Day 60: Anthems, snakes and parks. Oh my.

One thing I planned to do with the Costa Rica Daily Boost, but have neglected a bit, was to celebrate great dates in Costa Rican history. So to make up for lost time, here are three at once.

Today, in 1949, the author of the words to Costa Rica’s national anthem died. I don’t know about you, but I am very partial to the words of Costa Rica’s national anthem. I learned them as a college intern living with a beautiful family in Tibás; the dad made me learn the words and sing the anthem for visiting family members, who listened gleefully. (This was very good preparation for working for the president, as it turned out, since I attended approximately 1,007 events where the anthem was sung.) The lyrics are a gorgeous celebration of peace, hard work and humilty. They also remind us that tranquil farmers are always ready to tear shit up if anyone gets in their way. Thank you, José María Zeledón.

Tomorrow, Dec. 7, in 1976, the Clodomiro Picado Prize was created for excellence in science. Clodomiro Picado was a Nicaraguan-born badass Costa Rican scientist whose name also endows the Clodomiro Picado Institute, a world leader in snakebite research whose scientists save lives all around the world. It’s seriously amazing. You can read about it here.

And Sunday, Dec. 8, is the anniversary of the day that the Parque Nacional was created. This is one of my favorite spots in all of San José, for the following reasons. 1. It’s gorgeous. 2. It was the start of my morning walk to work when I first became a reporter here. 3. It’s home to the National Monument, which an evangelical legislator climbed and then refused to come down, at great public expense (emergency workers had to surround the statue for hours, as well as a very annoyed gringa reporter who had a hard time not heckling him), because he was protesting the government’s punishments of noise pollution by evangelical churches.  And 4. It has a little pool with a tiny bridge across it and mermaids painted on the bottom. What else could you want from a park? If you’re in San José, pay it a visit and chill out for a while.

Here’s a recap of this week’s posts:

Monday Motivation: Environmental alarm bells are going off in Costa Rica.

Tuesday Beauty: A poem about December in warm places.

Wellness Wednesday: A champion for mental health in Costa Rica.

Travel Thursday: What are the best Costa Rican spots to visit when the rain stops?

Have a great weekend!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

Day 50: Test your Costa Rica literacy with the Simpsons

It’s Friday. It’s the 50th day of my yearlong Costa Rica Daily Boost challenge. And it’s time for you to test your Costa Rican knowledge.

When I woke up Monday morning to the news that the previous evening’s episode of “The Simpsons” had taken the world’s favorite bright yellow family on a trip to Costa Rica, my first thought was, “Oh my God. The memes are going to be intense.” Ticos love memes, and making fun of themselves, and this was going to be irresistible.

Sure enough, an onslaught ensued, and some of them flew right over my head. Here’s the toughest:

Francela Zamora / La Teja

Legend has it that Club Sport Cartaginés, the soccer team of Costa Rica’s colonial capital, is cursed because someone once buried a voodoo-style doll, “El Muñeco,” somewhere under the field. Here we have Santa’s Little Helper helpfully digging up the doll to end the curse and help Cartago out in its game yesterday against Limón. (It lost, so this image may be doctored.)

If you’re Costa Rican, these are immediately recognizable –  but for the rest of us, consider this your citizenship test. How many of the places and situations pictured below – most of them by Francela Zamora of La Teja, who unleashed her creativity to make these mashups – can you name? You knew La Teja was gonna own this one. Scroll down to the end for my weekly Boost roundup.

Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja

Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja
Francela Zamora / La Teja

As usual, here’s a roundup of this week’s posts, for those who like to catch up on the weekend.

Monday Motivation: How an angel helped me run a half-marathon. Seriously.

Tuesday Beauty: The art of Carolina Rodríguez got huge, happy feedback from readers.

Wednesday Wellness: All the world needs now is pinto.

Thursday Explorations: On spiders, motmots and Ani Difranco.

