It's the Same But Different

Life in San Jose, Costa Rica makes me feel as if I'm living in two paralell worlds simutaneously.  In many ways our life is the same, but in many ways it is quite different. At times life feels "normal" and familar, and then something will make me stop and say, "Wait a minute. . . " 

Here are just a few observations.

Same: Get up, take care of the responsibilities of the day, come home.

Different:  Be home to stay by 5:30 p.m. for safety reasons.  Since we don't have a car, we walk or take a bus everywhere we go.  Although we want to blend with the Ticos (Costa Ricans), we don't!  We stand out like a flashing light, so it's best not to be out walking after dark.  One night we were out with friends until 11:00 p.m., and we felt wild and crazy!


Same: Favorite movies on TV, Top Chef, House Hunters International, UFC, loud commercials, The Today Show, Law and Order

Different: These shows will appear on various channels.  There isn't HGTV or Versus, but you can catch your favorite shows from these networks on a random channel. Another strange moment occurs when we are watching a movie in English, and then suddenly the commercials come on in Spanish.  It's these moments that remind me that "we're not in Kansas anymore."

Same:  Church service with worship, offering, sermon, familiar songs

Different:  Church services last for at least 2 hours.  Most churches have about an hour for worship, and then another hour for the sermon.  (You know Jim will be happy when one day he can preach here for an hour and no one will complain!)  Many of the songs are ones we sing at home, but of course they are in Spanish.  Feeling comfortable with the format, but completely out of place with the language makes one feel a bit confused.

Same:  Bathroom with shower, toilet, and sink

Different:  (Warning - this one is a bit nauseating!)  We can't flush the toilet paper (ugh).  This one has been difficult!  The plumbing systems can't handle the paper products, so we must dispose of them in a garbage can.  At first we just couldn't handle this, but we are becoming accumstomed to the process which isn't as awful as it sounds - I promise!








We will post more thoughts next weekend.  In the mean time, have a wonderful week!

(Pictures are from our neighborhood)

Melanie