Mae muy tuanis

This past weekend I went to the Carnavales en Puntarenas at the beach with my host dad Juan, host siblings Johana and Diego, Diego's girlfriend Chrissia, and a neighbor, Silvia. It was full of music, dancing, and a ton of Imperial- the national beer. When we dragged ourselves back, me a little burned and everyone worse from the wear, Juan told my host mom Sandra that I am a "mae muy tuanis", which in Costa Rican slang is basically a "super cool dude". Diego, Chrissia, and I stayed up late Saturday night as we camped on the beach since some guy got randomly stabbed in the back with a knife and drunken Diego was very adamant about not sleeping. Instead, he bought some very cheap, very questionable sticks of meat that tasted great but made Chrissia throw up. We decided after a long conversation that it was probably dog or rat, but for 2 for 100 colones- about 10 cents a piece- it was terrific.

The little kids at Casa Luz are all about at the age where their angry faces are so concentrated and determined and cute that you laugh while telling them to stop fighting and share. One of the little girls, probably not even 2 yrs yet- likes to growl a lot but out of delight, not anger.

I have also taken on a new role at Casa Luz. Now that the girls are in school, it's too much to have an extra English class on top of homework, the kids, and regular chores. Instead, English class will happen "once a week"- I suspect never again or very occasionally upon request- and on Tuesday and Thursday mornings I help out in the kitchen preparing the morning snack-merienda- and lunch. The other day, the cook, Fanny, taught me to make fried fish, with a salad of lettuce, tomatoes, and fresh squeezed orange juice, black beans, and rice with chile and celery.

My host dad is a construction overseer, and has been in construction for over 35 years. Over the past three days, he has taken a break from other projects to build a little house right next to the main house that they plan to rent out. They started Monday, but have already completed the foundation, inner and outer walls, and are putting up the roof beams and covering right now.

On Friday, we will go to the ferretaria of fruits and vegetables again. The best food in Costa Rica so far has just been the amount of fresh fruits. However, last week on of the girls at Casa Luz called me over and asked me if I was pregnant because she thought I was about a month along, so I have definitely been laying off the rice and bread intake.