Yes, there is a need for guidebooks. Yes, some publishers are more trustworthy than other. Differentiating fact from opinion continues to be an important skill when evaluating any information. Somehow I read through a prominent guide to Costa Rica and took the author's opinion as fact. What a mistake. The author warned that wine drinkers should stay home; that in Costa Rica you either drink beer or be prepared to pay mucho dinero for a decent wine.
I hadn't had a glass of wine since I arrived, until this past weekend. A relative was visiting me and we went off traveling and wining and dining as typical tourists will do. Much to my surprise, the wine lists that I was handed featured a large selection of international wines, available by the glass or bottle, and at reasonable prices. Every wine that I tried was fine; they had traveled well and been well maintained. So, take heart, wine aficionados, you do not have to switch to beer for your Costa Rica vacation.
The same advise applies to restaurant reviews. We tried a popular and upscale restaurant that I later read described as slipping and just not up to par. That was not my experience at all. On the contrary the service and food were excellent and their ample wine selection at fair prices per glass was better than the average price in Houston. But then again, how many times does a colleague or friend tell us that they hated a place where we have just had a fine experience.
A word of caution about the American chain hotels. They may be beautiful and 'just like home' but you will pay for that cultural translocation. One American hotel/resort in particular that I visited was spectacular architecturally speaking, the interior design impeccable, and the English that all staff spoke fluently was impressive. There were only a handful of Ticos (mejor dicho hispanohablantes) there and the Tico staff addressed them in English as well. Curious. The food and beverge prices were outrageous. The food tasted great. I am sure it was locally provided. But the prices would have led one to believe that it was imported. With out going into details, suffice it to say it was a rip-off. Dinner at one of the guidebook's top recommended expensive restaurants was less expensive than a not-at-all fancy chicken dinner there. Fear not fellow Americans. These hotels will protect you from the ravages of Costa Rican culture! Caveat emptor!
Monday, July 20, 2009
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
The food scene in San Jose
Now this is a topic I do enjoy!
I was a picky eater as a kid. Boy, how that has changed. I do try everything and rarely is my response less than enthusiastic, but honestly, I do not ask questions beforehand. I know I can be squeamish and raw jelly fish would just not appeal. So, try and then buy (in).
If you are looking for "south of the boarder" hot, it's not here. You will find red hot Panamenian sauce available, but add your own. Flavorful food, yes. Magnificient salads. A superb selction of ceviche, especially delicious sea bass, and beef that is at least as good as the average in Europe. When was the last time you ate chicken that had a natural taste? You may not recognize many of the vegetables, not because you haven't ever eaten them, but because of their rich flavor.
I can't go without mentioning a national favorite, Gallo Pinto. A few Central American nations feature this dish, but the Ticos claim it as their own. What is it? That depends on where you are eating; every household has their favorite receipe. Basically it is rice and black beans and it is enjoyed mainly at breakfast. It is good, but it is certainly not on my list of memorables.
For the junk food junkies. No worries. It's here. I haven't partaken so I withhold comments. From the Gold Arches to Kentucky Fried, from Denny's to Friday's. I haven't seen Domino's but I have had a few pizzas as lunch or snack and they have been great.
Aproveche!
I was a picky eater as a kid. Boy, how that has changed. I do try everything and rarely is my response less than enthusiastic, but honestly, I do not ask questions beforehand. I know I can be squeamish and raw jelly fish would just not appeal. So, try and then buy (in).
If you are looking for "south of the boarder" hot, it's not here. You will find red hot Panamenian sauce available, but add your own. Flavorful food, yes. Magnificient salads. A superb selction of ceviche, especially delicious sea bass, and beef that is at least as good as the average in Europe. When was the last time you ate chicken that had a natural taste? You may not recognize many of the vegetables, not because you haven't ever eaten them, but because of their rich flavor.
I can't go without mentioning a national favorite, Gallo Pinto. A few Central American nations feature this dish, but the Ticos claim it as their own. What is it? That depends on where you are eating; every household has their favorite receipe. Basically it is rice and black beans and it is enjoyed mainly at breakfast. It is good, but it is certainly not on my list of memorables.
