Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Los Gigantes
This video is of Los Gigantes (the giantes) parading through the streets of Ciudad Colon on Halloween. See the following post for more details...
Happy Halloween!
Halloween is a North American holiday. In many places, like Costa Rica, it is seen as a fun bit of 'Americana' that is starting to gain popularity. It also helps that there is a huge Expat community here. Even so, trick-or-treating door to door has not yet caught on. Many of the UPeace students were on vacation over Halloween since we had a short break between classes. But we still found a party! Not wanting to spend anything on costumes, we decided to see what our imaginations could put together. I went as a Chiquita banana (it was a definite stretch!), Patrick as Santa (no I don't know why he brought that hat with him to Costa Rica), Autumn a vampire (that's my skirt as her cape), and Chloe as a blue mouse (who eats bleu cheese!). We made orange, yellow-cake mini cupcakes with chocolate icing to bring, so we were a hit at the party! We danced and played music all night. Before the party, we ventured to the main plaza in Ciudad Colon to a craft fair. They also had a parade through the streets with Los Gigantes (the giants) and a band. I filmed some of that as seen in the previous post.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Independence Day
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted anything! Classes sure are intense- I’ll try to be better.
On September 15th Costa Rica celebrates it’s Independence from Spain in 1821. In fact, this is the Independence Day for most of Central America since they declared collectively. We were very excited to be here for such an exciting holiday. The night before, on the 14th, we went down to the central plaza next to the church (the center of town and life in Costa Rica) in Ciudad Colon to see the festivities. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera! It seemed the whole town came out, many with homemade paper lanterns in red, white, and blue (the colors of the flag). Some were of the Asian (hanging) style, but many looked more like birdhouses on a stick. This tradition recalls the way Costa Ricans first heard of their coming independence – messengers went door to door with lanterns (remember it was 1821) telling people that the next day the country would sign a statement of independence.
Next, a torch was lit from a pyre and run all around the town (very Olympic torch-like). This happens all over the country. Then there was traditional dancing by all age groups on a stage in the plaza. The women and girls wore beautiful flowing skirts that usually have 4 wide, horizontal stripes of color. They wear buns with a long (mostly fake) braid that reaches to their chest. There are flowers in their hair and beige sandals on their feet. The men and boys wear white shirts and pants, sandals, a sash of bright color around the waist, and a matching handkerchief in their hand.
They also had gifts handed out to all the (public?) school children, like it was Christmas. They called numbers and the kids came up to claim their wrapped gift. Afterwards, they had a little play about Costa Rican history. It was performed all by children maybe 7 to 11 years old. It had an accompanying soundtrack with all the music, sound effects, and voices. The children merely lip synced and acted. The tape reminded me of those used by the Wildwood, NJ Boardwalk tramcars – it sounded as though it was a tape used a million times before (in short, not the best quality). So, first Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) and his men arrived on boats from Spain to Costa Rica. They declared it a ‘rich coast’ or in Spanish, ‘Costa Rica’. Then they proceeded to enslave the indigenous people. After a while, the people revolted against the Spanish. The Spanish killed most of them in return. In the play, when the natives revolted the Spanish clubbed them to death – the kids dressed as natives laid on the ground as if dead, the kids dressed as Spaniards pretended to hold clubs in their hands and beat them. The crackly soundtrack provided the clubbing noises, which seemed to go on and on and on… A little excessive, it seemed. I’m sure it lasted at least three minutes, which may not seem very long, but when they’re already ‘dead’…
After most of the natives were sufficiently ‘dead’, they switched to 1821. The Ticos discussed how they wanted liberty, traveled to Guatemala (the provincial hub of Spanish Central America), and returned home with the news that Central America was declaring Independence from Spain. They showed a person going door to door with the lantern announcing independence.
