five blocks before I found the local businesses. The Chalupas for lunch were very good and were enjoyed in an open-air restaurant with a large bird aviary on one side. There was an awning of tin above it to keep the rain out, and it was very relaxing. I’ve had a headache since Monday, and that might be part of the reason I struggle with my lessons. I hope it goes away soon.
The headache may have been brought on by a mix up in my medications. I thought I was taking the green pill and by accident I took the white one, which was a hydrocodone and then I went out drinking with the two boys from Holland. We ended up playing Black Jack at the Horseshoe Casino until 4 am, so I didn’t get much sleep on Sunday night. It was a fun night and I even doubled my money, so I stopped playing and waited for the others to finish.
The gentleman on the other side has retired to his room and I’m left alone, excepting for the occasional staff member who wanders by. I suppose I could go take my regular afternoon nap and wait for the rain to stop before finding something to do for the evening.