For the junk food junkies. No worries. It's here. I haven't partaken so I withhold comments. From the Gold Arches to Kentucky Fried, from Denny's to Friday's. I haven't seen Domino's but I have had a few pizzas as lunch or snack and they have been great.
Aproveche!
Monday, July 13, 2009
A word of encouragement: The sounds of the letter R in the area of San Jose, CR
We all work hard to learn to pronounce our Spanish r's repeating: "rr con rr cigarro, rr con rr carril, rapido corren los carros del ferrocarril." If you cannot master that, not to worry, here in San Jose they have their own way of enunciating the R, which is much easier for the gringo.
This said, in many Spanish dialects 'rr' is not rolled and usually takes on a fricative articulation, this variant sounds a bit similar to English prevocalic 'r-' in rain. Fricative 'rr' sounds are extremely frequent in most of Central America. The Spanish of Costa Rica falls into the category of Highland American Spanish, which comprises various pockets of Latin American Spanish speakers, mainly from highland areas, that employ similar variants for multiple sounds. In San Jose especially, one quickly notices the use of an alveolar vibrant final -r. This assibilation of tapped /r/ has been documented in Spanish and its usage has been tied to sociolinguistic variables such as age, gender, and social class. For example, it has been found that in the face of negative prestige, rural Spanish speakers from Costa Rica tend to preserve the assibilation of /r/ as a local identity marker. Costa Rican President Oscar Arias is a perfect example if you wish to know just what this sounds like.
Yes, it sounds terribly complicated, but actually it means that you don't have to worry about trilling your R while in Costa Rica. The adults (+/- over 45) do often have the assibilations mentioned above, but among young university students, it is uncommon. All R sounds are vey similar to English.
So, be not discouraged. Don't become hung up on the trilled r!
This said, in many Spanish dialects 'rr' is not rolled and usually takes on a fricative articulation, this variant sounds a bit similar to English prevocalic 'r-' in rain. Fricative 'rr' sounds are extremely frequent in most of Central America. The Spanish of Costa Rica falls into the category of Highland American Spanish, which comprises various pockets of Latin American Spanish speakers, mainly from highland areas, that employ similar variants for multiple sounds. In San Jose especially, one quickly notices the use of an alveolar vibrant final -r. This assibilation of tapped /r/ has been documented in Spanish and its usage has been tied to sociolinguistic variables such as age, gender, and social class. For example, it has been found that in the face of negative prestige, rural Spanish speakers from Costa Rica tend to preserve the assibilation of /r/ as a local identity marker. Costa Rican President Oscar Arias is a perfect example if you wish to know just what this sounds like.
Yes, it sounds terribly complicated, but actually it means that you don't have to worry about trilling your R while in Costa Rica. The adults (+/- over 45) do often have the assibilations mentioned above, but among young university students, it is uncommon. All R sounds are vey similar to English.
So, be not discouraged. Don't become hung up on the trilled r!
Sunday, July 12, 2009
The week in review.
This week classes were at full speed. Six hours of classes per day at the graduate level means lots of work outside of the classroom. Although we were off on Friday, I opted to stay at home in Chepe for the long weekend. I was able to catch up on assignments, reading and sleep, although I did take some time to explore the city on my own.
San Jose (Chepe to the locals) is one of the most confusing cities I have ever visited. As a businessman, I had flown into US cities in the morning, rented a car, done my business and flown back out in the evening. I'm good with a map and directions. A map and directions in San Jose are just the beginning of a search for a location.
The city did
have a plan in that it was laid out on a grid with Streets running North and South and Avenues running East and West. Where Central Street and Cental Avenue intersect is the center of the town. Unique to San Jose is that the numbering of the respective streets and avenues alternates North and South of the Central markers. That is, north of the Avenida Central, you will find 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th Avenues and to the South of Avenida Central you will find 2nd, 4th, 6th Avenues. Likewise, to the East of Calle Central, you will find 1st, 3rd, 5th Streets and to the West, you will find 2nd, 4th, 6th Streets.
