This was my third customer landing.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Week of Pilot Exam
What a week. So this is how it went. Life in Costa Rica trying to become a pilot in a Spanish speaking country.
Day 1(Wednesday)- Gesine and I rode the motorcycle to Samara at 4:30 in the morning to catch a bus to San Jose. This morning we loaded up our book bags with 2 changes of clothes, the computer and some spending money. We road through a crocodile infested river about 2 feet deep to arrive in Samara where we locked up the bike and hopped on the bus. 5 hours later we arrived in wonderful San Jose. Then straight to the Aviacione Civil where we met up with Guido and Jorge to review the tests we had failed 30 days earlier. Guido said, "Stupid mistakes, Loveless." Uh excuse me? Try taking an extremely technical test in a language you don't speak. And I got a 76 to boot! Damn man. I wasn't raised in Europe where every knows multiple languages. 76 was pretty good in my opinion... but i needed an 80 to pass. So I guess I did fail.
Day 2 -we were invited to stay with Jorge(German) and Janet(Tica) in a very nice, modest home. Janet was great, she went through the entire study guide with us in Spanish. Then Jorge and I took a practice test. This blew my confidence. We had to take the test tomorrow? I was not ready. I opted to post pone my exam until Monday. Jorge with all the confidence in the world stayed on course with the appointment on Friday. We accompanied Jorge to the test. After 2 hours of waiting like he was having a baby. He emerged from the exam room with a defeated look on his face. What did you get? "A 76.", he replied. Janet consoled him like a good girl friend should. He was frustrated and defeated. Now he will have to wait an additional 30 days to re-take the exam. Damn that means money lost during tourist season. I was glad I waited.
That night Gesine and I checked into a nice hotel room about 45 minutes outside of San Jose. It was not nice for US standards but had hot water, cable TV and WiFi. WOW! Luxury by Tico standards!
Day 3- We woke up around 9am and started really cracking the books. In between breaks we watched CNN, HBO, and Cinemax. It was grueling but tolerable... do to cable TV in between study breaks. We took about 9 showers over the next 3 days. Basking in the glory of hot water we stood together in the shower for what seemed like eternity. I think we used the entire hotel's quota of hot water each day. On this night it was quite humorous... after a torturous day fo studying we called it quits around midnight. We hit the lights and started to doze. Then we hear high heels clunking down the hall. The door next store opens loudly. "What are the walls made of? Paper? Papaer would be quieter. And then it begins... the sounds of to Latin lovers making love. Louder and louder were the moans. Damn that dude can keep going like the energizer bunny. Made me feel inadequate for the love making I did earlier that evening. Finally around 1:30am it stopped. Thank God! Maybe now I can get some sleep. WRONG! They chatted loudly for about 45 minutes. I pounded on the wall. "NO MAS! NO MAS!" "GO TO BED!" Then silence. Apparently, when some one starts going at it... kissing doesn't make a sound! And then the moans. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Damn, way to make me look bad dude. But really "I am fucking tired and need some sleep. Once again this last about 45 minutes. After we hear the climax.... then we hear the door slam and the shoes walk away. A hooker maybe? An extra marital affair? What ever it was they were happy because it wasn't what the were obviously supposed to be doing. Probably lonely souls some where wondering where they were and why the were so late. Hmmm... I've been on the other end of that, unfortunately.
Day 4- We sleep late due to the sex in the other room. We walk throught the town of San Ramone hand in hand. We find a lovely Cafe across from the Church where we enjoyed spectacular coffe, ice cream and cake. We watched as the Catholics exited mass. On the way back we bought me a Brasil Futbol Jersey because my 2 days of clothes had expired. More studying, more studying! Around midnight we hear the foot steps again. "Are you fucking kidding me? My test is tomorrow morning." I start exclaming loudly, "Fucking assholes better not keep me up again. " Well, they didn't... it was just some tired travelers. I was sure though it was the same pair of shoes. Thankfully I was wrong. There are many Hoochie Mommas here... I should know that from walking the streets around town.
Day 5 - Wake up early. One last hot shower. And off to the bus to San Jose. We get off at the stop near the Aviacione Civil. I pay my fee and enter the exam. Note: I speak "maybe" 50 sentences in Spanish. Very poorly. Gesine waits in the lobby. I start breezing through the questions. Do I really know this? How can I not speak but breeze through the exam like a mad genius. I triple check my answers. Okay I think I am good... but... but. am I? I hit the Finalizar button! 92%! Wow are you kidding me? Fuckin Eh! The proctor pats me on the back. "Bueno, bueno.", he says. I exit the exam room into the lobby. Gesine has a look on her face like... IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL! I give her a beaming smile and she leaps from her chair grabs me aound the neck and starts kissing me... all while jumping up and down with a youthful passion. All the guys behind the counter congratulate me in broken English. They can feel her excitement and happiness... it was infectous. These guys have seen me several times defeated and broken about the exam. Probably thinking "stupid fucking Gringo!" But this day they could sense this was an important moment for me. They were genuinely happy and pleased with my "Most Excellent Score".
