A Weekend in Puntarenas

This weekend was great! We splurged and I took the boys to the Doubletree in Puntarenas which is an all-inclusive get-up... which means that I didn't have to cook or clean or anything, so it was kind of like the first real couple of days of vacation! In Heredia, we are basically living there, so I am responsible for all of the cooking and cleaning and all, especially since Ron is still in Peru. Anyway, it was nice to be able to go up and get a drink or eat pretty much whenever we wanted to. We took a 2 hour bus ride from San Jose to get to Puntarenas Saturday morning (and back again on Sunday afternoon):

Enjoying a snack on the bus to Puntarenas!

What made the weekend really nice was the fact that we met up with our friends Genevieve and Larry, and their son Sebastian. Larry deserves a gold medal for all he did with all three boys! They were all three climbing on him and jumping from and to him in the water and having just a grand ole time! It was really nice for Genevieve and me to be able to relax and chat and just hang out. We were essentially either at the beach or in the pool the entire weekend, minus meal times! Nice! Unfortunately we didn't get to go kayaking because the currents were too strong. It was amazing how close the waves broke to shore, looking so powerful and dangerous, only to calm down right before they got to the boys. It took me a while to get used to it and we always kept our eyes on the boys (Larry did a few times while Genevieve and I enjoyed a few moments of silence) -- who loved building and digging in the black sand!

And of course there were resident iguanas... this one was the most striking in my opinion, and the boys got a kick out of it when he started stealing food from people who left their plates down within reach.

Owen and Sebastian getting into the BIG BALL

Owen in the ball.

Gallo Pinto

Monday after school, we went to our friend Verny's house for an afternoon coffee and bread. Typically one can choose either pan salado or pan dulce. Pan salado, or salty bread, isn't really that salty, it's just not sweet like pan dulce. Pan salado might be stuffed with some sort of meat/cheese or just plain. My weakness here is the pan dulce, as it is often stuffed (just a little, not overstuffed) with cream cheese or fruit or creamy pudding. Yum!

Verny asked me if I liked gallo pinto, which of course I LOVE, and he asked me if I've ever made it. I left out my feeble attempts and told him no, that I hadn't. So wonderful Verny proceeded to guide me to make gallo pinto, which might be the most typical dish here in Costa Rica.

Me in Verny's kitchen making gallo pinto

To make gallo pinto, here's what you do. Before I start, I should point out that I've been told my several people that one of the most important things is to use day-old beans and rice to make it. Trick of the trade!

Gallo Pinto

about 3 servings

3-4 slices of onion, finely chopped

5 slices of red bell pepper, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

about 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Sautee ingredients until soft.

Add about 1 - 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans (not too much liquid) and cook down the liquid over medium heat.

Add about 2 -3 cups day old cooked rice and cook for a few more minutes over low heat.

Add about 1/2 c chopped cilantro and about 2 tablespoons Lizano sauce for flavor.

Enjoy, usually with egg and natilla/sour cream!

Museo de los Niños, San José

After school today, Tío Francisco and Tío José Fabio took us to the children's museum in San José. We weren't sure what to expect exactly, so we tried to go with an open mind. A piece of trivia for you -- this museum used to be a men's penitentiary! Some things in the museum were a little dated, but really nice and very educational. Don't think "New Children's Museum" in San Diego. It's not about crafts and things kids "like" to do exactly... it reminded me more of a regular museum, but made interactive for kids. There are different rooms with different subjects... so many we didn't even get to them all! Lots and lots of hands-on learning opportunities!

Here they are learning about sand storms in space!

This was a nice 3D model of our universe up hanging from the ceiling.

Luke and his "Tíos", checking out handprints of astronauts.

Space engineer (Owen) and astronaut (Luke)!

The shaking of a simulated earthquake!

Exploring pre-Columbian life - hands-on!

Oral hygiene practice anyone?

A helicopter adventure!

Burbujas! Bubbles!

Owen and Luke on pillars in front of the museum.