It was all very nice. But by then Autumn was near faint with hunger (as always), so we went and had pizza. There are at least three REALLY good pizzerias we’ve found within walking distance in Ciudad Colon. Mmm…
Next morning we were up early to go see the local parade. Lots of dancing again, marching bands (mostly drums in Costa Rica – they’re VERY good!), Los giantes (people with ‘giant’ paper mache torso and heads on – see pictures in slideshow), and even a small group of preschool girls dressed as Disney princesses (yeah, I’m not sure what that was about either).
It was hot, so afterwards we went to the pool for awhile (free behind the post office). Later, we went to the zoo in San Jose. We saw white faced monkeys (the same kind we have on the UPeace campus), spider monkeys, lions, parrots and macaws, turtles, caimans, a tapir, and a jaguar, among others. In one cage, we saw a green parrot and a squirrel. How odd, we thought! Did they not have squirrels in Costa Rica? We couldn’t remember seeing any. It reminded me of an Aussie I once knew who said when he moved to the US he took a million photos of squirrels because he had never seen them before. He said that they were our ‘kangaroos.’ We took a picture and marveled at how a creatures so common to us in Falls Church could be so exotic in Costa Rica as to warrant putting one in a cage. As we continued to explore the zoo, we started seeing squirrels scurrying around free. Confused, we sure felt bad for the one locked in a cage. Later, as we passed the same cage from the other side, we realized that there was a hole in the cage and that the squirrels were just popping in to steal the bird’s seed. Haha, we sure felt silly! Such touristas, taking pictures of the squirrel in the cage!
Before catching the bus home for the day, we walked the main shopping district in San Jose. We bought some books for the girls in the international bookstore (leisure reading in English) and saw some UPeace students in there, too! Whew, what a long day!
On September 15th Costa Rica celebrates it’s Independence from Spain in 1821. In fact, this is the Independence Day for most of Central America since they declared collectively. We were very excited to be here for such an exciting holiday. The night before, on the 14th, we went down to the central plaza next to the church (the center of town and life in Costa Rica) in Ciudad Colon to see the festivities. Unfortunately, I forgot to bring my camera! It seemed the whole town came out, many with homemade paper lanterns in red, white, and blue (the colors of the flag). Some were of the Asian (hanging) style, but many looked more like birdhouses on a stick. This tradition recalls the way Costa Ricans first heard of their coming independence – messengers went door to door with lanterns (remember it was 1821) telling people that the next day the country would sign a statement of independence.
Next, a torch was lit from a pyre and run all around the town (very Olympic torch-like). This happens all over the country. Then there was traditional dancing by all age groups on a stage in the plaza. The women and girls wore beautiful flowing skirts that usually have 4 wide, horizontal stripes of color. They wear buns with a long (mostly fake) braid that reaches to their chest. There are flowers in their hair and beige sandals on their feet. The men and boys wear white shirts and pants, sandals, a sash of bright color around the waist, and a matching handkerchief in their hand.
They also had gifts handed out to all the (public?) school children, like it was Christmas. They called numbers and the kids came up to claim their wrapped gift. Afterwards, they had a little play about Costa Rican history. It was performed all by children maybe 7 to 11 years old. It had an accompanying soundtrack with all the music, sound effects, and voices. The children merely lip synced and acted. The tape reminded me of those used by the Wildwood, NJ Boardwalk tramcars – it sounded as though it was a tape used a million times before (in short, not the best quality). So, first Christopher Columbus (Cristobal Colon) and his men arrived on boats from Spain to Costa Rica. They declared it a ‘rich coast’ or in Spanish, ‘Costa Rica’. Then they proceeded to enslave the indigenous people. After a while, the people revolted against the Spanish. The Spanish killed most of them in return. In the play, when the natives revolted the Spanish clubbed them to death – the kids dressed as natives laid on the ground as if dead, the kids dressed as Spaniards pretended to hold clubs in their hands and beat them. The crackly soundtrack provided the clubbing noises, which seemed to go on and on and on… A little excessive, it seemed. I’m sure it lasted at least three minutes, which may not seem very long, but when they’re already ‘dead’…
After most of the natives were sufficiently ‘dead’, they switched to 1821. The Ticos discussed how they wanted liberty, traveled to Guatemala (the provincial hub of Spanish Central America), and returned home with the news that Central America was declaring Independence from Spain. They showed a person going door to door with the lantern announcing independence.
