COSTA RICA OBSERVATIONS II
This is the second part of my observations about Costa Rica. Thrown in are some random observations about Central America in general. Remember that these observations are from 2000-2001, my first time out of the United States.
1.) Ok. I lived with two host families during my time in Costa Rica. The first family had a son around my age, 23. We became friends and I spent much of my time with James and his friends. Well, James and his friends would go to strip clubs from time to time. People who know me know that I get too shy with all those naked women around. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I was forced, yes FORCED to visit these vile locals that exploit women! Buuut, while I was there, I noticed this...In Costa Rica you never pay to get into strip clubs No matter how nice or dumpy it is, you don’t pay. Maybe this is the American in me coming out, but they are losing out on money. Men will pay to see naked women. It’s a simple fact of life. When naked women are involved, men will pay. Look at 900 numbers! Men can’t even see the person on the other side of the phone...could be Jabba the Hut, but those companies earn millions a year. Oh and strippers dance with clothes on longer than off. Maybe they did that back in the 50's, but in the 21st century?? I can see women in bikinis and lingerie on Bay Watch. Another strange thing...there is ONE dancer up on stage and that is IT. No other dancers walking through the crowd or other dancers getting ready to go up on stage..Just ONE dancer up on stage, when she finishes and goes back stage you have a room full of horny men sitting around in a room listening to bad music. Talk about awkward? The whole atmosphere in strip clubs is odd. Men just watch the strippers, only watch. No talking amongst friends, no whistling, no laughing with their friends, no blinking! Just staring like they are in some hypnotic trance. Felt like I was in a movie theater full of white people and if I said something they would shush me. Oooh the music they play in the strip clubs.. I am shaking my head in amazement. First of all there is no DJ, just piped in music from what source I don’t know. It was like someone’s 7th grade mix cd. Who plays Hotel California by the Eagles in a strip club? Or Boys II Men End of the Road?? I’m in the club about to cry listening to Phil Collins Another Day in Paradise. Where is the booty shaken’ music?! The 95 South, 69 Boyz, 2 Live Crew the music where the strippers make their asses clap like they at a gospel concert!!?? Salsa is a sexy dance, but it ain’t sexy when you are trying to strip! No. No to the salsa when you are a stripper. No, no, no. Strippers earn a wage in Costa Rica, there is no tipping. I saw strippers come in and punch a time clock. My question is, if you ain’t making hella tips stripping, WHY would you want to be in a room of horny men leering at you all night making minimum wage?? And you can’t really justify stripping without the money. I mean, I’m sure there are women who are exhibitionists, but in Costa Rica, they make the same as cashier clerk at the market. So why do it?? Go to the beach wear a thong, you’ll get hella attention and be able to tell your mother what you do for a living. Last thing...the customers can sleep with the strippers!! They see it as, why go to a strip club, see something you want, and not be able to have it. Of course payment is involved. Maybe that’s why the women don’t sweat the wage and no tips thing. Hhhmm..... Things are seriously different here.
2.) Daaaamn that was a long observations of strip clubs! Sounds like I had my ass in strip clubs every day making “observations”. Well I wasn’t!
3.) They love black people in Costa Rica! I swear. They really love black people in Costa Rica. A little history on the country. Costa Rica doesn’t have that fertile land to support all those crops that needed huge slave populations. Throw in the area didn’t have a large indigenous population to begin with, and a lot of Costa Ricans look European. In the 1950's they had a large Jamaican population move in to help build their national railroad. In these days, who is going to make the most money? The person who only speaks Spanish? Or the person who is fluent in Spanish and English? Well they speak English in Jamaica. Ok, some people might argue against that, but still. So the black people in Costa Rica usually have higher paying jobs. I would be walking along the street and it would be like a demolition derby for taxis trying to stop and pick me up. They know a black person isn’t going to stiff them on the fair. With the more European looking Costa Ricans there is no guarantee. Talk about the twilight zone! White teachers have me get the taxi cause as soon as I put out my hand, about 3 come out of no where and stop. It’s like they are stalking me or something! I heard once walking down the street, a grandmother telling her young grandchild, “See that man right there honey? That is the kind of man you need to marry when you grow up, a beautiful black man.” The little girl had blonde hair and blue eyes! I learned how lucky I am to be black living OUTSIDE of my own country...Now ain’t THAT a bitch?!
RANDOM CENTRAL AMERICAN OBSERVATIONS
While living in Central America, I had a chance to also travel through Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. These are some of the things I saw in every country. Each country had specific things, but these are things I saw that seemed to fit for each country.