Bonus: If you’re new to the Daily Boost and missed how and why it started, check that out here. And have a wonderful weekend!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

Day 45: Women at the forefront

Movimiento Guardianes de la Naturaleza logo

Here is what Jessica Sheffield, an incredible Costa Rican leader in environmental education and the creator of the Guardians of Nature Movement, had to say yesterday in La Voz de Guanacaste about women’s leadership at this beyond critical moment in the history of our planet. This translation is excerpted from Jessica’s Facebook page:

Women play an essential role in the conservation of our natural resources. We are leaders with the potential to achieve a critical transformation in the protection of nature, ensuring the well-being of our communities and the planet.

In Costa Rica, a large number of women are leading initiatives that are transforming society. Christiana Figueres promoted the Paris agreement on climate change; Karla Chaves Brenes leads the Latin American recycling program ecoins; Alejandra Monge-Jiménez directs the Corcovado Foundation, which protects the Osa Peninsula, one of the most biodiverse places on the planet; Zdenka Piskulich is the force behind Costa Rica Por Siempre, one of the most consolidated conservation NGOs in the country. There are many other prominent Costa Ricans achieving change through their leadership initiatives.

Our formal education, especially during the early childhood years, is mostly led by women. During my three years directing Guardians of Nature, I have noticed the extraordinary power that teachers have, inspiring and educating a new generation of children, the guardians of our natural resources. Given the necessary tools and resources, teachers will educate present and future generations about the need to live in peace with nature.

Costa Rican women have leadership roles in our homes as well. Even though times have changed, many of us still take care of our children’s food, select products that benefit their health and the environment, and educate the family about the proper use of resources. Above all, we are an essential force and engine in the marketplace with the ability to influence the supply of products and services through our own consumption.

…I am confident that, little by little, there will be many more guardians of nature, women who exert great influence from their homes, jobs and social circles. Thank you to all the girls, moms, and professionals who make this difference every day.

Amen!

And on that uplifting note, here is a recap of this week’s posts:

Monday Motivation: An anniversary that celebrates Costa Rica’s elementary schools!

Tuesday Beauty: An artist whose social media feeds make me smile.

Wellness Wednesday: The curse of multitasking.

Travel Thursday: The one thing every visitor to Costa Rica must pack.

Bonus: Over at Poems on Demand, I tried my hand at a sonnet. Shakespeare may be agitating just slightly in his grave, but it was fun. You can see it and my other poems here.

Have a wonderful weekend and wish me luck (more about that on Monday!).

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

 

Day 25: Tell a friend

Two sloths in a tree in Costa Rica at sunset

As I wrap up this week and round the corner of 25 days, I have a favor to ask. For next week’s Monday Motivation I’m preparing the story of a woman so inspirational that her words have buoyed me through the entire week. I am hoping to share it with as many people as I possibly can come Monday (and I’m pretty pumped about Tuesday, too). If you’ve been digging the Daily Boost and can tell folks about it on your social media, message a friend about it, or simply leave a review or comment, I would deeply appreciate it. Use #costaricadailyboost so I can find you and thank you!

Here’s this week’s roundup for all those weekend catchup readers…

Day 21, Monday Motivation: A peaceful place that’s worth a visit (even just in your imagination).

Day 22, Tuesday Beauty: A happiness hack for your toilet (and a poem you’ve got to read).

Day 23, Wellness Wednesday: A delicious drink with tons of gingery goodness (yes, it’s called Toad Water).

Day 24, Thursday Exploring: The beauty of Limón, and music that can transport you there. 

Bonus: I’ve made good on my Day 18 challenge to myself to churn out lots of little poems. You can check them out here.

Have a great weekend and join me next week – I’m so excited about what I’m getting ready for you!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook! You can also find me churning out small, square poems on any topic under the sun (here on the site, on Instagram or Twitter). 