It was all very nice. But by then Autumn was near faint with hunger (as always), so we went and had pizza. There are at least three REALLY good pizzerias we’ve found within walking distance in Ciudad Colon. Mmm…
Next morning we were up early to go see the local parade. Lots of dancing again, marching bands (mostly drums in Costa Rica – they’re VERY good!), Los giantes (people with ‘giant’ paper mache torso and heads on – see pictures in slideshow), and even a small group of preschool girls dressed as Disney princesses (yeah, I’m not sure what that was about either).
It was hot, so afterwards we went to the pool for awhile (free behind the post office). Later, we went to the zoo in San Jose. We saw white faced monkeys (the same kind we have on the UPeace campus), spider monkeys, lions, parrots and macaws, turtles, caimans, a tapir, and a jaguar, among others. In one cage, we saw a green parrot and a squirrel. How odd, we thought! Did they not have squirrels in Costa Rica? We couldn’t remember seeing any. It reminded me of an Aussie I once knew who said when he moved to the US he took a million photos of squirrels because he had never seen them before. He said that they were our ‘kangaroos.’ We took a picture and marveled at how a creatures so common to us in Falls Church could be so exotic in Costa Rica as to warrant putting one in a cage. As we continued to explore the zoo, we started seeing squirrels scurrying around free. Confused, we sure felt bad for the one locked in a cage. Later, as we passed the same cage from the other side, we realized that there was a hole in the cage and that the squirrels were just popping in to steal the bird’s seed. Haha, we sure felt silly! Such touristas, taking pictures of the squirrel in the cage!
Before catching the bus home for the day, we walked the main shopping district in San Jose. We bought some books for the girls in the international bookstore (leisure reading in English) and saw some UPeace students in there, too! Whew, what a long day!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Tope in Town
So, later on Sunday, we went to church. It was packed. The good thing about the Catholic Mass is that it is so standardized you know exactly what's going on, even when you don't always understand exactly what they're saying. When it is time to shake hands and say "Peace be with you" many people walk all over the church to shake hands, and all the little children go up (or are taken up by a parent) to shake hands with the priest. The priest seems to give very good homilies (sermons), though I can't understand it all quite yet :)
Afterwards, we went next door to the soccer field where there was a fair. It was all to celebrate the Virgin Mary who is the patron saint of Ciudad Colon. We went on a few rides - I think I may have gotten whip lash from the Musik Express and Bumper Cars! The slideshow at the top of the blog shows the girls on a dragon roller coaster.
Next, we bought cotton candy and churros from a street vendor and found a spot to wait for the Tope. A Tope is a horse parade; Ciudad Colon is surrounded by ranches and they don't miss an opportunity to have a Tope, I've heard. It seems "Tope" means everyone with a horse within 30 miles jams their horse into the street while drinking beer. Not really what we would call a 'parade' in the US. The girls and I were sitting right at the edge of the street and had to watch that our feet were not trampled by the horses. Half way through, a horse deposited a 'gift' roughly the size of a small child just in front of us. For the rest of the Tope, we just prayed, huddled, and giggled everytime a horse stepped in it, so scared it would splatter all over us! There are also a few photos in the slideshow of the Tope.
Afterwards, we went next door to the soccer field where there was a fair. It was all to celebrate the Virgin Mary who is the patron saint of Ciudad Colon. We went on a few rides - I think I may have gotten whip lash from the Musik Express and Bumper Cars! The slideshow at the top of the blog shows the girls on a dragon roller coaster.
