The secret of happiness, you see, is not found in seeking more, but in developing the capacity to enjoy less. – Socrates
Sunday, December 9, 2012 (DAYS 280 - 302)
As the day turned to evening the food continued to flow and before I knew it most people had taken stools around me as I continued to work. It wasn’t until Pamela mentioned to another staff member that she was attracted to Asians that I was quickly hailed over for a proper introduction. As the night grew later and people started to retreat to bed a small group of us found ourselves engrossed in a lively conversation about life in general. Before we knew it the night gave way to early morning and since the burgers from the afternoon were a faded memory several of us decided to take a walk to the late night eatery, the infamous Taco Stop of SJDS. As we were waiting for our food, a group of locals, several that I knew, began to harass Pamela because it was obvious to them that she was a Tica. The conversation was as vibrant and passionate as you could expect from most Latinos. Later I was told that it was primarily a political debate between the two neighboring countries and which was more superior. After this heated exchange, or at least the way I perceived it, which it wasn’t, the sun was beginning to rise up over the small hills behind us and I decided to walk Pamela back to her hotel down by the beach. As I left her we made plans to hang out after I got off work later this same day. I’ve found that when you aren’t looking or expecting things in life they seem to appear, even when they have long curly hair and a pair of unforgettable dimples.
Completely exhausted as I worked my 5-hour afternoon shift I was expecting to have a visitor, but sadly this wasn’t the case. Debating whether I should get some sleep I decided to pursue this Tica and walked down to her hotel where I was told she was not in her room so I left her a note. When I didn’t hear anything back from her the next day I remembered that she gave me her number and so I decided to give her a call. Unsure if I was just blown off, I wasn’t quite expecting her to answer but surprisingly she did. However, she was no longer in San Juan but on her way to Honduras already. Not too concerned I told her we would try and keep in touch on Facebook and in my sleep-deprived state decided to get some more sleep.
As the day turned to evening the food continued to flow and before I knew it most people had taken stools around me as I continued to work. It wasn’t until Pamela mentioned to another staff member that she was attracted to Asians that I was quickly hailed over for a proper introduction. As the night grew later and people started to retreat to bed a small group of us found ourselves engrossed in a lively conversation about life in general. Before we knew it the night gave way to early morning and since the burgers from the afternoon were a faded memory several of us decided to take a walk to the late night eatery, the infamous Taco Stop of SJDS. As we were waiting for our food, a group of locals, several that I knew, began to harass Pamela because it was obvious to them that she was a Tica. The conversation was as vibrant and passionate as you could expect from most Latinos. Later I was told that it was primarily a political debate between the two neighboring countries and which was more superior. After this heated exchange, or at least the way I perceived it, which it wasn’t, the sun was beginning to rise up over the small hills behind us and I decided to walk Pamela back to her hotel down by the beach. As I left her we made plans to hang out after I got off work later this same day. I’ve found that when you aren’t looking or expecting things in life they seem to appear, even when they have long curly hair and a pair of unforgettable dimples.
Completely exhausted as I worked my 5-hour afternoon shift I was expecting to have a visitor, but sadly this wasn’t the case. Debating whether I should get some sleep I decided to pursue this Tica and walked down to her hotel where I was told she was not in her room so I left her a note. When I didn’t hear anything back from her the next day I remembered that she gave me her number and so I decided to give her a call. Unsure if I was just blown off, I wasn’t quite expecting her to answer but surprisingly she did. However, she was no longer in San Juan but on her way to Honduras already. Not too concerned I told her we would try and keep in touch on Facebook and in my sleep-deprived state decided to get some more sleep.
Surprise…surprise it is December 21st and the so-called day the world would end according to the Mayan calendar, but it is just beginning to be another typical sunny day in San Juan. After several weeks of hard work getting the hostel back in order and hiring new volunteer staff, Marc and I decide to celebrate our achievements with a business lunch. Surf and turf at a restaurant at the beach, why not? This has been a well deserved business expense that gave us a chance to catch up both on business issues as well as with what’s been going on in each other’s lives more personally and to continue to build a strong friendship. I am often very thankful to have a close friend to confide in and share ideas with especially since I have a fantastic group of close friends back home.
A Nica Christmas is one that I will never forget. In spite of not having a pine tree to decorate, as I normally loved to do along with the endless Christmas songs playing everywhere you went in States, our hostel family has decided to celebrate the holidays with our own family away from family–complete with stockings filled with gifts. The week leading up to the 25th we put up stockings for each one of the staff members and one by one people began filling them with small gifts that included many inside jokes. After a few days I began realizing that even some of our guests that got to know each of the staff began buying things that were specific to each person and placing them in the stockings. On Christmas morning we were all up early to open gifts as a family and completed the celebration with a group cannonball into the pool! Later in the day we had a complete Christmas dinner as we had chicken, pork, and beef rotating over a nice fire that was a oil drum cut in half. I’m sure PETA would be proud. The evening was a feast of food for all of our guests and staff as we even had our own mix of Christmas songs playing throughout the day. It was my first Christmas in a warm weather climate and one that I will always keep with me.
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