05Jun14
We first met Lisa and Brookie a few days into our time here in Sámara, at the Friday afternoon farmer’s market. They were selling (delicious) popsicles under the name Pura Paleta, which literally translates as “pure ice pop” and is a fun play on the popular Tico phrase, pura vida.
They have their umbrella, camping chairs and serious cooler set up across from Palí, the big grocery store in town. We asked them where they get their fruit, since some of the things they use are tougher to find, like albahaca (basil) and moras (blackberries). They said they found a vendor in Cartago, in the more temperate central valley approximately 4-5 hours away, that delivers fruit to them!
While the paletas were totally delicious and refreshing, the other treat was getting to talk with them more about their life here in Costa Rica. You see, Chris and I don’t often meet people who are around our age and living the expat life. Lisa had visited often, and Brookie was training English teachers. Originally from Georgia, they’ve been here three years.
They told us about the ups and downs — missing the food at home, not missing the fast pace of life. The wild feeling of being in an empty house with nothing but an air mattress the night before leaving. And the “just do it” attitude it takes to make it all work. They totally inspired us. Maybe we’ll be them soon!
We also had a fun time hanging out with our compañera de clase Briana yesterday, sharing some great conversation. We talked about our former/evolving lives in the US, differing world views — especially in light of the different reactions my LinkedIn post on career breaks was getting — and she taught us what neuro-linguistic programming is.
We’ve met a lot of great people during our time here. After nine months, I think we’re finally figuring this whole thing out!