Next, we bought cotton candy and churros from a street vendor and found a spot to wait for the Tope. A Tope is a horse parade; Ciudad Colon is surrounded by ranches and they don't miss an opportunity to have a Tope, I've heard. It seems "Tope" means everyone with a horse within 30 miles jams their horse into the street while drinking beer. Not really what we would call a 'parade' in the US. The girls and I were sitting right at the edge of the street and had to watch that our feet were not trampled by the horses. Half way through, a horse deposited a 'gift' roughly the size of a small child just in front of us. For the rest of the Tope, we just prayed, huddled, and giggled everytime a horse stepped in it, so scared it would splatter all over us! There are also a few photos in the slideshow of the Tope.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Bienvenidos to the Young Family Blog!
Well, we have now been in Costa Rica for a week and a half. So far it's great! We have a great little apartment with wonderful neighbors and cable TV so the girls can get their fill of cartoons, Nickelodeon, and Disney channel (all in Spanish)! Our neighbors below are also here because of UPeace. Mehri is in the Gender Studies Programme and she brought her husband and two daughters, Selbi (15) and Leli (7). They are from Turkmenistan and all speak English, except for Leli. But despite the language barrier, the girls play well with Leli.
The girls are big hits on campus and even showed up some of the guys when playing soccer. Chloe brought her small soccer ball and was kicking it around with Leli and Autumn on the front lawn when some of the guys got up the courage to ask to play, too. It was funny because you could tell that they were dying to play but weren't sure how to join in.
On Friday night (August 21) they had a party for all the students. We danced for hours to music from all over the world. This academic year, 57 nations are represented at UPeace. It ended with a surprise appearance of Costa Rican drummers and dancers dressed like Mummers. It was amazing! There were conga lines everywhere! We were so exhausted by the time the bus arrived to take us home :)
Saturday morning, we got up early (again!) and caught the school bus back to campus for a UPeace picnic. The campus is on a national reserved area and we saw white-faced monkeys, Morphos butterflies, and beautiful, electric blue dragonflies! Then we played some more soccer with fellow students.
Sunday, finally a day to sleep in! Or, our landlord could get up at 6:30am and start cutting the grass! In Costa Rica, the sun comes up every day around 6am and sets promptly at 6pm. And Ticos (Costa Ricans), apparently don't like to sleep in. Maybe it's because all the roosters start crowing around 4:30am and keep it up until 9am? Did I mention that our next door neighbor has a rooster? And, it seems, a turkey. Oh, and then everyone seems to have multiple dogs. All these animals like to put in their two cents LOUDLY shortly after the rooster. Amazingly, I am already getting used to it (or I am delirious from lack of sleep, you be the judge) :)
The girls are big hits on campus and even showed up some of the guys when playing soccer. Chloe brought her small soccer ball and was kicking it around with Leli and Autumn on the front lawn when some of the guys got up the courage to ask to play, too. It was funny because you could tell that they were dying to play but weren't sure how to join in.
On Friday night (August 21) they had a party for all the students. We danced for hours to music from all over the world. This academic year, 57 nations are represented at UPeace. It ended with a surprise appearance of Costa Rican drummers and dancers dressed like Mummers. It was amazing! There were conga lines everywhere! We were so exhausted by the time the bus arrived to take us home :)
Saturday morning, we got up early (again!) and caught the school bus back to campus for a UPeace picnic. The campus is on a national reserved area and we saw white-faced monkeys, Morphos butterflies, and beautiful, electric blue dragonflies! Then we played some more soccer with fellow students.
Sunday, finally a day to sleep in! Or, our landlord could get up at 6:30am and start cutting the grass! In Costa Rica, the sun comes up every day around 6am and sets promptly at 6pm. And Ticos (Costa Ricans), apparently don't like to sleep in. Maybe it's because all the roosters start crowing around 4:30am and keep it up until 9am? Did I mention that our next door neighbor has a rooster? And, it seems, a turkey. Oh, and then everyone seems to have multiple dogs. All these animals like to put in their two cents LOUDLY shortly after the rooster. Amazingly, I am already getting used to it (or I am delirious from lack of sleep, you be the judge) :)
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