Thursday, December 23, 2010

To Witness Life Passing in a Fraction of a Moment

Costa Rica gives a person plenty of time to contemplate many aspects of your life and that of life which happens around you.  Remember the last time you spent a moment to give a respectable minute or two to consider the passing of time and the direction of your life as it correlates to this passage?  Most people don't, because the next priority interrupts such deep thoughts that are given a lesser importance. 

Don't forget to pick up the milk with the bread! 

We are all too busy with demands of a modern culture to seriously consider how quickly time goes by.  We speak in intangible references regarding the passing of time.  We question how time passes based on a moment that has already passed.  However, we don't watch time pass in the present to gain an appreciation of how quickly it truly goes by.

I recently have been bearing witness to the closing of a day.  Sunset viewing is a common priority on the west coast of Costa Rica.  Take a moment to step out on to the beach to watch the end to a moment in your life.  My latest sunset viewing gave me a new perspective.  That moment, I chose not to watch the ending of anything, but the realization of the speed that life happens to move at.

There is a reason that people chase sunsets.  Sunsets educate us on the delicacy of time by letting us know there is but a fraction of a moment to enjoy this daily phenomenon.  A sunset lasts for roughly 2 minutes once it hits the horizon.  Some regions of the world during certain parts of the year may witness a 4 minute sunset.  The amount of time varies, but all-in-all, it's always short.

This brief moment, I contemplated the swiftness of how quickly the sunset chose to leave me that day.  Why did it have to pass so quickly right in front of my eyes?  How does this correlate to the time in my life?  More  importantly, the present realization that every other fraction of time moves at the same speed of a setting sun.

I have a new appreciation of sunsets now.  They remind me that the present is short, the future is quick to pass, and the past is the ruler of time. 

Are you doing everything you want with your life?
 

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Que Extrano!

In my seven weeks in Samara, I have become accustomed to some habits, or differences, that exist between the Costa Rican culture and the United States culture.  I said United States culture and not the American culture.  Another difference in perception and knowledge that I am slowly getting used to.  We are not the only Americans. tsk tsk.  Ok, enough of that.

To capture the differences, let's Top Ten this blog for strange things about Samara:
  1. It's common not to have hot water in the house.
  2. Restaurants are not enclosed.  Open air establishments year-round.
  3. Drunk in Public and Walking with an Open Container are not reasons for la policia to stop you.
  4. Dogs look both ways before crossing the street. (Seriously).
  5. Toilet paper goes in the waste basket, not the toilet. (septic tanks can't handle it).
  6. A family of four can fit on one motorcycle. (Husband, Wife, 8yr daughter, 2 yr son).
  7. Corona is the most expensive beer ($4/beer).
  8. There is a guard tower at the new grocery store.
  9. The average person makes $2/hour, but the cost of items are equivalent to the United States.
  10. Some families don't have a bathroom in the house, but they have satellite tv.
With that said, I have a Top Ten for great things about Samara.  Life may be a little "extrano" for other cultures visiting Costa Rica, but you better believe there are wonderful things as well.
  1. Guanabana smoothies (My favorite fruit smoothie, or bastido).
  2. Temperature is between 65 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. (Stop hating and just come visit me).
  3. Natural reef creates great surfing conditions for beginners.
  4. There are "secreto" beaches that the tourists don't know about.
  5. Beer costs $2.00 unless you upgrade to the $4.00 Corona (sucker).
  6. People are extremely nice to tourists.
  7. Hammocks are everywhere.
  8. Flip-flops will be enough for all establishments.
  9. A bike ride to school or town in the morning passing by the palm tree lined beach.
  10. Drunk in Public and Walking with an Open Container are not reasons for la policia to stop you.
Don't take my top ten lists at face value.  Come on down and make your own lists!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Como Se Dice Game

I've been meaning to write this specific blog about two weeks ago, because of the mindset I was in at the time.  However, when you're in school every day of the week, two weeks feels more like two months. A person forgets how hard it is to learn something when you cannot effectively communicate.  Think as far back as possible to a time that you could not have a full conversation with someone over a basic topic and remember the frustration.  Well, come to think of it, I was too young to understand frustration due to a lack in ability to communicate fully.  Yes, that is how far back I am referring to.  I never knew how to say, "I crapped my pants, mom."  I just did it.  That's how I communicated when I was in diapers...don't judge, because you did too.

To communicate, you get used to saying the same thing over and over again.

Today, I still use the phrase, "como se dice...en espanol?"  It's just about the simplest way of saying, "How do you say....en espanol?"  Now for the creative minds out there that enjoy a good Mad Lib, this game can be very intriguing. But say it every day and it gets old quickly.  Spanish is not exactly like english with -Os and -As at the end of every english word.  For instance, "How do-o you-o say-o stupid in spanish-o?" will not get you very far in relations with the spanish speaking world.  They will respond, "La palabra es estupido, estupido."  Ok, so stupid really does have an -O at the end of it. Bad example, but a fun one.

As for the "ah-ha moment", I am sad to report that I have not had it yet.  Game over.  We'll play the Como Se Dice Game next month and see if I have broken the chains of being muy lento.

In the meanwhile, here is a refreshing picture.  If you look closely, there are clouds in the background.  Mas o menos, it was an ok day.