1.) We don’t know what poverty is in the United States. Yes, we have poor people, but someone considered poor in the U.S. is NOT the same as someone considered poor in Central America. When someone in the states is homeless, very rarely does it mean they are sleeping on the streets. There are shelters, or they have a car, etc, etc. If you see people living on the streets usually it’s a man, every once in a blue moon you see a couple. In Central America, entire families are living IN the streets. Not just mom and dad, but children, cousins, grandparents EVERYONE in the family sleeping on flattened cardboard boxes out in the streets. I lived in the Bay Area, California. Most people in the states will say that the homeless problem is at its worse in San Francisco. People in San Francisco who panhandle, beg for money, have shoes, clothes, all their body parts. In Guatemala, Nicaragua or Honduras, the people who were begging had no arms, holding the cup with their teeth, had no eyes and you could see the hollow sockets, people with real afflictions who you know if you gave them money they weren’t going out to by cheap whiskey or get a hit of the pipe. Then again, if they did, I wouldn’t have minded. If you have nothing below the waist...I mean you are just torso...And there are no government programs in place to help you out and you are living on the streets?? I can see why you might want to escape through a drug induced haze every once in awhile. Go ahead, I won’t be upset I see you with a needle in your arm. I’ll shed a few tears cause only a person with no heart can not be affected by seeing that shyte. Because of the poverty in Central America they take begging to a completely different level. In the states, they ask, you say no, they might push a bit, laugh and joke with you, but if you say no and keep walking...they go on to the next person. In let’s say...Guatemala. Most people from Guatemala are like 5ft tall. Here comes a big black dude towering over everyone else...I stood out a bit. Oh my lord I was attacked! Kids from all corners of the city were running out and begging from me. But they don’t stop! EVER! They just keep on constantly until you dip into a place that keeps them out. But they wait for you at the door! They are like midget Paparazzi without the cameras. And you can’t give to one, it makes the others more aggressive.
2.) Yeah, they take Easter just a bit more serious than we do in the United States. You don’t see any Rabbits, no painted Easter eggs, no baskets full of candy. They have Jesus up on the cross, bibles and mass. That week before Easter week? You better drink all you can cause the week leading up to Easter? Dry! No alcohol is sold. NONE! Not in the stores, not in bars, no where! They take that shyte seriously! You see groups of kids walking down the street dressed up as angels, Roman soldiers, the Apostles, Mary and Jesus. Not because their parents tell them to, just..because. They call Easter..Semana Santa which translates into Holy Week. Oooh do they take it seriously! They had me scared like Jesus had called them up and told them that he was thinking of stopping by for a visit. “Hello. Manuel? Yeah, this is J.C. What’s up man?! Don’t need to ask how you doing cause I know already! Ha ha ha. Sorry, I always crack myself up with that one. I was thinking of droppin’ by this Holy Week. Yeah, my dad wanted me to just drop in unannounced, but I figured the polite thing to do was to let you all know.” They put these amazing scenes from the bible in the middle of streets made from colored saw dust. COLORED SAW DUST. Do you know how long it takes to make those things and they just put them in the middle of random streets?! Want a religious Easter? Go to Central America.
3.) I could very well be wrong since this is my first time out of the states, but it seems like men who travel alone seem to be more attractive on average. I’m thinking, is it because for a man to just pack up and go to a country where he knows not a single soul and doesn’t speak the language, he has to have a strong sense of self. You know, a lot of positive re-enforcement in his life. Usually, it is the attractive men who get that. So it’s easier for them to just pick up and go somewhere new without as much worry. On the other hand, it seems the females who are out alone traveling on average would be considered less attractive on average. Not females out in groups, but SINGLE females traveling ALONE through foreign lands. Is that because the females considered attractive are most likely in relationships and more likely not to leave boyfriends or their comfort zone? Are the less attractive women used to being on the fringes anyway so it’s not a big deal to be different in a new country so don’t need the safety of a group? Just some thoughts....It could be only in Central America it’s like this, but in Europe most of the men traveling alone are ugly and the women beautiful.
4.) People in Central America don’t really like Americans. When you do some research you find out why. In Nicaragua the US helped overthrow the legitimately elected President that sparked a civil war. In Guatemala we supported a dictator that killed hundreds of thousands of indigenous citizens. And in El Salvador we had a serious hand in that civil war. We supplied arms AND troops. Oh yes, U.S. troops had a hand in KILLING innocent people in these countries. The white Americans traveling around would sow Canadian flags on their backpacks. Me being black, people would assume I was from Brazil, Dominican Republic or Jamaica. It was a PLUS being black! People would talk freely around me, granted they were speaking in Spanish and I’m not fluent by a damn site. But I can pick up on true dislike in more than language. U.S. needs to be aware of that for real. We are not as loved as we think in the world.
