Caribbean rain

Last night I got caught by a heavy downpour of rain.  I had just paid for my skewer of chicken from the roadside bbq and it came pouring down.  I hunkered down under a constructed wooden roof with a long slab of wood to wait it out.  The bbq cook pulled his stuff under the little hutch next to me and sat down beside me.  Conversation started slowly and I was only thinking about getting back to my room to get some sleep.  But, luckily, the rain prevented this from happening.  And so it happened that I spoke with Louis for an hour and a half on the Caribbean male culture.  The prevalence of marijuana, getting with tourist girls as their daily goal, and interest in money - either to be sponsored to get in to the U.S. or to live an easy life supported by a rich girl.  It was an eye opening conversation for me, a cultural translation out of simple honesty. 

This morning I searched the town for a tiny soda (food joint) where locals were eating, an indicator that the food is good.  So, alongside 2 elderly Caribbean men I slowly ate my breakfast.  And the rain began again.  My 23-year old waiter grabbed a plate of food and joined me at my table.  He, too, talked about the male culture here and the primary goals for many of them: money, weed, girls.  His father has 23 children, the most recent one born last year, and is 76 years old.  Reynoldo grew up in this lifestyle but chooses to work hard every day, forego the party scene, and do what he is passionate about - surfing.  Once again, trapped by the rain under a tin roof for 2 hours, I received an honest perspective of the culture here.  I am appreciative for the experiences I have, the glimpses into others' lives, though they are quite different from my own.

I feel like I am hiding out in this bigger town, not sticking out so much as I did in the last one.  Preparing for a different adventure.  I finally found yoga classes and will attend starting tomorrow.  It is Semana Santa here, so 3 million of the 5 million Costa Ricans travel to the beaches along the coasts.  I am trying to get out before I am enveloped with busy-ness.  I hope to spend a week at Punta Mona, a sustainable farming culture on a nearby island, living communally.  It will be fun to try on a different life for awhile :)