That understood, you are far from set to go. Rarely are street signs posted, nor are buidlings numbered. If you look at any guidebook, you will note there are no addresses given. Directions usually appear as: Go to the corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Steet and walk 50 meter to the west. (Rule of thumb: 1 city block = 100 meters) Ok, I can handle that. Just count your streets and avenue as you move off of ground zero.
But another popular local custom is to give directions in terms of landmarks. This is complicated in that the landmarks often no longer exist, but locals still use the "Old US Embassy," the "Coc
a Cola building" or the "Higueron" (big fig tree) as a guideline. Now this can really cause problems for visitors. Allow lots of time to find the place you hope to visit. Taxi drivers are generally well clued as to where you want to go.
San Jose carries the usual cautions for a large capital city. Be aware of your surroundings and leave valuables at home when possible. However, being cautious, you should not be afraid to head out and explore. There are many beautiful buildings and monuments and you need to explore on foot to soak up the local culture.
I paid a
visit to the Gold Museum. Uniquely located underground in Central San Jose, it is a well designed and strategically lighted structure with well done exhibits and bilingual explanations. It is the largest single collection of pre-Columban gold. There are often additional exhibits within the building as well.
Although this is the rainy season, historically July shows a considerable drop in the average rainfall over June and August. It certainly looks that way today; it is bright and sunny with refreshing cool winds.
San Jose (Chepe to the locals) is one of the most confusing cities I have ever visited. As a businessman, I had flown into US cities in the morning, rented a car, done my business and flown back out in the evening. I'm good with a map and directions. A map and directions in San Jose are just the beginning of a search for a location.
The city did
have a plan in that it was laid out on a grid with Streets running North and South and Avenues running East and West. Where Central Street and Cental Avenue intersect is the center of the town. Unique to San Jose is that the numbering of the respective streets and avenues alternates North and South of the Central markers. That is, north of the Avenida Central, you will find 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th Avenues and to the South of Avenida Central you will find 2nd, 4th, 6th Avenues. Likewise, to the East of Calle Central, you will find 1st, 3rd, 5th Streets and to the West, you will find 2nd, 4th, 6th Streets.That understood, you are far from set to go. Rarely are street signs posted, nor are buidlings numbered. If you look at any guidebook, you will note there are no addresses given. Directions usually appear as: Go to the corner of 2nd Avenue and 7th Steet and walk 50 meter to the west. (Rule of thumb: 1 city block = 100 meters) Ok, I can handle that. Just count your streets and avenue as you move off of ground zero.
But another popular local custom is to give directions in terms of landmarks. This is complicated in that the landmarks often no longer exist, but locals still use the "Old US Embassy," the "Coc
a Cola building" or the "Higueron" (big fig tree) as a guideline. Now this can really cause problems for visitors. Allow lots of time to find the place you hope to visit. Taxi drivers are generally well clued as to where you want to go.San Jose carries the usual cautions for a large capital city. Be aware of your surroundings and leave valuables at home when possible. However, being cautious, you should not be afraid to head out and explore. There are many beautiful buildings and monuments and you need to explore on foot to soak up the local culture.
I paid a
visit to the Gold Museum. Uniquely located underground in Central San Jose, it is a well designed and strategically lighted structure with well done exhibits and bilingual explanations. It is the largest single collection of pre-Columban gold. There are often additional exhibits within the building as well.Although this is the rainy season, historically July shows a considerable drop in the average rainfall over June and August. It certainly looks that way today; it is bright and sunny with refreshing cool winds.
Monday, July 6, 2009
El Voseo
The Spanish spoken here is very easy to understand. The people are very receptive to speaking with you in Spanish even if they do speak perfect English. Yes, the level of success that university level students have with English is shocking.
The use of VOS in Latin America is probably something that you know about. Each area that uses the vos does have some unique features to their syntax, some areas being much more complicated than others. In Costa Rica, the usage is straight forward. No little tricks in the grammar. What is more complicated is the appropriate application of the term. When do I use vos? Basically if you are a student new to the country, you don't. Vos is used sparingly, It is heard between persons who are very close to one another: family, best friends (Latino interpretation, not the gringo understanding), sometimes long standing colleagues that are friendly outside the workplace. In all other cases, you will hear Usted(es). But, no so quick! Usted is often used between spouses when they are being lovey dovey. Totally the contrary of what was said above. It is something akin to the: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart expressions we hear in English. Honey, will USTED help me with this?