This is the second part of my observations about Costa Rica. Thrown in are some random observations about Central America in general. Remember that these observations are from 2000-2001, my first time out of the United States.
1.) Ok. I lived with two host families during my time in Costa Rica. The first family had a son around my age, 23. We became friends and I spent much of my time with James and his friends. Well, James and his friends would go to strip clubs from time to time. People who know me know that I get too shy with all those naked women around. Anyway, what I’m trying to say is I was forced, yes FORCED to visit these vile locals that exploit women! Buuut, while I was there, I noticed this...In Costa Rica you never pay to get into strip clubs No matter how nice or dumpy it is, you don’t pay. Maybe this is the American in me coming out, but they are losing out on money. Men will pay to see naked women. It’s a simple fact of life. When naked women are involved, men will pay. Look at 900 numbers! Men can’t even see the person on the other side of the phone...could be Jabba the Hut, but those companies earn millions a year. Oh and strippers dance with clothes on longer than off. Maybe they did that back in the 50's, but in the 21st century?? I can see women in bikinis and lingerie on Bay Watch. Another strange thing...there is ONE dancer up on stage and that is IT. No other dancers walking through the crowd or other dancers getting ready to go up on stage..Just ONE dancer up on stage, when she finishes and goes back stage you have a room full of horny men sitting around in a room listening to bad music. Talk about awkward? The whole atmosphere in strip clubs is odd. Men just watch the strippers, only watch. No talking amongst friends, no whistling, no laughing with their friends, no blinking! Just staring like they are in some hypnotic trance. Felt like I was in a movie theater full of white people and if I said something they would shush me. Oooh the music they play in the strip clubs.. I am shaking my head in amazement. First of all there is no DJ, just piped in music from what source I don’t know. It was like someone’s 7th grade mix cd. Who plays Hotel California by the Eagles in a strip club? Or Boys II Men End of the Road?? I’m in the club about to cry listening to Phil Collins Another Day in Paradise. Where is the booty shaken’ music?! The 95 South, 69 Boyz, 2 Live Crew the music where the strippers make their asses clap like they at a gospel concert!!?? Salsa is a sexy dance, but it ain’t sexy when you are trying to strip! No. No to the salsa when you are a stripper. No, no, no. Strippers earn a wage in Costa Rica, there is no tipping. I saw strippers come in and punch a time clock. My question is, if you ain’t making hella tips stripping, WHY would you want to be in a room of horny men leering at you all night making minimum wage?? And you can’t really justify stripping without the money. I mean, I’m sure there are women who are exhibitionists, but in Costa Rica, they make the same as cashier clerk at the market. So why do it?? Go to the beach wear a thong, you’ll get hella attention and be able to tell your mother what you do for a living. Last thing...the customers can sleep with the strippers!! They see it as, why go to a strip club, see something you want, and not be able to have it. Of course payment is involved. Maybe that’s why the women don’t sweat the wage and no tips thing. Hhhmm..... Things are seriously different here.
2.) Daaaamn that was a long observations of strip clubs! Sounds like I had my ass in strip clubs every day making “observations”. Well I wasn’t!
3.) They love black people in Costa Rica! I swear. They really love black people in Costa Rica. A little history on the country. Costa Rica doesn’t have that fertile land to support all those crops that needed huge slave populations. Throw in the area didn’t have a large indigenous population to begin with, and a lot of Costa Ricans look European. In the 1950's they had a large Jamaican population move in to help build their national railroad. In these days, who is going to make the most money? The person who only speaks Spanish? Or the person who is fluent in Spanish and English? Well they speak English in Jamaica. Ok, some people might argue against that, but still. So the black people in Costa Rica usually have higher paying jobs. I would be walking along the street and it would be like a demolition derby for taxis trying to stop and pick me up. They know a black person isn’t going to stiff them on the fair. With the more European looking Costa Ricans there is no guarantee. Talk about the twilight zone! White teachers have me get the taxi cause as soon as I put out my hand, about 3 come out of no where and stop. It’s like they are stalking me or something! I heard once walking down the street, a grandmother telling her young grandchild, “See that man right there honey? That is the kind of man you need to marry when you grow up, a beautiful black man.” The little girl had blonde hair and blue eyes! I learned how lucky I am to be black living OUTSIDE of my own country...Now ain’t THAT a bitch?!
RANDOM CENTRAL AMERICAN OBSERVATIONS
While living in Central America, I had a chance to also travel through Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador and Guatemala. These are some of the things I saw in every country. Each country had specific things, but these are things I saw that seemed to fit for each country.
