Sunday is typically our day off work, so Katherine and I decided to take advantage of the free time by celebrating the 4th of July, even if we aren´t exactly patriots or currently residing in the U.S.
We met today and decided to try and recreate the 4th of July, Costa Rican style. So we went to the super and each bought a beer (it´s legal, we´re both 18! And honestly, what´s more American than a Costa Rican beer on the 4th?) and went on a search for fireworks. There are absolutely no fireworks or sparklers or anything of the explosive nature to be found in Santa Elena. So, we settled for buying a lighter to at least have something semi-dangerous and flammable. That´s the American way, right? After partaking in both of our purchases we went to a very touristy restaurant and order a pizza and lemonade--the local hot dog stand was closed! We laughed at the other American tourists who couldn´t speak a word of Spanish and were rather grateful not to be associated with them.
I can successfully say that we have not done anything super-touristy since we´ve been here. I´ve actually not been pegged as a tourist. People here are very happy so speak Spanish with me and don´t automatically assume that just because I´m not Tico I don´t speak the local language. It´s actually really nice because I´m getting more practice with my Spanish and getting a true taste of the local culture. On top of that, this is a teeny, tiny town. So a lot of people are already starting to recognize me from seeing me walking everywhere. Some people even recognize Katherine from when she was here with FCCMT last year--I think that´s pretty cool!
It strikes me as kind of odd how much I am enjoying this small town lifestyle. Usually I am more inclined to enjoy bigger cities with lots to do and explore and the more busy, hurried lifestyle. But I´m really enjoying my time in Santa Elena and the fact that I can walk anywhere and that when I´m with my friend Darío (a local) he almost always sees someone he knows well enough to run up to and hug and have a quick conversation with. It´s a very friendly atmosphere, which I´m starting to grow accustomed to. In fact, the only rude people I´ve run into have been people who work for the church!
Here´s a little about my experience thus far with FCCMT:
I think Far Corners is amazing. We have already discovered a lot of raw, unrefined, undiscovered talent that otherwise may never have surfaced. There´s this one kid, Andrey, for example, who is 17 and goes to the local public high school (el colegio, for further reference). One day a few of us were up there trying to recruit kids to come audition for the show. Musical theatre is not common here at all, so it´s a little difficult to get older kids to want to participate. Andrey stopped by our table and started talking to me. He told me he was a salsa and merengue dancer but had never had to act or sing before. I told him to come audition just to see what it was like--plus, we really needed older guys! So, he came out to auditions. As expected, he was a great dancer, but he also is a really naturally talented actor and singer! Of course he needs a little refining, but it´s insane to see a person with so much raw talent to work with and to imagine the possibilities after we get to work with him over the next five weeks. And he´s not even the only one like this! He´s probably just the most dramatic example. All of these kids have something special that hasn´t yet been discovered, and I am so happy to be able to watch and help them grow as performers and hopefully as people, as well. This is definitely a unique experience that I am extremely grateful for.
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