The use of TU, however, is creeping into the languge, especially among the 25 and under set. The younger the person, the useage appears to be more common. My understanding is that the usage has resulted primarily from media. TV programs, CD's, DVD's, typically produced in Mexico and Venezuela, for example, have had an enormous influence on the speech of the younger generation. Just as the younger generation in any country is apt to resematicize the lexicon of any language, so it has in Costa Rica by use of the tu form. Basically, it's cool.
Formation of the vos form is simple. You choose the vosotros form of the verb, drop the "i" from the ending and keep the stress on the final syllable. You do this only in the Present tense indicative. In all other forms of the verb, the usual second person singular tu form of the verb is used. In the imperative mode, use the traditional Spanish vosotros command form and drop the final -d from the verb, maintaining the stress on the end of the verb.
Hasta pronto.
The use of VOS in Latin America is probably something that you know about. Each area that uses the vos does have some unique features to their syntax, some areas being much more complicated than others. In Costa Rica, the usage is straight forward. No little tricks in the grammar. What is more complicated is the appropriate application of the term. When do I use vos? Basically if you are a student new to the country, you don't. Vos is used sparingly, It is heard between persons who are very close to one another: family, best friends (Latino interpretation, not the gringo understanding), sometimes long standing colleagues that are friendly outside the workplace. In all other cases, you will hear Usted(es). But, no so quick! Usted is often used between spouses when they are being lovey dovey. Totally the contrary of what was said above. It is something akin to the: Honey, Baby, Sweetheart expressions we hear in English. Honey, will USTED help me with this?
The use of TU, however, is creeping into the languge, especially among the 25 and under set. The younger the person, the useage appears to be more common. My understanding is that the usage has resulted primarily from media. TV programs, CD's, DVD's, typically produced in Mexico and Venezuela, for example, have had an enormous influence on the speech of the younger generation. Just as the younger generation in any country is apt to resematicize the lexicon of any language, so it has in Costa Rica by use of the tu form. Basically, it's cool.
Formation of the vos form is simple. You choose the vosotros form of the verb, drop the "i" from the ending and keep the stress on the final syllable. You do this only in the Present tense indicative. In all other forms of the verb, the usual second person singular tu form of the verb is used. In the imperative mode, use the traditional Spanish vosotros command form and drop the final -d from the verb, maintaining the stress on the end of the verb.
Hasta pronto.
Sunday, July 5, 2009
Weekend Explorations
On Saturday, I went off to Puntarenas on the Pacific coast about 3.5 hours from Chepe (San Jose to the locals). From there, our group was off by catamaran to a small deserted island in the Nicoya Gulf for a day of beach fun and a fabulous luncheon. It's a great, but long (14 hours), day trip.
Sunday, we were back at it again exploring the interior. First we headed to Itazu, an active volcano. The vocano has been sleepy of late; its last eruption was actually on March 19, 1963, the day that former US Presiden
t John F. Kennedy arrived in Costa Rica. This was my first visit to an active volcano and I wasn't disappointed in what I had to see and learn from our expert bilingual guide. Of course, you move around a bit slowly at 2 miles up, the air is thin and it is cold!
I though the ascent to the crater was some of the most beautiful landscape I had seen until our day excursion continued West to Turrialba about a third of the way to Puerto Limon on the Caribbean. There we looped endlessly through the mountains. Each vista of the valley was better than the next. If someone were to dump you off in the Turrialba Valley, you might first think you were in Swtizerland - but certainly not during ski season.
We went to have lunch and tour the Hacienda Tayutic, where the Ortuna Family has grown coffee for over a century. Informative and enjoyable demonstrations of sugar cane, coffee and
macademia nut processing as done before modern factory methods are very well done. The altitude, climate and rain fall here make it the ideal climate for growing the highest quality coffee.
