So last night around 9pm, I was hungry so decided to make a trip to the 24 hour grocery to get something to eat, but I was listening to my really good song on my iPod and realized that I wasn't really that hungry anyways, so I just walked past and started just wandering around San Jose. I was pretty excited when I found some little restraunts where you could get a casado (lunch or dinner dish typical of costa rica consisting of rice, beans, fried plantain, salad or veggies, and some kind of meat)for less than 2000 colones (4bucks)
but I decided to keep walking anyways and so eventually, I found a place where you could get a massive piece of pizza the size of a quarter of a regular large pizza for 950 colones (like 2 bucks) I decided it was too good of a deal to pass up, and ordered a piece.
There was an older looking man standing there that asked if I could buy him a piece too. I said sure and he said he had been having trouble finding a job and that nobody would hire him because of his age. His English was perfect as I latter found out he was from the states and had moved to Costa Rica 5 years ago with a woman he was in love with and that she stolen his entire life savings and ran away leaving him with nothing. We walked to the main square in San Jose and he told me that one day I will forget about him, but that when I get to the end of my travels I will have money left over and that will be from the good deed I did for him, but that if I leave expecting to be compensated in some way for helping him, that I too will experience hardship in my life. He was a very wise and humble man and didn't seem like the kind of guy that would be begging or food or change. He didn't smell of alcohol and didn't appear to be using any other types of drugs and he told me to stay as far away from drugs as I can because he has seen what they can do to people. He explained that he was living at a hotel near the bus station for 4 dollars a night, but that when he doesn't have that 4 dollars, that the lady won't let him in and that he has to sleep on the sidewalks with the drug addicts. He told me that a lot of the time, he has to choose between sleeping out with a full stomach, and sleeping in hungry.
He also talked about his travels before he lost his savings. He had been in the US military and has another 8 months to go until he can start collecting his pension. He told me about all the things I should see in Costa Rica and all the places I should stay away from. We talked about how important travelling is and how much it can open your mind. He told me to keep doing exactly what I am doing and that I will be happy in life. He also told me about a fair that was happening somewhere that I forgot the name of, where there would be music and shows and a bunch of other stuff. He said that he would take me there if I wanted, and arranged to meet at 1pm.
While I was waiting for him outside my hostel, I saw another man accross the way motioning with his feet as though he was playing soccer. Having just lost my soccer ball a couple of days ago by kicking it over a museum fence, I assumed he had found it and somehow knew it was mine and just wanted to give it back, but when I approached him, he asked in spanish if he could give it to a house for recovering drug addicted and troubled "muchachas" I had never heard the word "muchacha" before in my life but now know that it is a term used to describe young women. I agreed and he had me sign the ball before accepting it as a gift. He was very happy and said something about Jesus before I had to run off to meet Charlie to go to the fair. I am very passionate about encouraging girls to play soccer especially down here in Central America where practically no girls play and so especially now that I know what a "muchacha" is, I kind of feel like I should go talk to that man again and possibly see about visiting the girls to play with them and possibly donating more balls. If anybody else is interested in donating a ball, they cost about 20 or 30 dollars here. I can buy one for you and write your name on it and donate it to them for you.
As we approached the bus station, I started to notice huge lines of ticos forming to catch the same bus. I was the only foreigner there and the bus cost 190 colones each, so less than a dollar for both of us. We walked around the fairgrounds for a bit, watched as the bulls were unloaded from the trucks into the stadium, then looked around some stands where people were selling mostly winter clothing and jewelery. He showed me what jade was and said that he would give me a jade stone when we got back to San Jose, but I think we both forgot. On the way back, we realized that I really should be taking the opportunity to practice my spanish with him, so we started talking mostly in spanish and I had the opportunity to ask him some questions about grammer and word usage that I had been procrastinating looking up on the internet. He walked with me all the way to my hostel, then we went our separate ways.
but I decided to keep walking anyways and so eventually, I found a place where you could get a massive piece of pizza the size of a quarter of a regular large pizza for 950 colones (like 2 bucks) I decided it was too good of a deal to pass up, and ordered a piece.
