Butterfly mobiles hanging in the sunlight

A 5 hour plane ride doesn´t sound that long on paper, but when you are in the air that duration in the middle of the night in seats that don´t recline, it certainly feels like it´s never-ending. For those who don´t know I´m in Costa Rica for 3 weeks studying medical Spanish and taking a break from residency and the NW winter. I got here to the guest house of the Spanish school and promptly slept for over 2 hours. I had ear plugs in but didn´t hear someone knocking on the door at all.

2 others and I walked in downtown San Jose to this kind of tourist-y market. But they were selling some neat crafty things. I found myself drawn to these butterfly and fish mobiles that were hanging in the sunlight and to the man who was selling them. Unlike other vendors, he was proud to point out he made all the crafts he was selling. I walked past and "talked" to him 3 times before finally saying that I was interested in one of his butterfly mobiles. I initially thought they were quite similar but he said, no they are all different. Different colored butterfly wings, different colored seeds and painted wood. He didn´t speak any English and was patient in getting me to understand him and to understand my limited Spanish. It felt like a genuine encounter with a real human being. Granted he was selling and I was buying, but it felt bigger than that somehow. Like something deeper in me drew me to his booth over and over again.

I´m headed to a home stay tomorrow morning in Arenal, several house NW of San Jose. It is all an adventure and feels like me extending myself in many ways. I´m going to try to keep posting during my trip but we´ll see how internet access holds up and how time allows. But, hopefully more to come.