Sounds from the morning

The sun rises and sets early here in Costa Rica. That means if one wants to take advantage of daylight, and the coolness of the morning before it gets hot and humid, one needs to wake up quite early, at least for US standards. Activity - and not always human activity - usually starts around 5:30 AM. Like it or not, I am almost always waken up around this time by either the seemingly thousands of roosters that surround my house or the chirping of the “cocalecas.” The scientific name for this bird species is Aramides cajanea. Cocaleca is the word Costa Rican’s use, perhaps because they make a sound that is somewhat similar to the name.

By about 6:00 AM, the sounds of bicycles passing my house begin to be heard. There are several bread-sellers that ride through the neighborhoods with large carts filled with baguettes attached to the front of a bicycle and a horn attached to the handlebar to signal the arrival of the day’s freshly baked bread. “LLEGOOOO LLEGOOOO…… (HORN SOUNDS).” By this point it’s about 6:30 AM and the borrowed U.S. yellow school bus, which is used to transport locals from Cortés to Ojo de Agua instead of students, rumbles by, shaking the foundation of my house.

By 7:00 AM, the streets have quite a bit of activity as high school and elementary students are on their way to school, gently poking along on their bikes while talking in groups of friends. Also, many adults are reporting to work at this time. This routine is quite different to that in the US, where many people on a work day aren’t getting to work until 8:00 or 8:30 AM.

With all these sounds and movements, it definitely puts pressure on me to start my days bright and early with lots of activity. This can lead to exhaustion by the end of the day, as many of my activities don’t actually start until the evening. This means I start my day at 6:00 AM, but it often doesn’t finish until 9:00 PM. It’s safe to say, by the end of the days I am sometimes dizzy due to fatigue. I am still working on finding an equilibrium between resting sufficiently and taking advantage of the sunlight before it gets dark at 5:30 PM.

“Un día de estos”

This is a common saying among Ticos. It’s equivalent to saying “one of these days….” in English. It has the same promise (or sometimes vagueness of when or if it will happen) of an event passing in the future. It’s used in the context of when someone is promising to plan a trip, project, or cafecito with someone. For example, it’s to say, “One of these days, we’re going to go on that fishing trip that we have been talking about for the past year.” I hear it so often, that I usually think to myself “And if one of these days never comes?” Because the truth is, that time, ever since I joined the Peace Corps has never been the same. Why is time passing by so quickly? Is it the same for those that live in other parts of the world? Back home? Or does time only fly in Costa Rica? Are the days, weeks, months, and years getting shorter? I was talking with a friend in my community about this, and he told me that somewhere in the Bible it states that when the end of the world is near, time will become shorter. It almost seems true. I often reflect, stunned, by the fact that I’m already 25 years old, or that there are only about 4 months left in this year’s calendar. Time’s shortness for me can almost be unfair. Everyday, I try to make the most out of the little time I have, because time for me is flying.

Ode to Gallo Pinto

Gallo pinto is a classic Costa Rican dish, usually eaten for breakfast, which consists of rice and beans mixed together with chopped onion, red pepper, and cilantro. Of course, one cannot forget to throw in a little Salsa Lizano, a Costa Rican brand sauce, which if not added, would probably not be gallo pinto. Although it varies from person to person, garlic is also sometimes added. I have to admit, I am a fanatic of the pinto, especially for breakfast. For me, there is nothing better than a plate of gallo pinto, a slice of cheese or an egg, tortilla, and a large cup of warm café in the morning. If the pinto is well-made, I could honestly eat it for lunch and dinner as well.

Ironically, even when I am living by myself, I still like to fix myself gallo pinto. However, my pinto is made with an “estilo gringo.” I use the above ingredients, however I also like to use lots of fresh spices from my garden, such as fresh ginger, turmeric, lemon grass, basil, cilantro, and oregano. I know, lots of spices, but since I am growing them, why not use them? It only adds to the taste. Also, for the pinto to have a little kick, I also throw in a small chile pepper and a piece of garlic. That’s my version of the traditional gallo pinto. It’s one of the many customs that I will definitely take back with me to the U.S. after I finish the Peace Corps.