Costa Rica Tica: Viva America

Central America Celebrates it's independence on September 15th, not Just Costa Rica, all countries from Costa Rica to Mexico (except for Beliz). I was watching the news and Wow, can mexico celebrate!! I forgot that I watched those parties on TV last year with Domingo. Here in Puntarenas I participated in the march of torches on Friday night. All of the kids march from the school and down several blocks, then turn down towards the beach and go back up along the water. All kids and kids at heart have a "farole" which you can see in the pic, there are infinanite possibilities of what they can be...homemade or store bought

Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket

Here I am with Alexander's Spiderman farole

Here is a blurry pic of the street, it was really cool

All of the people at 6pm sing the independence song and begin the march with a small band (like Bert in Mary Poppins, but it took 5 people to play all the instruments that bert had!)
here is Alvaro (DAD) and Alex (BROTHER)

After the march, we went back to Ingrid's grandmas house to eat the cake we got for Luisito. He had been in the hospital since I got here (he went in the day I arrived). Every single day Eduardo and Merida went and stayed with him so that his mom could go home and rest because the kids have to have a parent or family member there 24/7. I went to visit him once, he was so sweet. He had an infection in the femer but things seem to be better now, the point is he got out on Friday, the night of the march! We got him a welcome home cake. He is in the middle with the huge grin. I really like this picture for some reason!!

After being at the grandmas house, we left alex with Ingrid's aunt and we went out to the Americanized bar on the beach called Happy Days. Tons of USAC students go there, I felt like I was in Bullys. One major difference- at the bars here, they offer you a glass of ice and straw with a beer because it is soo hot! This is Me and Ingrid in the green and her two cousins anna and maria, way cute and way nice!

Here is me and Ingrid (MOM)

We had fun...I drank three "Pilsen" beers, they are OK. Not that strong but nice and cheap!
I wanted to include some pics of town, the homes are very different. They are all attached (at least by a fence/wall) and have gates, no front yard, sometimes no patio, all metal roofs and power lines are a total mess. The neighborhoods look very different, no yard to show off, no cool roof lines to distinguish onself, the only way people really stand out is by their gates. Some people just have chain link (yuck). All homes are all tile flooring, never carpet, never hardwood. Maybe in other places, I am not sure. It is easy to think that all of these homes are shit boxes because of how they look, but many of them are very nice and have very nice things. I was extremely suprized with how my house looked inside compared to how the neighborhood looked. Curb appeal does not exist here!

This is our house

these are the doors into my room, my room is right behind the kitchen basically

On the 15th we went to the parade (me, Alvaro, Alex and my friend Hannah) We had a good time, the kids play the drums so well and they are so young! The dancers were way cute too. I have lots and lots of pics but only uploaded a few.