Weirdness of the Week (Episode 4.2 aka... I don't know - pura vida)

1.  You know how US cities now have a Starbucks on every corner.... well, here that role is taken by dentist's offices.  There is literally a dentist office in every neighborhood.  There is one less than 50 meters from my house.  The weird part is... you will be walking and it will be like - (quiet neighborhood) house, house, house, dentist office, house, house, house.  The only thing I can think of to justify this is that they do brush their teeth a lot here.

2.  The power can go out and nobody even flinches.  We just continue doing yoga without comment and enjoy the flashes of lightning that illuminate the teacher's silhouette as we do tree pose. 

3. A new fruit and vegetable "tienda" opened near my house.  Each time I go there and talk with Antony, the owner, he "gifts me" a new vegetable.  It's always, "here.. take this cucumber, too.  Make a nice salad."  "Take these bananas... they'll be good for breakfast."  I like him. 

4.  Today, I was riding the bus home and at the second to last stop - the bus driver just got out and left all the people on the bus.  I had gotten off, already, and asked him what he was doing.  He replied, "tengo ganas de comer piña (I have desire to eat pineapple)."  He quickly bought a slice of pineapple from the stand and hopped back on the bus.  That was really funny to me, especially thinking about using the phrase "I have desire to eat pineapple" in English.  Just another example of how some things don't translate. 

5.  Black Friday has already happened.... and it was on SATURDAY.  They called it "Black Friday," anyway.  I don't think they really thought much about the significance of those words.  Apparently the gossip of the town is that Maxi Pali (the Walmart of Quepos) was so full that you couldn't even enter the parking lot.  All to buy a TV that was marked down $10.  I told you that Christmas was earlier here... Decorations on Halloween and Black Friday on Saturday the 16th of November.  I bet this is what would happen to the US if we didn't have Halloween and Thanksgiving to hold us back.  What's next.... New Years anyone?