Despite having to work this morning, today turned out to be a another great day in Costa Rica. My throat is sore from laughing, if that's any indication. It was a day filled with good companionship.

I taught with another teacher this morning, because this class is something of a special situation. The students aren't paying. Their company is paying for two teachers, no matter how many students show up. Since there were only 5 students, we didn't see the point in splitting the class. Low pressure. Plenty of individual attention. Everybody's happy.

After class, I had lunch with my coworker (and I had my first real "casado" - like a blue plate special - at a soda in Costa Rica), and then we wandered around Heredia so she could hunt for apartments. She got a few leads from fliers at one of the local universities. To celebrate, we got ice cream. Yummmm. The ice cream here is incredible. It's made with real cream. It's dangerously good, especially on a hot day like today.

As I was walking up towards my house, I was greeted by one of my neighbors. She invited me to sit down, have a fresco, and meet a couple of lovely ladies. How could I refuse an offer like that?! They turned out to be her coworker and her coworker's daughter. I learned that the daughter speaks a little English. My neighbor is trying to learn as well, so she brought out one of her books and asked me to pronounce some words for her. I don't mind giving a free lesson to a friend. And in fact, I was rewarded later with coffee and sandwiches. Muy rico. The real payment, though, was an afternoon of conversation and laughter. It also helped that the ladies mentioned I was "guapo" in my teacher-garb. Flattery goes a long way. Too bad they also mentioned their boyfriends.

Sometimes a gringo just can't catch a break.

Labels: costa rica