Okay I am strutting with satisfaction. "Gesine I just need food and a cigarette, but let's see when the bus heads home first. We go to the bus stop to check the schedule. What do you know... the bus we need is there so we jump on it for a 5 hour ride home. No victory smoke. No food. FUCK! 2 and a half hours later I get my smoke and a soggy "chicken" sandwich. And I was grateful. We arrive in Nicoya. Onto the next bus ride. We sit there for a few minutes. Both of us grumpy. I see a bus headed for what I think is HOME. It is not. But it is heading toward our destination. One stop is about 4km from home. So we take it instead of waiting an additional hour for the right bus. So we get in the bus. It's like an elementary school bus bus. And we're off road. Gesine had to pee before we got on it. Now the bus is bouncing and she is in pain. She looks pissed. Finally we get to a stop we know. She says "Lemme go pee and I'll be ok." As soon as we get off we see a pick up truck headed in our direction. Thumbs out we catch it. Because just like us... the driver knows he's our only chance. We eagerly jump in the back for the bumpy ride home. He stops once to say "Hola" to his peeps or familia. God knows. Gesine is crying because urine has moved p to her brain. Then we depart. Almost home. The techno blaring truck abrutly stops. WTF? Oh the driver has to pee. Gesine looks at me like she is gonna pee in face if this truck doesn't move. Finally he comes back. Truck blaring the techno version of "Destination Unknown"
That's about how we felt. Finally he drops us off at the "Coyote Bar" our local watering hole. We pee and have a victory beer.
Ahhhh. what a day. Now let's hike home. And I say hike... because it is! About a mile straight up. We get to the top and no more buzz. Only sleep. Both grumpy. Both beat. So that's how my exam went. How was your week? I am gonne guess a lil easier. But who knows... maybe you were in India or Africa this week.
But it was truly "Pura Vida" and that's how everyday pretty much is around here.
Day 1(Wednesday)- Gesine and I rode the motorcycle to Samara at 4:30 in the morning to catch a bus to San Jose. This morning we loaded up our book bags with 2 changes of clothes, the computer and some spending money. We road through a crocodile infested river about 2 feet deep to arrive in Samara where we locked up the bike and hopped on the bus. 5 hours later we arrived in wonderful San Jose. Then straight to the Aviacione Civil where we met up with Guido and Jorge to review the tests we had failed 30 days earlier. Guido said, "Stupid mistakes, Loveless." Uh excuse me? Try taking an extremely technical test in a language you don't speak. And I got a 76 to boot! Damn man. I wasn't raised in Europe where every knows multiple languages. 76 was pretty good in my opinion... but i needed an 80 to pass. So I guess I did fail.
Day 2 -we were invited to stay with Jorge(German) and Janet(Tica) in a very nice, modest home. Janet was great, she went through the entire study guide with us in Spanish. Then Jorge and I took a practice test. This blew my confidence. We had to take the test tomorrow? I was not ready. I opted to post pone my exam until Monday. Jorge with all the confidence in the world stayed on course with the appointment on Friday. We accompanied Jorge to the test. After 2 hours of waiting like he was having a baby. He emerged from the exam room with a defeated look on his face. What did you get? "A 76.", he replied. Janet consoled him like a good girl friend should. He was frustrated and defeated. Now he will have to wait an additional 30 days to re-take the exam. Damn that means money lost during tourist season. I was glad I waited.
That night Gesine and I checked into a nice hotel room about 45 minutes outside of San Jose. It was not nice for US standards but had hot water, cable TV and WiFi. WOW! Luxury by Tico standards!
Day 3- We woke up around 9am and started really cracking the books. In between breaks we watched CNN, HBO, and Cinemax. It was grueling but tolerable... do to cable TV in between study breaks. We took about 9 showers over the next 3 days. Basking in the glory of hot water we stood together in the shower for what seemed like eternity. I think we used the entire hotel's quota of hot water each day. On this night it was quite humorous... after a torturous day fo studying we called it quits around midnight. We hit the lights and started to doze. Then we hear high heels clunking down the hall. The door next store opens loudly. "What are the walls made of? Paper? Papaer would be quieter. And then it begins... the sounds of to Latin lovers making love. Louder and louder were the moans. Damn that dude can keep going like the energizer bunny. Made me feel inadequate for the love making I did earlier that evening. Finally around 1:30am it stopped. Thank God! Maybe now I can get some sleep. WRONG! They chatted loudly for about 45 minutes. I pounded on the wall. "NO MAS! NO MAS!" "GO TO BED!" Then silence. Apparently, when some one starts going at it... kissing doesn't make a sound! And then the moans. "Are you fucking kidding me?" Damn, way to make me look bad dude. But really "I am fucking tired and need some sleep. Once again this last about 45 minutes. After we hear the climax.... then we hear the door slam and the shoes walk away. A hooker maybe? An extra marital affair? What ever it was they were happy because it wasn't what the were obviously supposed to be doing. Probably lonely souls some where wondering where they were and why the were so late. Hmmm... I've been on the other end of that, unfortunately.
Day 4- We sleep late due to the sex in the other room. We walk throught the town of San Ramone hand in hand. We find a lovely Cafe across from the Church where we enjoyed spectacular coffe, ice cream and cake. We watched as the Catholics exited mass. On the way back we bought me a Brasil Futbol Jersey because my 2 days of clothes had expired. More studying, more studying! Around midnight we hear the foot steps again. "Are you fucking kidding me? My test is tomorrow morning." I start exclaming loudly, "Fucking assholes better not keep me up again. " Well, they didn't... it was just some tired travelers. I was sure though it was the same pair of shoes. Thankfully I was wrong. There are many Hoochie Mommas here... I should know that from walking the streets around town.
Day 5 - Wake up early. One last hot shower. And off to the bus to San Jose. We get off at the stop near the Aviacione Civil. I pay my fee and enter the exam. Note: I speak "maybe" 50 sentences in Spanish. Very poorly. Gesine waits in the lobby. I start breezing through the questions. Do I really know this? How can I not speak but breeze through the exam like a mad genius. I triple check my answers. Okay I think I am good... but... but. am I? I hit the Finalizar button! 92%! Wow are you kidding me? Fuckin Eh! The proctor pats me on the back. "Bueno, bueno.", he says. I exit the exam room into the lobby. Gesine has a look on her face like... IS IT A BOY OR A GIRL! I give her a beaming smile and she leaps from her chair grabs me aound the neck and starts kissing me... all while jumping up and down with a youthful passion. All the guys behind the counter congratulate me in broken English. They can feel her excitement and happiness... it was infectous. These guys have seen me several times defeated and broken about the exam. Probably thinking "stupid fucking Gringo!" But this day they could sense this was an important moment for me. They were genuinely happy and pleased with my "Most Excellent Score".
Okay I am strutting with satisfaction. "Gesine I just need food and a cigarette, but let's see when the bus heads home first. We go to the bus stop to check the schedule. What do you know... the bus we need is there so we jump on it for a 5 hour ride home. No victory smoke. No food. FUCK! 2 and a half hours later I get my smoke and a soggy "chicken" sandwich. And I was grateful. We arrive in Nicoya. Onto the next bus ride. We sit there for a few minutes. Both of us grumpy. I see a bus headed for what I think is HOME. It is not. But it is heading toward our destination. One stop is about 4km from home. So we take it instead of waiting an additional hour for the right bus. So we get in the bus. It's like an elementary school bus bus. And we're off road. Gesine had to pee before we got on it. Now the bus is bouncing and she is in pain. She looks pissed. Finally we get to a stop we know. She says "Lemme go pee and I'll be ok." As soon as we get off we see a pick up truck headed in our direction. Thumbs out we catch it. Because just like us... the driver knows he's our only chance. We eagerly jump in the back for the bumpy ride home. He stops once to say "Hola" to his peeps or familia. God knows. Gesine is crying because urine has moved p to her brain. Then we depart. Almost home. The techno blaring truck abrutly stops. WTF? Oh the driver has to pee. Gesine looks at me like she is gonna pee in face if this truck doesn't move. Finally he comes back. Truck blaring the techno version of "Destination Unknown"
That's about how we felt. Finally he drops us off at the "Coyote Bar" our local watering hole. We pee and have a victory beer.
Ahhhh. what a day. Now let's hike home. And I say hike... because it is! About a mile straight up. We get to the top and no more buzz. Only sleep. Both grumpy. Both beat. So that's how my exam went. How was your week? I am gonne guess a lil easier. But who knows... maybe you were in India or Africa this week.
But it was truly "Pura Vida" and that's how everyday pretty much is around here.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Playa Buena Vista Photo Gallery #1
So folks this is where I live, love, breathe, eat and sometimes sleep when I've had too much to drink.
Gerardo the artist painting the Pirate is no longer with us. He died this past year in a fatal car accident. Take a moment to notice he was really alive in this photo and doing something he loved. And according to sources his one true love was surfing.
Pura Vida!
Gerardo the artist painting the Pirate is no longer with us. He died this past year in a fatal car accident. Take a moment to notice he was really alive in this photo and doing something he loved. And according to sources his one true love was surfing.
Pura Vida!
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