Rainy season is here...

I kept telling Helen that this was nothing like I expected. I mean, we always came to Costa Rica anywhere from January to May. July, I thought, would be dismal and grey and the ocean would turn brown from the heavy rains. But, it only has rained a little the last few days, and only in the afternoon, but yesterday it rained into the night. It was a good thing, as it was actually cool at the restaurant as we ate dinner, and it made for a comfortable evening of sleep.

Last night, Helen and I had our own ¨My Dinner with Andre.¨ We had a good long conversation about life, the men in our lives, and why we make certain choices. Helen is not one to mince words, and she had a lot to say about things. We shared a lot last night about ourselves. Sometimes it is good to be called out on the things you do. A good friend does not always have to just be there as your soft place to fall. Sometimes a real friend wlll point things out that you just can´t see. We did that last night, and until midnight, and it was so eye opening for both of us.

So many people keep coming up to her, everywhere we go. It seems like she knows everyone in this beachside town. Travelers from everywhere stop to hug her, to say hello, and then, as we were talking she said she only shares and opens up with a couple people, and the gift of this was that she said I was one of the two. If only she knew what that meant, but, of course, I couldn´t ruin it by telling her. She knew, I could tell. She knew. I grew tired by midnight, but she wanted to stay at the restaurant for awhile, so PT, one of her sweet friends, offered me a ride home. He is a 5th generation cattle farmer, and luckily we did not discuss THAT on the way home!

So, how do you return this gift that you have been given by a dear friend? For starters, you tell her she can use your Ricky Carroll Fish the next morning so she can catch all the waves, and then, when you get all the way to the sand, you realize that you have put two of the fins in wrong! One just came out in her hand. DOH!

I wanted to die.

The waves were reeling off, blue and clean, under a slightly overcast sky. They actually looked bigger, what? How could this be? I figured out, after a couple hours, that it was simply the incoming tide that was helping it. There were already about ten guys on it. I was sick. She kept saying, ¨Nancy, go surfing, I can find things to do!¨ But of course I could not do that. I wanted her to try the board, to surf with me, and I felt awful. We realized that Roche, who owns a surf shop, would have a key for the fins. But, this would entail walking all the way back to his house, a good ten minute hike. She would not let me go with her, as much as I begged. So, I paddled out, quickly realizing that she would not like the scene.

The sets were coming in overhead, and seemed even bigger than yesterday. I was a little spooked myself, watching some guy drop in late on an overhead bomb. My first one was great, a big walling left that opened up all the way to the inside. I could have gone in on that one, it was that good. I stayed out for about five or six more, and then decided to go tell Helen that this was probably not the place for her to surf today.

Where are my surfing pals when I need them? What fun we would have had!

I found Helen at Roche´s, and put the fins in properly this time. We decided to go have a look at it again. I warned her that she might think it is too big and crowded. But, when we got to the beach, the crowd had eased with the out going tide. It looked like a playground! Now the waves were about shoulder to head high and softer looking. We paddled out, and had some fun until the mid morning crew arrived. She actully caught some waves with the fish today, and wants to try it again. It never rained, although at dawn we were afraid it might catch us. It stayed offshore, too.

When we got back to her house, I walked up to the restaurant while she spent some time with her dad. What a sweet guy he is, getting so frail, but he still has that twinkling eye and sharp wit. We mostly just smile. I hate it that I never fully learned Spanish.

So lately, the days unfold like like this... Up at dawn. Surf until tired. Walk to restaurant for the Super Tico: beans and rice, sliced avacado, scrambled eggs, warm homemade corn tortilla, a little square of their unique fried white cheese, and my favorite freshly made pineapple juice. Walk to internet place. Walk back to Helen´s house to read and write or watch the 100 channels of TV. Yesterday her friend gave me a FREE MASSAGE! I tried to pay her, but she refused.

It is hard to remain cynical in a place like this. Where else could you be on this planet where people come up and kiss you for no reason other than to greet you? The other day I was just sitting in a chair at Helen´s house, and a little boy about eight years old walked in carrying a flower. He just walked up to me with a smile and kissed me on the cheek. ADORABLE. I almost cried. What planet is this? Then, at her restaurant, she introduced me to a teenage boy that walked by, and he did the same. I told her I felt like this was utopia, although I know better. It´s hard to get used to a culture where everyone is so open and loving. She said that Costa Ricans have realized that Americans are very... as she puts it (holding her palms up as if to say stay away), MY LIFE, THIS IS MY LIFE.

How sad, but how true. There are always things to learn...