Luke, ready for "educación física" (PE)

Luke in his uniform for "educación física" (PE)

Dang, isn't Luke cute in his PE uniform? Today he had PE so he had to wear this uniform instead of his regular uniform. Oh, he's also going to get out at 10:00 am instead of 10:30, the normal time. I found that out when I dropped him off this morning... Owen's PE class is actually outside of his regular school hours on Monday afternoon, which I found out on Monday afternoon so he didn't go this week, but he said he wants to go next week. We'll see what happens!

After school today, Tío José Fabio, Tío Francisco and I are going to take the boys to "El Museo de los Niños" (Children's Museum). Not sure what to expect, so we'll just see when we get there!

Thursday, June 14th

Today started off very mellow, and really continued to be so throughout the day. The boys and I pretty much just lounged around the house in the morning, as their school didn't start until 12:30 today. I did  a little laundry, cleaned a little, worked for a while on the computer and made my shopping list for the "super" (grocery store). I was planning on going to the super while Owen and Luke were in school, but when we got to school we were greeted with "Owen no tiene clase hoy." You got it. "Owen doesn't have class today." Argh. So much for my plans. I don't know what people here do sometimes! I also needed to buy Luke's PE uniform at the school library, who told me she's be there until 3:00. I guess she forgot to tell me she'd be gone for lunch until 100 or so... so Owen and I waited until 1:00 (or so...) and bought Luke's PE uniform, then headed back home. I let Owen change then play for a little bit before we went to the store together.

Right when Owen and I got to school to pick up Luke at the gate it started pouring down rain. This was the first time we had to walk to/from school in the rain! The boys loved it! Owen kept playing in the rain when we got home, in search of the giant sapo (toad). Luke wanted to take a shower and get in his jammies. Owen didn't take long to find the toad, and he was all smiles:

Yeah, Owen was sad he didn't get to play soccer because of the rain, but happy to be all wet and proud to have caught the toad!

Friday, June 8th

Today was hopefully a lesson learned for Owen. He was playing beside the house this afternoon in the little green space next to our house and decided to climb a tree... that was a little too small and pitiful for him to climb. Just when Francisco went out to get him for lunch, he saw Owen climbing out on an even smaller branch, which of course snapped and Owen fell about 5 feet down on his back. He got up and started walking toward Francisco but then (I'm sure he had the wind knocked out of him falling from the tree) passed out, face first onto the street. Francisco called for me and Owen was still disoriented when I got to him. Francisco told me that he saw Owen go stiff and his eyes rolled up too.... very scary. Then, once we had him inside he started complaining about being really tired and nauseous. Enough said, right? To the doctor we all went.

Owen, back at home. Check out the lump on his forehead.

After being checked over thoroughly, the doctor felt that Owen's head was fine; he was conscious and pretty alert (though quite mellow for Owen) and able to answer all of the doctor's questions - in Spanish. Given that he had fallen on his back though, the doctor sent us for an ultrasound of his abdomen to rule out any internal injuries. Since we went to a private doctor and not the public hospital (like we had to do in 2008), we had to pay. The doctor visit was about $30 (15,000 colones) and the ultrasound was about $90. All in all, Owen is fine, just bumped and bruised, though we are of course keeping a close eye on him -- and the trees he decides to climb!

Thursday, June 7th

Well today was a good day, but a little sad too. I'm feeling a bit nervous today. Jose Fabio took Ron to the airport and he is off to Peru for the next three weeks... I'm here with the boys, and even though I've got friends here, and I know everything will be fine, I'm still feeling uneasy. I'm sure that's normal, but I don't like it much anyway.

We bought the boys' uniforms for school today. Once again I didn't have my camera, but Francisco and José Fabio took some pictures with their phones. We haven't downloaded them yet, but I'll be sure to have my camera the first day of school! Owen and Luke were both out of sorts in the stores, and to be honest their behavior was more than embarrassing. Surely all of this with everything being different could be difficult to handle and they may just be acting out a bit... but embarrassing nonetheless. I had a good talk with them before bed, and I'm hoping that tomorrow will be better.

The highlight of the day was that Owen and Luke got to play soccer in the street with the neighborhood kids. Owen especially was on cloud 9!!

In closing today, here's a picture of soccer: