This morning, after breakfast with my host family, I walked five blocks to the bus station to catch the bus for my first day of school. Standing there I had no idea what bus to take. Damn, I hate that feeling. Just as I was thinking I was going to actually have to ask someone in my less-than-stellar Spanish—or began contemplating taking one of the taxis parked across the street—a bus with the words “Manual Antonio” printed largely across the front pulled up. As far as I was concerned, it might as well have been flashing my name!
Much relieved, I boarded the bus, paid the driver with the right change, sat down on the hard metal seat, and didn’t even try to find the non-existent seat belt. You can go anywhere in this area for the equivalent of $.60. The problem is getting currency in small enough denominations. Given I’m living “locally” for two weeks, I need to find a way to get small bills. ATM’s, like anywhere, spit out 20’s or even larger bills that nobody locally wants to take. The driver didn’t look like he’d have any patience for anyone without the proper change. A man without a sense of humor.
The school is along the road that climbs up and over the mountain out of Quepos to Manual Antonio National Park. The school had told me exactly when to push the stop button, but of course I missed the land mark and traveled a half mile past the school. Tapping the shoulder of the Costa Rican woman sitting in front of me and asking if she knew where the school was threw the group of women sitting around me into a frenzy. After some frantic conferring with one another, the woman whose shoulder I had tapped stood up and yelled for the driver to stop. And he did—so quickly that he almost threw us all to the floor. That missing seat belt crossed my mind for a split second.
Getting off the bus, no less than five women were shouting simultaneous directions to me about how to walk back to the school (basically turn around and start walking). I felt loved and cared for and like maybe I could skip school for the day and just go hang with these women, wherever they were going.
As I began the walk back down the steep road, there were monkeys overhead on the wires and macaws in the trees above. Suddenly I didn’t feel so out of sorts, and instead felt that this was exactly where I wanted to be.
