winter in the midwest

I am as pale as paper.
Every day I can see more and more how my complexion is changing, becoming lighter and more white, like a reflection of the snow outside. Now it is really deep winter here, with a good snowfall and the winds that make your hands chapped and your nose run. The air is dry and my hair, face, skin is feeling it.

Christmas was a fun time this year, with my brothers all home, my uncle in attendance at every family meal and our gift exchange, and I invited a graduate student who did not have plans, and she stayed with us one night and saw what Christmas is like in a typical North American household.

My Mom is still recovering, slowly...she has started another round of chemotherapy and radiation, and is still fighting, though some days can be really rough. I cannot imagine her going through this without me, and I don't know how much longer she will need me. As long as it takes!

Right now I am missing Costa Rica.
I miss the humidity and the rain, the laundry hanging on the clothesline outside, the smell of cilantro in the supermarket, dogs barking at me as I walk down my street, the sway and exhaust of the buses, and the heat. The delicious sunlight on my shoulders, the feeling of sweat prickling my scalp, the smell of my hands after making dinner. I miss, miss, MISS IT!  Especially while I wait out the winter and brave the cold here in the frigid winter of the midwest.

Pura Vida

baby it's cold outside...

reverse culture shock!

You know you are totally acclimated again to CR when you arrive at the airport in the USA and have a momentary meltdown in the bathroom when you do not see a trash can for tp...and then a wave of relief when you realize that it´s ok.

This morning I went to pick up a few necessary things and drove for the first time in 2 weeks. I must say that I thouroughly enjoyed taking the bus everywhere, and now I miss it. 

IT IS COLD! After dressing in tank tops shorts and sandals for the last two weeks going back to winter weather and clothes stinks. I miss the sun. 

bueno....pura vida. 

eating granola bars in the hospital

Today begins my Mom's third day in recovery at the hospital. Her surgery was successful, but the cancer had spread to some other areas and even though he removed it all, the doc has ordered some more treatment to make sure that there are no cells left that can grow to be something sinister again...
I am so glad that right now I am able to be with my Mom. Having an active pair of eyes and ears in a hospital is no bad thing, especially when the nurses get busy and you need something but not urgently. The last few days I have been getting to the hospital around 8am, leaving around 9 or 10pm, going to bed at 11:30pm then getting up at 7am to do it all over again. I had to go buy more granola bars today, and I ate a whole bag of dried cranberries...! I was very pleased to find Costa Rican coffee in the coffee shop the other day. Really I am not too tired, but I am missing the gym and working and being....active. Being in Mom's position makes me so grateful for my health, and I keep saying little prayers to lift her up and asking for a full recovery.
Without a doubt, I will be returning to the USA after my visit in CR, and most likely my Mom will need me through February, especially if there are more treatments on the horizon.

Thankfully my grandma will be visiting starting tomorrow, and while I am away she will help care for Mom, who by this time next week will (hopefully) be home.
In the course of the next few days I have to pack my bag to it's 50 lb. limit and find someone to take me to the airport...and while I am not 100% at ease with leaving my family right now, I am certainly looking forward to seeing my husband and my extended family.

....Pura Vida...

a few more days

Today begins my Mom's stay in the hospital...she will be undergoing major surgery to complete her battle against cancer, finally done with chemotherapy and now removing the troublesome tumor and full of anticipation that she will be recovered by New Year's at the latest.
I will be accompanying her during these next few days before and after the surgery. We are all hopeful that things will go smoothly and my Mom retains her positive attitude and sense of peace, which gives me much more peace of mind and a strong sense of hopefulness. All the same, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

This time next week I will be making final preparations before my trip back to Costa Rica for a short while, visiting my hubby and extended family and some friends. Because I am only allowed to take 50 lbs in my bag, the rest of the week I anticipate packing and re-packing a couple times to make sure everything fits...! My goal is to take all of my summer clothing home, along with things my hubby left behind and some gifts for my family. The bottom line is that I will have more room coming than I do going... but I know I can make it work!
Eagerly anticipating being home, enjoying the warmth of Costa Rica and of my beloved.