Day 20: Happy International Day of the Girl

Girls in traditional dress in Costa Rica

When I started this thing, I did say that some days, the Daily Boost would be as simple as a photo – and today is one of those days. Three girls, walking together, colorful and happy: that’s all I need this morning, and I hope you love it, too.

Today closes out a week that ended up focusing on women. Women who run, women who write, women who drive poetry ambulances, women in the making. Here’s the roundup for all those weekend readers out there. And on this 20th day of the Daily Boost, I want to express my gratitude to all those who have read and commented on these posts so far. I’ve gotten soup recipes, book recommendations and more; let’s keep the conversation going! If you have a friend you think would like this, or if you see a post you’d like to share, please spread the word: for those of us writing in a vacuum, these connections are incredibly comforting, like an echo coming back to us when we shout off the cliff. So I thank you.

Day 16, Monday Motivation: A Costa Rican speedster who inspired us all.

Day 17, Tuesday Beauty: A group of women join forces to explore the theme of “unlove.” to

Day 18, Wellness Wednesday: How How a British ‘pharmacy’ gave me a shot in the arm. 

Day 19, Thursday Exploring: How to travel like a girl.

Wishing you a happy weekend!

Day 15: Overly Literal Translations, Oktoberfest Edition

No matter how good you get in your second language, there will always be moments when the direct translation to your native tongue flashes through your brain. In the inaugural episode of Overly Literal Translations, where I put things through Google Translate and see what happens, I’m taking on a topic fit for Oktoberfest: Costa Rica’s dizzying array of craft beers. Here’s some of what a non-native speaker of Spanish might see when looking down the menu or the beer aisle. (What’s your favorite? Can you guess the original names? Can you pick out the one that is made up and not, in fact, a poorly translated beer name?)

Tomb Panties
Weeping Woman
Bald Lady
Daddy
Monkey Indigestion
Misplaced
Pumpkin Tamale
Stick Hen
Heartthrob
Butt Horse

To learn more about Costa Rican beers, you can visit Birripedia, lk j or Craftbeer.cr. And here is this week’s round up of Daily Boost posts for those who like to catch up on reading on the weekend. See you Monday for Week 4!

Day 11, Monday Inspiration: The empowerment of women starts right here.

Day 12, Tuesday Beau-tay: The coffee-inspired art of Raudyn Alfaro.

Day 13, Wellness Wednesday: Why I love olla de carne.

Day 14, Thursday Exploring: One of my favorite travel hacks ever.

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook!

Day 5: Love for September babies

In Costa Rica, it sometimes seems like everyone was born in September (or October, which I just found out actually holds the record). My husband, three of his four siblings, his mother and an awful lot of her grandkids and great-grandchildren were born in this month, and plenty of my friends as well. If you’re a September baby, happy birthday. And if you’re a baby sloth, well, thanks for reading. That’s a lot of effort for a sloth, and I just want you to know I appreciate it.

Every Friday I’ll publish something on the lighter side to get the weekend started right – slothy, funny or cocktail-y – and list the previous days’ posts in case you missed them and feel like some weekend boosting. Thank you for joining me… I can’t wait for Week 2.

Launch Day: Boots on, ready to roam.

Day 1, Monday Inspiration: On the learning curve of freedom.

Day 2, Tuesday Beau-tay: My first challenge of the year is to learn artists’ stories.

Day 3, Wellness Wednesday: In which I sat down meaning to write about why I should transform myself and ended up writing about how self-improvement can stuff it.

Day 4, Thursday Exploring: A little poem about volcanoes and, you know, the #metoo movement.

Wishing you all a slothful weekend filled with good coffee and many other pleasures!

I’m a writer in San José, Costa Rica, on a year-long quest to share daily posts on inspiring people, places and ideas from my adopted home as a kind of tonic during a rough time in the world. Sign up (top right of this page) to receive a little dose of inspiration every weekday in your mailbox; tell a friend; check out past posts; and please connect with me on Instagram or Facebook!