It´s been a good last week. I worked at the lecheria for two more days, the orchard for two days, and then one day at the chicken farm with the other volunteers. I really enjoyed the orchard, but I was utterly exhausted after Wednesday. Five of us worked to create a new compost pile, which took us about 40 man hours. We started from the ground with old compost and then followed that with chopped up corn plants that had already been cut. We headed over to the papaya trees where Carlos had been weed eating, and we bagged up grass for layer number 3. I opted out of helping with layer number 4--cow crap. Layer number 5 was cut up banana trees that Carlos had been hacking away at with a machete. I wondered why they would cut down the banana trees, but then realized the next day that when they harvest the bananas, they actually cut down the tree. It was nice to see they actually use the fallen trees for something. The next layer was carbon followed with old compost again. We followed all of this with pretty much the same layers, though we substituted goat, horse, and chicken crap for the cow crap, which was actually nice because it smelled less. They told me that the compost will be ready to use in about 3 months (February), which coincides nicely with my return to Silencio (yes, I´m returning, more about that later).
This week I´ve spent time with Leoni and Kirsten, two volunteers who arrived on Monday. Initially, they didn´t like it and by Thursday night had decided they would leave Sunday. Sometime between then and Friday afternoon, they decided they didn´t want to leave and made arrangements to stay the second week they initially planned. I´m telling you, this place grows on you! Friday was also interesting because while the three of us were playing cards in the park, we all experienced our first earthquake. I was looking up at the store when I started seeing it shake. Because I´ve never experienced an earthquake, at first I simply thought someone dropped something really heavy in the store (yes, I know that´s stupid), but afterwards we asked the girl who was sitting with us (the 10-year-old who helped us at the chicken farm that morning), and she told us it was a ¨tremblor.¨ I wanted another so that I could really pay attention. The Internet tells me it was a moderate 5.0 on the Richter scale that was felt throughout the entire country.
This week Diego asked me if I knew any of the southern coast of Costa Rica and when I didn´t asked if I wanted to go this weekend. After some confusion Friday because of my pathetic Spanish, I was finally able to understand and we decided we would go to the border for the weekend. We left Silencio Saturday morning about 10:30 in a car I had rented. We stopped in Uvita to see Tre, the owner of the hotel where I worked for two weeks. He was really happy to see us, and it was nice for me to show Diego some place I knew in Costa Rica when he was providing constant commentary along the way. It was also nice because we stopped at the supermarket there and I bought peanut butter and jelly and made sandwiches. Still in disbelief that he doesn´t like peanut butter. We went to Golfito and did some window shopping and had lunch--typical Costa Rican fare of rice, beans, and meat--took some photos and then headed the rest of the way to the border.
This border is much different than the one on the east coast, much busier with people and cars. We spent some time walking around the numerous stalls selling clothes and enough shoes for everyone I know to have five pair. We quickly realized that I was the only extranjera there (non-native)--literally. We saw no other people who weren´t Costa Rican or Panamanian. We found a cabina for the night and headed to a restaurant for a typical Costa Rican meal, this after I realized he doesn´t like pizza.
The next morning we headed to a soda for another meal of rice, beans, and eggs, but I admit I enjoyed every single bite. There was something about being the only foreigner in this town and sitting down at a place where the locals go. I told him I wonder what the people think when they see him with me, but it wasn´t something I worried about. When we left the border, I started wondering how far it was to San Gerardo where my friends Alle and Kevin are living and volunteering. He wasn´t exactly sure but said it was far. I told him I wanted to go and was thrilled when he promptly said, ¨Vamos¨ (Let´s go). When we made the turn toward San Isidro, the biggest town close to San Gerardo, he asked me if I knew San Gerardo, as in, have I ever been there. Well, of course not. Did I know where Alle and Kevin lived? Well, of course not. How are we supposed to find them? I told him San Gerardo is smaller than Silencio and I knew that if we asked anyone in town where they lived, they would know. After all, if they came to Silencio looking for me, they could ask anyone who I was and where I lived and the people would know.
Along the way we stopped to ask for directions several times, including picking up a guy who was waiting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere waiting for the bus. That´s one thing I love about this country. The people who live here can strike up a conversation with anyone and will put anyone in their car. I told him that would never happen in the States because it´s just too dangerous. But here it´s completely normal. We finally made the road to San Gerardo, but continued to stop and ask for directions--I should mention it was always him asking for directions obviously--and after one wrong turn, we were finally on the road there. As we headed up a narrow gravel road into the mountains, he said, ¨Si, San Gerardo es un pueblo.¨ Ahem, yes, I told you it was a small town. We´ll find them easily.