My grandma will also be coming to stay for a little while, to help care for my Mom while I am in Costa Rica. She will have free reign of my room: ) Her arrival, however, means that I will be in a cleaning frenzy for the next couple days! She has sharp eyes for picking out dust and messes, and I don't plan on her finding any, haha!

Taking a deep breath and plunging into the next few days....

Pura Vida.

blending

Something I really miss about home: me blender. This was E's Christmas gift to me last year, and on most days I make myself a smoothie in the morning and then again in the afternoon to wrap up lunch. Why are smoothies so good? It's the flavors and the....well, the smoothness! Sometimes I don't feel like sitting and eating a whole apple bite by bite, but put in in the blender and in moments you have an amazing drink.
I love making smoothies with fruit, juice and ice...nothing else, nothing too fancy. My favorite blend is papaya and orange juice over ice.

This morning however, I made a pretty yummy green smoothie that I thought I would share.

1 banana
1 apple, sliced
1 cup spinach
1 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup almond milk

Blend away!

Pura Vida...

the changing of the seasons

My blogging has slowed down as of late....I think it can be attributed to some changes in my life that I cannot yet disclose in detail. But things are certainly brewing.

One very welcome change has been the arrival of fall weather.
Of all the seasons, fall is my favorite. It has a certain kind of sad beauty...you have to appreciate the color, the leaves in their magnificent fiery colors, just before the break from the tree and fall to the ground, in preparation for the white, blank slate of snow that winter (hopefully) brings.  Things grow cold...people tend to shrink from the cold, to try and shoo it away with central heating and hot drinks and soup. And we also seek warmth in these things...in a fireplace and a cup of tea and a bowl of creamy tomato soup, and we seek it in the company we keep, in the embrace of a friend or loved one.
Fall is nature's way of erasing spring's work for the stark calm of winter, and a way of driving us to seek warmth in comforting things and people.
I also love fall because it marks one of my favorite holidays...Thanksgiving.
To some extent you can say that Thanksgiving rivals Christmas, at least in terms of being with family and friends. The emphasis on gratitude, appreciation, harvest and feasting really appeals to me (and my taste buds...!). Christmas may take the cake as the biggest holiday of the year, but Thanksgiving and all it embodies has a special place in my heart.
And of course, November is still fall...!

Bring on the leaves, tea, sweaters and chilly days.

Pura Vida

when we last posted...

Hard to believe I haven't posted in over a month! But I guess that shows how busy I've been.

I have started working part time in the evenings, back at Catering. It seems I just can't leave, but coming back is so easy...no training required, flexible hours, I know everything there backwards and forwards. And I am making some money.

E came back on our anniversary, and things have been going well. Our stay here in the USA is at the 3 month mark, and naturally we are both feeling the pull of our beautiful Costa Rica...he will be leaving soon to return to work and see family before going back on board the cruise ship. In November I plan to visit for at least a week before he goes, to spend some time with him and see some extended family and friends.
For now I plan to return to the USA and continue working here, making money and being there for my Mom as she (hopefully) wraps up a very difficult chapter with her illness. She is still positive and hopeful, and that is a very important element in her making a full recovery. At times I can be very negative, but the positive attitude I think I inherited from Mom.

Two of my three brothers have celebrated birthdays, and we have taken the boat out several times this season, waterskiing and just enjoying the sun and water. Now summer seems to be blinking sleepily and making way for autumn, as the weather here has cooled down significantly and the leaves are starting to turn just a tad.
I am overjoyed to experience the fall season again and find myself greedily drinking tea and dreaming about baking desserts...in addition to shaking out various blankets and sweaters that have been stored in my closet. Also looking forward to everything pumpkin flavored!

Heaviest on my heart is E's departure. The time we have spent together here has resulted in many positive changes for us, and I feel much closer to him than I did before. Having this adventure together has been a great experience...and I know there are more adventures to come.
Bring it on.

Pura Vida

a year ago today.