All in all, the weekend experiences were a great way to put Spanish into action and to see first hand the geography and cutural elements being discussed in classes.
Pura vida!
Sunday, we were back at it again exploring the interior. First we headed to Itazu, an active volcano. The vocano has been sleepy of late; its last eruption was actually on March 19, 1963, the day that former US Presiden
t John F. Kennedy arrived in Costa Rica. This was my first visit to an active volcano and I wasn't disappointed in what I had to see and learn from our expert bilingual guide. Of course, you move around a bit slowly at 2 miles up, the air is thin and it is cold! I though the ascent to the crater was some of the most beautiful landscape I had seen until our day excursion continued West to Turrialba about a third of the way to Puerto Limon on the Caribbean. There we looped endlessly through the mountains. Each vista of the valley was better than the next. If someone were to dump you off in the Turrialba Valley, you might first think you were in Swtizerland - but certainly not during ski season.
We went to have lunch and tour the Hacienda Tayutic, where the Ortuna Family has grown coffee for over a century. Informative and enjoyable demonstrations of sugar cane, coffee and
macademia nut processing as done before modern factory methods are very well done. The altitude, climate and rain fall here make it the ideal climate for growing the highest quality coffee.All in all, the weekend experiences were a great way to put Spanish into action and to see first hand the geography and cutural elements being discussed in classes.
Pura vida!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
First Day of Classes
For a few years now, I've been telling the kiddos, you're lucky that you get to sit all day while I stand. That all reversed itself today when I found myself seated for about 6 hours. I'm not going to tell you it was fun, but it was no where as miserable as it could have been had I not been so fully 'engaged' by the team teaching of two wonderfully prepared professors. The course syllabus and the organization of content and materials (all provided) was top notch. I understand, however, that this is what can be expected at UCR.
The six hour class with one 15 minute break is populated by a group of six, and one of those is the Profe. There are two professors that switch classes at half time. The first, a gentleman, teaches advanced grammar and he is promply follow by a lovely woman who introduced herself telling us that the gentleman had to do the dirty work and she got to have all the fun, i. e., the intense conversation.
Now in my head I expected classroom instruction to be somewhat 50's style. (I don't know where I came up wih that.) Au contraire, both of them used current educational theory and strategies in presenting the class. Any secondary principal would have been thrilled on a walk-through those classes!
What about homework? I dreaded the thought. I am intrinsically lazy and normally fight back at that by over-involvement in whatever. I really was worse than a 7th grader holding my breath, hoping they might forget. They didn't. The prep for the conversation class is to become an expert on the Honduras 'incident' and to interview our host familes for their opionions. I can handle that. I enjoyed it. I only wish I had a solution for it all. As is usual with politics, there are many opinions and the Latinos are right in their millieu with that topic.
I'm going to get some pics up shortly. This weekend I am off on 2 full day excursions that I am looking forward to. With all my years in the travel business critiqing tours and writing copy, I should be able to produce something informative for you.
Saludos de San Jose
The six hour class with one 15 minute break is populated by a group of six, and one of those is the Profe. There are two professors that switch classes at half time. The first, a gentleman, teaches advanced grammar and he is promply follow by a lovely woman who introduced herself telling us that the gentleman had to do the dirty work and she got to have all the fun, i. e., the intense conversation.
Now in my head I expected classroom instruction to be somewhat 50's style. (I don't know where I came up wih that.) Au contraire, both of them used current educational theory and strategies in presenting the class. Any secondary principal would have been thrilled on a walk-through those classes!
What about homework? I dreaded the thought. I am intrinsically lazy and normally fight back at that by over-involvement in whatever. I really was worse than a 7th grader holding my breath, hoping they might forget. They didn't. The prep for the conversation class is to become an expert on the Honduras 'incident' and to interview our host familes for their opionions. I can handle that. I enjoyed it. I only wish I had a solution for it all. As is usual with politics, there are many opinions and the Latinos are right in their millieu with that topic.
I'm going to get some pics up shortly. This weekend I am off on 2 full day excursions that I am looking forward to. With all my years in the travel business critiqing tours and writing copy, I should be able to produce something informative for you.
Saludos de San Jose
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