enjoying the differences

Olga and I had a lot of fun - she is studying English, and I got to help her practice and helped her with comprehension, pronounciation (Spanish has no sound for "sh" - they say "ch") and to see how difficult it is from teh other side. I thought I had it hard, learning Spanish! It is much harder for a Spanish speaker to learn English, because there are less "rules" and more irregulars in English. This fruit in front of Olga is not an eggplant - it is a tepezcuintle, which has a lovely purple and white mottled flesh, and tastes unlike any fruit I have had before. A little grainy in texture, but delicious.

Olga, like many Ticos, keeps a small viviero, or garden with orchids. Here is one of hers in bloom now, that survived despite heavy winds.

When I got back to Orosi, it was like breathing a sigh of relief. I am really starting to see this place as my home. On Saturday, my friends Ray and Jimmy decided to take me to this furniture place they knew of, south of Cartago. We stopped in Cartago to hit the ATMs (cajeros en espanol) and Ray pointed out this interesting signage.