Here we are, already mid-way through August.
I have started working again just in the evenings, because I still have to pay my bills. The last two nights have been good, though I will need some more time to get used to being on my feet so much. The job really does give you quite a workout...in some ways it seems that I can never escape, but it is also a relief to know that there is something I can fall back on, and a place where I will always be welcome. The people there watched me grow up, after all.

My Mom is doing better...she has high and low days, but lately she has been more energetic and I take that as a good sign. Still, I have no idea of when I can go home, but really I want to focus on enjoying this time I can spend with her and the rest of my family.
As we all grow older we seem to grow more apart as our lives become more our own, and not something we live all together under the same roof. I especially feel that way with my brothers, and I want to continue working on those relationships.

Speaking of relationships, a year ago today I made a decision that changed everything forever...I married E!
A year has gone by so quickly, but also so slowly. No denying that this first year has not been the easiest, but I have learned so much about what REAL love is and hope to continue learning and celebrating for many years more.
E is in the midst of trying to travel back here, and is haggling with the airlines. I hope to see him later today or  tomorrow. Next year maybe we can celebrate together.


Breathing in the "pura vida," breathing out the malas vibras....!

on my mind....

Here are a few of the things I have been thinking about lately.

New recipes.
Lately I have been on a healthy food kick, and my Mom hasn't done too much cooking recently, so I have been trying different flavors and foods out. My best dishes to date have been chicken with stir fry peppers and onions, bean salad, and baked penne pasta with peppers and pesto. Maybe I just never realized how much of a foodie I was, until I could flex my cooking muscles in the kitchen freely. It's been so much fun, and I want to try something with quinoa next...!

Te frio. 
My little brother introduced me to the concept of mixing iced tea and lemonade...and it tastes just like te frio back home! Cue homesickness...

Thrift shopping.
This is the season where people clean out their closets, clothes go on sale, and everyone is bringing the jackets and sweaters out of hibernation. I have really had a hankering to go and poke around at a thrift store, in hopes of finding a nice jean jacket to compliment what I already have. You never know what goodies are waiting for you at your local thrift store.

Professions. 
While I do not really have a profession, I have a lot of experience in customer service, hospitality and tourism industries. Some ideas of jobs I would like to do....
Concierge: This would be my dream job! I love making things happen for people, and I am pretty resourceful.
Event planner: Again, love this kind of thing! I picture an event from the decor to the ambiance to the tables to the location to the food...blame it on  the caterer in me!
Interior designer: Just being back home and looking at my parents' house gives me all kinds of inspiration. Better ways to organize, decorate, paint, fix, etc. Something that has always excited me is the idea of buying homes and remaking them, a-la Home Makeover.

Short stories.
I shared with my friend, just the other day, that I am thinking of publishing another book of short stories. Lately I have been trying to write a little every day, and the subject matter varies greatly. No better way to stretch your imagination than to write...of all the professions listed above, I would want to be a writer more than anything else. And that is something I am trying to cultivate.


Man, so much goes on in my head...! This is just an outline, haha.

Pura vida.

just visiting

Yesterday I made a day trip down to Cincinnati, OH to visit a good friend of mine from college.
Being so far away from people makes you realize what an effort it is to maintain a connection with people...and makes you realize who is worth the effort.

We had a great lunch at a little Taco place in downtown, and had some great guacamole and tacos (I had corn tortillas reminiscent of CR, and she had flour tortillas). Then we went downtown, walked around, stopped at a coffee emporium and I bought some Costa Rican coffee and we had a great chat with one of the employees about fair trade and direct trade, and got some refreshing drinks...then we shopped a bit, and at the end of the day I came home with 2 new pairs of sandals, a chopping knife, a shower caddy and some coffee, along with many good memories.

We had a funny moment in the coffee shop while talking about Costa Rican coffee, when my friend mentions that I live there...the immediate question following this comment is "Oh, what are you doing here?" and I go on to explain that I grew up in Ohio and am back just visiting...

