Expats Versus Tourists
This week was a good illustration in the differences between American tourists and American expats in Costa Rica. This happened at the fancy American-oriented grocery story near our.
Tourist: "They ONLY have GARLIC bagels!?!" * slams down sleeve of bagels back into the store freezer*
Me: *picking up same sleeve of bagels and starts singing* "BAGELS! BAGELS! BAGELS!! I GOT BAGELS"
Tourist: *rolls eyes before muttering to me* 'But they are GARLIC!! Where are the cinnamon raisin ones?" He says this in a voice that seems to indicate that garlic bagels are as evil as Hitler, Nsync and those idiots that thought up 'fun size' candy bars.
Me: " I got some BAGELS!!!" *now starting to do a bagel dance with my happy bagel song.
Tourist: "They ONLY have GARLIC bagels!?!" * slams down sleeve of bagels back into the store freezer*
Me: *picking up same sleeve of bagels and starts singing* "BAGELS! BAGELS! BAGELS!! I GOT BAGELS"
Tourist: *rolls eyes before muttering to me* 'But they are GARLIC!! Where are the cinnamon raisin ones?" He says this in a voice that seems to indicate that garlic bagels are as evil as Hitler, Nsync and those idiots that thought up 'fun size' candy bars.
Me: " I got some BAGELS!!!" *now starting to do a bagel dance with my happy bagel song.
First time I'd seen a sleeve of bagels in a grocery store here and boy
was I ever happy. I happen to like garlic bagels best. The only other
place I've seen bagels in Costa Rica is a coffee shop that sells them
toasted for five bucks each. Coming to a foreign country and getting
bent out of shape that you cannot find some American item is just silly.
Thankfully we're in that wonderful lull time when the high tourist season has ended and the town and beaches are virtually deserted, and the moment when Americans arrive for summer vacation with their hordes of out of school kids. You can find parking. You can walk around stores without tripping over everyone. It is pleasant now.
Our days are pretty similiar now. Get up and swim while having coffee. Read the Washington Post and New York Times online with more coffee. Do a little housework or yard work. Go out to lunch and a walk on the beach. Watch Dr. Phil or Judge Judy before getting into the pool again. Chase iguana out of the papaya tree, telling him to keep his thieving claws off the fruit. Cook dinner, watch Jeopardy before a bedtime dip in the pool and reading before bed. Sometimes I manage to squeeze in a few art protects or quilting, sometimes not.
Yesterday I decided to try my hand at the liquid flow painting I keep seeing videos of with some small canvases, enamel paints, glitter emulsions and assorted bits of different paints. Love the effect, going to do a big canvas tomorrow!
Thankfully we're in that wonderful lull time when the high tourist season has ended and the town and beaches are virtually deserted, and the moment when Americans arrive for summer vacation with their hordes of out of school kids. You can find parking. You can walk around stores without tripping over everyone. It is pleasant now.
Our days are pretty similiar now. Get up and swim while having coffee. Read the Washington Post and New York Times online with more coffee. Do a little housework or yard work. Go out to lunch and a walk on the beach. Watch Dr. Phil or Judge Judy before getting into the pool again. Chase iguana out of the papaya tree, telling him to keep his thieving claws off the fruit. Cook dinner, watch Jeopardy before a bedtime dip in the pool and reading before bed. Sometimes I manage to squeeze in a few art protects or quilting, sometimes not.
Yesterday I decided to try my hand at the liquid flow painting I keep seeing videos of with some small canvases, enamel paints, glitter emulsions and assorted bits of different paints. Love the effect, going to do a big canvas tomorrow!
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