Typical Casado in Costa Rica
There was an older looking man standing there that asked if I could buy him a piece too. I said sure and he said he had been having trouble finding a job and that nobody would hire him because of his age. His English was perfect as I latter found out he was from the states and had moved to Costa Rica 5 years ago with a woman he was in love with and that she stolen his entire life savings and ran away leaving him with nothing. We walked to the main square in San Jose and he told me that one day I will forget about him, but that when I get to the end of my travels I will have money left over and that will be from the good deed I did for him, but that if I leave expecting to be compensated in some way for helping him, that I too will experience hardship in my life. He was a very wise and humble man and didn't seem like the kind of guy that would be begging or food or change. He didn't smell of alcohol and didn't appear to be using any other types of drugs and he told me to stay as far away from drugs as I can because he has seen what they can do to people. He explained that he was living at a hotel near the bus station for 4 dollars a night, but that when he doesn't have that 4 dollars, that the lady won't let him in and that he has to sleep on the sidewalks with the drug addicts. He told me that a lot of the time, he has to choose between sleeping out with a full stomach, and sleeping in hungry.
He also talked about his travels before he lost his savings. He had been in the US military and has another 8 months to go until he can start collecting his pension. He told me about all the things I should see in Costa Rica and all the places I should stay away from. We talked about how important travelling is and how much it can open your mind. He told me to keep doing exactly what I am doing and that I will be happy in life. He also told me about a fair that was happening somewhere that I forgot the name of, where there would be music and shows and a bunch of other stuff. He said that he would take me there if I wanted, and arranged to meet at 1pm.
The only picture of Charlie I have
While I was waiting for him outside my hostel, I saw another man accross the way motioning with his feet as though he was playing soccer. Having just lost my soccer ball a couple of days ago by kicking it over a museum fence, I assumed he had found it and somehow knew it was mine and just wanted to give it back, but when I approached him, he asked in spanish if he could give it to a house for recovering drug addicted and troubled "muchachas" I had never heard the word "muchacha" before in my life but now know that it is a term used to describe young women. I agreed and he had me sign the ball before accepting it as a gift. He was very happy and said something about Jesus before I had to run off to meet Charlie to go to the fair. I am very passionate about encouraging girls to play soccer especially down here in Central America where practically no girls play and so especially now that I know what a "muchacha" is, I kind of feel like I should go talk to that man again and possibly see about visiting the girls to play with them and possibly donating more balls. If anybody else is interested in donating a ball, they cost about 20 or 30 dollars here. I can buy one for you and write your name on it and donate it to them for you.
This is Richard, who will be delivering my ball to the Muchachas!!
When I eventually caught up with Charlie, we started walking towards a bus stop I hadn't seen before and on the way he talked about the history surrounding some of the buildings we were passing. One that was of particular interest was a womens school near my hostel. He said it was made of Iron and had been delivered by accident to Costa Rica many many years ago by a captain that was supposed to have been delivered it to Punta de Arenas Chile, but got confused and accidentally delivered it to Puntarenas Costa Rica instead. Not realizing the mistake until 6 months latter, the cost for the Chileans to have the containers the building was packaged into shipped in as well as the expense of storing it for so long, the Chileans instead decided to donate the building to the Costa Ricans and build a new building in Chile.Esquela de Mujeres "School for Women"
As we approached the bus station, I started to notice huge lines of ticos forming to catch the same bus. I was the only foreigner there and the bus cost 190 colones each, so less than a dollar for both of us. We walked around the fairgrounds for a bit, watched as the bulls were unloaded from the trucks into the stadium, then looked around some stands where people were selling mostly winter clothing and jewelery. He showed me what jade was and said that he would give me a jade stone when we got back to San Jose, but I think we both forgot. On the way back, we realized that I really should be taking the opportunity to practice my spanish with him, so we started talking mostly in spanish and I had the opportunity to ask him some questions about grammer and word usage that I had been procrastinating looking up on the internet. He walked with me all the way to my hostel, then we went our separate ways.