The words "just visiting" give me hope, because I am still unsure of when I will return to CR. In some ways I am starting to feel homesick, missing the heat and stillness of our little house and the familiar foods and smells, and I know E is feeling the same way.

It is nice to be here and revisit my hometown...but Costa Rica is my home.

Pura Vida.

Forward Motion- Relient K

My absolute favorite poem is by Robert Frost, The Road Less Travelled . For me this poem in many ways defines my life, and the "road" it has taken. There certainly have been many unexpected twists and turns.

Being back here in my hometown has been a good experience, especially spending time with my family and hubby. But my inactivity is starting to catch up with me, and I have to go and look for a job with the hours I need. 

The longer I am here the more challenges I encounter...reverting back to the North American lifestyle, food, etc., friction with my family, financial challenges, job, materialism, toilet paper, friendships...the list goes on. 

In conversation with my Dad a few days ago, I reflected that I am a very flexible person. Maybe adaptable would be a better word. It was meant in the sense that I feel that I came overcome anything, that no situation poses an impossibility. I am still trying to match the interpretation with the concept I have of myself.

To sum up, at this time I definately have to face several challenges. BUT, I know inside that I will be able to overcome them just as I have on the road that lies behind me. Because the only way I can go is...forward. 

Pura Vida!

Easy Bean Salad

Just made up my own bean salad recipe and it was a hit tonight! I think the secret ingredient was the Salsa Lizano, haha...

INGREDIENTS

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

half a bell pepper, chopped small (color of your choice, yellow looks nice!)

two handfulls washed spinach leaves, chopped fine 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon garlic

1 1/2 teaspoon salsa lizano (alternative: 1 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon pepper)

1. Drain and rinse beans and chickpeas and combine them in a large bowl. Add chopped bell pepper and spinach. Mix everything together. 

2. Add the olive oil, mix well. Add salsa lizano (or alternative) and mix well. Lastly add garlic (more or less, to taste) and mix well. 

3. Refridgerate until ready to serve. 

NOTE: You can substitue spinach for cilantro or try with other beans. Add more/less depending on how many servings you want. This makes servings for about 6 people. 

Enjoy! 

Pura Vida...

NIAGRA FALLS

A first for both E and myself....amazing!!!

pie and projects...

Independence Day has come and gone, and so has the heatwave that nearly melted us the first week here...this week it is again a scorching 90 plus degrees and we are filling water bottles with ice and leaving them in the fridge to keep cool.

I made my traditional dessert for the 4th of July, a strawberry and a blueberry pie served with whipped cream (or vanilla ice cream). Both flavors were big hit, and in two days the pie dishes were emptied. I admit that I helped the process along : )

Things also look pretty different here around the house...E, being the active personality that he is, has undertaken several big projects around the house. The pine bushes at the front of the house are trimmed and neat, and the handrail by the front door is repainted. In the backyard you can actually see the chain-link fence that runs around our property, and the jungle that separated us and our neighbors has been tamed with a machete. All the neighbors are immensely pleased, asking E to come and clean up their yards as well...!
The next big project was cleaning and re-staining the deck in the back. After power washing and repairing several boards, Dad and E brought back a beautiful mahogany stain that matches the red trim of the house, and it is so beautiful that looking out the backdoor you can hardly believe that the deck is the same one that was there last week. It looks completely different!

Later this week E and I hope to make a trip to visit my grandma, and next week family vacation is scheduled, our annual trip to Wisconsin. I am looking forward to returning to the beautiful Northwoods!
The last few days were a preview of seeing our extended family, as our house was FULL with cousins visiting from Virginia. We were a houseful of 17 people, and it was wonderful to see so much activity and spend time with everyone...!!! There were some cousins that I had not seen or talked to for quite a while, and it was great to catch up, even briefly. I wish that family was closer, to be able to see each other more.
Make the most of your time with one another!
I have enjoyed a few outings with my brothers to the movies and out on a local lake with the boat...I haven't lost my old waterski skills, and that is another reason I am looking forward to visiting the lake : )