Two kilometers before San Gerardo, we passed through Canaan where there was clearly some kind of festival. As we drove away from there, he commented that they were probably there. We arrived in San Gerardo and asked in the store where they lived. The woman told us (see, I knew everyone would know) and we headed down a steep, steep slope to the house, where no one was home. We walked next door and were told they they were probably in Canaan at the festival. Why, of course. So we headed back to Canaan and walked around looking for them to no avail. Oh, did I mention we passed a bus on the way and we briefly wondered if they were on the bus? Had lunch in Canaan and he continued to ask after my friends and where they lived.
Back in San Gerardo we headed down the steep slope to the house where the door was open. While I crossed my fingers, he called out, ¨Disculpa.¨ Turns out Kenneth lives in the house, not Kevin. Halfway up the slope while I was feeling dejected, he told me to wait. He headed back down and went to the neighbors again and returned, running up the steep hill, with a smile. The guy had thought he´d said Kenneth, but when Diego said Kevin, the guy had more information.
We continued like this for another 30-45 minutes or so before we finally found people who actually did know where they lived. I kept telling Diego I was so thankful he´s patient and he said, we came a long way to see them, and we´re going to see them. And we did. (The pic is of the three of us in their house.) Turns out they had been at the festival and left around 3, shortly before we arrived. It only took us about 90 minutes to find them once we reached their small town of 200 people. Of course, they were completely surprised, which was really cool. They were disappointed that we couldn´t stay and that they had a dinner party to go to, but I felt my mission was accomplished. I saw them, and we had an adventure along the way. Diego told the story to his brother and sister today how I suggested we go to San Gerardo and halfway there he realized I didn´t even know where we were going. He now knows that´s completely normal for me. And they now all have proof that I´m somewhat crazy, though they´ve suspected it for quite some time already.
So my time in Silencio is almost up. I worked today at the chicken farm again to spend one last day laughing with Coco. I´ve invited virtually everybody I know in Silencio to the albergue tonight to say good-bye. In fact, one of the local guys was just in the Internet cafe here and I told him there´s a party tonight. He already knew. I also walked over to Lango´s house after lunch to say good-bye. He showed me a scorpion he had made from metal and told me if I wanted it, I could have it. My first going away gift--not counting the awesome weekend.
I´m trying not to be sad about leaving. I´ve made the decision to return in February for three months, so the thought of seeing all of them again does make it a lot easier to leave. Nonetheless, I have to say good-bye tonight as all of them will be working when I head out of town tomorrow. I definitely turned this place into a second home with a second mother in Arianna, a second father in Lango, multiple brothers in the friends I´ve made here, another grandfather, lots of uncles, and more friends than I can count with all my fingers and toes.
I know that some will wonder at my decision to return, thinking there´s so much of Central America I could see. Why return to a small town where there is so little to do? My answer is this. When I thought about returning, I thought back to my reason for traveling in the first place. What was my goal? And what I realized is that I´m accomplishing my goals in Silencio. First and foremost, I wanted to be away from home for an extended period of time. Second, I wanted to learn Spanish. Third, I wanted to volunteer. And fourth, I wanted to live with families where I can learn what it´s like to really live here, not just be a tourist. All of these are happening for me in Silencio, and if I´ve also found a second home, then why not return? Like I said in the last blog, there´s something really cool about making memories with the locals that just feels priceless. In fact, when I described it to Diego, I explained the Mastercard commercials and told him these are the types of moments I´m having here.
I am definitely one of those people who worry about staying somewhere because it´s comfortable and being afraid to take risks, and I´ve wondered if that´s why I´m staying. But I also know that right at this moment, the decision to return feels right, and I can´t imagine that spending three more months there next year is going to make me wish I had been anywhere else in the world. Now I just have to figure out how I´m going to afford it, which means tightening my money belt just a bit. I think that will be a bit easier, though, now that I have something tangible to tighten it for.
Tomorrow morning I head back here to Quepos. I plan to spend the day in Manuel Antonio National Park, which I haven´t yet seen, and then Wednesday morning I will travel several hours by bus to San Jose followed by several hours by bus to La Fortuna. There I will do some typical tourist things, like rappelling the waterfalls and seeing Volcano Arenal. I´ll leave there on the 24th to take my flight to Ecuador on Nov 25, the day before Thanksgiving.
The other good thing I have to look forward to is Christmas with a friend. Wendy will be arriving in Quito on December 17 and will stay until the 26th. I´m absolutely delighted that I don´t have to be alone for Christmas and that I´ll have someone to do some fun activities with.
If you read this tonight, be thinking of me and the tear-jerking goodbyes I have to say, which I will soften with some Malibu rum and juice, just enough to enjoy myself but not so much that I don´t remember the evening. This is one night I don´t want to forget.
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