The Witch Town

Thursday, we went to Escazu, which is a town to the west of San Jose.  It used to be separate from the city, but well… you know how urban sprawl goes.  On the way, we drove through the wealthier part of San Jose.  Lots of ambassadors live in the area.  We also drove past the US embassy.  If we had stopped to take pictures, they would have thought we were planning something. We also saw the US ambassador’s house later in Escazu.

Escazu is an interesting combination of old and new.  One of the reputations of Escazu is that it is the most American (as in US town).  I did see an Outback Steak House and Walmart (although I’ve seen at least two other Walmarts already.  Toto, I think we are still in Kansas.)  There are also several tall apartment buildings, which are pretty much full of foreigners, mostly those from the US.  Most Ticos don’t like living in tall buildings.  There are enough earthquakes here, that they keep their buildings pretty short.  I believe to tallest building in San Jose proper is something like 11 stories, and it is the tallest by far.

Anyway, we went to the old part of the town first.  We saw several buildings that were made of adobe.  They’ve actually withstood earthquakes better than newer ones, but there aren’t many left, because people are tearing them down to make roomier ones.

We also went to the Church of San Antonio de Padua.  Among other things, women pray to him to get a boyfriend or husband.  Here girls will take little statues of him and put him on his head until they get whichever they are looking for.  When I was in Uruguay, there was a statue of San Antonio de Padua on a hill near a coastal town where women would go to pray for a husband.  Both times I went, I think I “made” some of the girls pose for a picture by praying for a husband.

I have visited churches, particularly Catholic churches in several countries… I’ve never felt uncomfortable before.  Because most of the countries where I have gone sightseeing in churches were post-Christian and not many people were there.  Costa Rica is not and so there have been many people praying at the churches we visited.  I’m much more uncomfortable sightseeing when people are trying to worship, pray, etc.

A very cool mural depicting the traditional Oxcarts of Costa Rica.  We will go to the town where they are made later.  Escazu has a parade of Oxcarts every year.

San Antonio is on the right holding the baby.

A hazy view of San Jose from Escazu

 With Costa Ricans, Escazu is associated (or at least used to be) with witchcraft.  Apparently this is where the healing women lived.  There are lots of stories about the witches there in local yore.  The town plays it up.  There were pictures of witches on brooms everywhere.  Including the town shield.

Town Shield of Escazu

We then went to a huge mall, it was like any mall you’d find in the US… well its bigger than the one in Abilene and North Little Rock.  And probably nicer too.  We looked around some stores.  The guys abandoned Jenee and I when we went to look in the Tico version of Claires.  We caught up to them in the bookstore.  We then grabbed some lunch and went back to the Institute. 

Class was fine, and some of went out afterwards.  It was a little weird not to have Mark with us.  (He went back to the States on Thursday.)  We couldn’t go to our normal place because it was crowded with people watching the Costa Rican National team play in the Copa America.  They won.  We found another place to hang out for a bit.  Then David, Jenee, Eric and I headed towards home.  Eric and Jenee walked with David and I until they hit the turn off for their bus.  (They hoped they could catch it at that point, because they apparently live a ways out.)  David and I headed toward our houses.  We live in the same area.  We think we are probably about the same distance from the school.  His is further down the main road by about half a mile, but is only a block off the main road.  My house is about half a mile from the main road.  When I got home, Jorge asked me if I had walked.  When I said yes I assured him I was with someone else.  (It was after dark.)  He seemed to feel better.  

For part of my homework, I had to ask what some words meant.  One was “un piriopo.”  Don’t have I learned this word when I was in Uruguay.  Which is basically a catcall with more flattering intentions I think.  Here and in Uruguay, they don’t have quite as bad of connotations.   Anyway, it was hilarious listening to Jorge and his brother try to define it.  They sounded like we do in class when we are trying to define words in Spanish.

Today is Friday.  We don’t have any excursions in the morning.  So I’m at school trying to make myself finish my homework and updating my blog.  I have classes in the afternoon.  Tomorrow I’m going to see the waterfall at La Paz.  It should be a fun trip, and really be really pretty.