Pura Vida

Miami and machetes

Well, for a time I will again be here in good old Ohio visiting with family and friends, this time accompanied by my husband.
We left Costa Rica on June 25th around 5am (on a very delayed flight, as we were due to leave at 1am but had some technical issues with the plane and then an airport closure!) and arrived to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida around 11am. We decided to rent a car, but opted not to get a GPS and instead went the traditional way with maps and a sense of adventure. We saw all of downtown and some of Little Havana, lots of Miami Beach and drove in circles a few times before arriving to our hotel and crashing for a 4 hour nap! After our nap we left exploring on foot and got dinner and saw Bayside Market.
The following day we again visited Bayside Market and Miami Beach, laying out on the sand and feeding the parking meter for our little rental...at the end of the day we drove slowly down Biscayne Blvd toward Ft. Lauderdale watching the sunset and stopped at a little motel about 10 minutes away from the airport. We managed to consolidate our bags into one single suitcase, and extra items went into our carry-ons...it was much easier to check one bag instead of two! And a little cheaper.
In the morning we had an early wake up call and headed to the airport to return the rental and get on a flight to Dayton! When we arrived in Chicago our flight to Dayton had been cancelled, so after some haggling we were both able to get on a flight to Cincinnati and let my family know about the changes in time for them to come and pick us up...our luggage made it too, which was a miracle! Otherwise we would have had to go buy some clothing for the next day, as we had checked our carry-ons free of charge heading to Chicago due to our fully booked flight and limited overhead space...!
Overall our trip to Miami was great, and it was a great transition from CR to the USA..for the first 48 hours I still felt like I was in a Spanish speaking country! I would love to come again and spend some more time just exploring on foot, especially some of the smaller neighborhoods.

So far so good on the homefront, introducing my hubby to my family for the first time and settling into family life again. It has been great to spend time with my parents and brothers, drive around and visit places and roads I haven't seen in a while...! And getting to show my hubby "my world," so to speak.

He is adjusting very well too! He practices English with my Dad and brothers, and is finding ways to make himself useful here around the house...! My parents both working and being older have not been able to keep up with maintanence around the house, so E has stepped up to the challenge, buying a machete and tackling some overgrown areas around the house, as well as consulting with my Dad about some other big projects.

Enjoying the hot summer (hotter than Guanacaste !!! ) and familiar environment...and the company : )

Pura Vida

last post

From December 29th, 2011

Well here ends my visit to the USA. It was wonderful to be back and see family and friends,  and I have said adios to Ohio and am en route to my beloved Costa Rica.

Yesterday evening we had a nice dinner altogether, and enjoyed sitting around the table and talking, joking, laughing. All of my brothers were there and my Uncle too! We did a little gift exchange and then we all scattered back to our plans. It is a bittersweet departure. I will miss my family, but I feel relieved to be going home to Costa Rica.

Being back in the USA gave me ample opportunity to make lots of interesting cultural notes. In some ways I find that I am wierded out or frustrated by things in Ohio. Very obvious is the lifestyle difference. Even in Ohio, things are always go go GO! Schedules and plans and time really rule our day. Costa Rica is so pura vida, so relaxed, and while “Tico Time” can be frustrating I like it better than the stress that comes from living by the clock. Coming back in winter also made me very conscious of how much I love the beach, the sun, the heat! Where we live it is hot and I often found myself thinking about taking in the sun on the beach instead of bundling up to go outside. While I love the seasons and all the change and beauty that they bring, I do miss being able to just walk around in flip flops and tank tops. I also am astounded by the materialism of the USA. In any typical home you can find a microwave, toaster, coffee maker, blender, at least two tvs, etc. The simplicity of Costa Rica and the radical departure from what we consider “basics” has really brought me down to earth and helped me to realize what the real necessities of life are. I do not need a blender and an iHome and remote control toaster oven! Just a bed to sleep in and a stove to cook on. Though a fridge doesn’t hurt either.

As I have so often heard said, “not better, not worse, just different.” And it rings oh so true!

Almost home...

Follow me on my new blog about life in Costa Rica. 

Pura Vida