Pura Vida

I leave La Fortuna (Arenal) on Sunday. After this weekend I will have done all the touristy things here (pretty much everything besides horseback riding and ziplining -- which I´m sorry I am just not up for, I´ve gotten over the "let´s conquer my fears" kick and am happily going to keep those two in tact). I know the main part of town inside out, and some of the more remote places as well. So in some ways I feel ready to move onto new ground, but I´m really going to miss my host family and several other characters who have filled my days over the past two weeks.

A few days ago I was sitting in the house with Fran and Reggy (the two youngest sons) trying to pick out Happy Birthday on Fran´s new guitar. Then I taught Reggy the hokey pokey, which he loved, and was great for me b/c I got to review the different parts of the body since he just couldn´t get enough of it. "Que mas?" I kept asking him, and he´d yell out, la mano, el codo, even los ojos. Two days ago, Wilberth (the dad) winked at me and said, "Tamara, usted comprende bastante español." Very proud moment for me.

Yes, my name here is Tamara. I´ve come to embrace it. Everyone calls me Tamara, even some of the American´s have picked it up. It got the point where I was introducing myself to someone: ¿Como se llama? Tamar. ¿Tamarrr? and Odette (the mom) corrected him, Tamara, Tamara. It´s a pretty name, I´ll probably miss that, too.