1.) We don’t know what poverty is in the United States. Yes, we have poor people, but someone considered poor in the U.S. is NOT the same as someone considered poor in Central America. When someone in the states is homeless, very rarely does it mean they are sleeping on the streets. There are shelters, or they have a car, etc, etc. If you see people living on the streets usually it’s a man, every once in a blue moon you see a couple. In Central America, entire families are living IN the streets. Not just mom and dad, but children, cousins, grandparents EVERYONE in the family sleeping on flattened cardboard boxes out in the streets. I lived in the Bay Area, California. Most people in the states will say that the homeless problem is at its worse in San Francisco. People in San Francisco who panhandle, beg for money, have shoes, clothes, all their body parts. In Guatemala, Nicaragua or Honduras, the people who were begging had no arms, holding the cup with their teeth, had no eyes and you could see the hollow sockets, people with real afflictions who you know if you gave them money they weren’t going out to by cheap whiskey or get a hit of the pipe. Then again, if they did, I wouldn’t have minded. If you have nothing below the waist...I mean you are just torso...And there are no government programs in place to help you out and you are living on the streets?? I can see why you might want to escape through a drug induced haze every once in awhile. Go ahead, I won’t be upset I see you with a needle in your arm. I’ll shed a few tears cause only a person with no heart can not be affected by seeing that shyte. Because of the poverty in Central America they take begging to a completely different level. In the states, they ask, you say no, they might push a bit, laugh and joke with you, but if you say no and keep walking...they go on to the next person. In let’s say...Guatemala. Most people from Guatemala are like 5ft tall. Here comes a big black dude towering over everyone else...I stood out a bit. Oh my lord I was attacked! Kids from all corners of the city were running out and begging from me. But they don’t stop! EVER! They just keep on constantly until you dip into a place that keeps them out. But they wait for you at the door! They are like midget Paparazzi without the cameras. And you can’t give to one, it makes the others more aggressive.
2.) Yeah, they take Easter just a bit more serious than we do in the United States. You don’t see any Rabbits, no painted Easter eggs, no baskets full of candy. They have Jesus up on the cross, bibles and mass. That week before Easter week? You better drink all you can cause the week leading up to Easter? Dry! No alcohol is sold. NONE! Not in the stores, not in bars, no where! They take that shyte seriously! You see groups of kids walking down the street dressed up as angels, Roman soldiers, the Apostles, Mary and Jesus. Not because their parents tell them to, just..because. They call Easter..Semana Santa which translates into Holy Week. Oooh do they take it seriously! They had me scared like Jesus had called them up and told them that he was thinking of stopping by for a visit. “Hello. Manuel? Yeah, this is J.C. What’s up man?! Don’t need to ask how you doing cause I know already! Ha ha ha. Sorry, I always crack myself up with that one. I was thinking of droppin’ by this Holy Week. Yeah, my dad wanted me to just drop in unannounced, but I figured the polite thing to do was to let you all know.” They put these amazing scenes from the bible in the middle of streets made from colored saw dust. COLORED SAW DUST. Do you know how long it takes to make those things and they just put them in the middle of random streets?! Want a religious Easter? Go to Central America.
3.) I could very well be wrong since this is my first time out of the states, but it seems like men who travel alone seem to be more attractive on average. I’m thinking, is it because for a man to just pack up and go to a country where he knows not a single soul and doesn’t speak the language, he has to have a strong sense of self. You know, a lot of positive re-enforcement in his life. Usually, it is the attractive men who get that. So it’s easier for them to just pick up and go somewhere new without as much worry. On the other hand, it seems the females who are out alone traveling on average would be considered less attractive on average. Not females out in groups, but SINGLE females traveling ALONE through foreign lands. Is that because the females considered attractive are most likely in relationships and more likely not to leave boyfriends or their comfort zone? Are the less attractive women used to being on the fringes anyway so it’s not a big deal to be different in a new country so don’t need the safety of a group? Just some thoughts....It could be only in Central America it’s like this, but in Europe most of the men traveling alone are ugly and the women beautiful.
4.) People in Central America don’t really like Americans. When you do some research you find out why. In Nicaragua the US helped overthrow the legitimately elected President that sparked a civil war. In Guatemala we supported a dictator that killed hundreds of thousands of indigenous citizens. And in El Salvador we had a serious hand in that civil war. We supplied arms AND troops. Oh yes, U.S. troops had a hand in KILLING innocent people in these countries. The white Americans traveling around would sow Canadian flags on their backpacks. Me being black, people would assume I was from Brazil, Dominican Republic or Jamaica. It was a PLUS being black! People would talk freely around me, granted they were speaking in Spanish and I’m not fluent by a damn site. But I can pick up on true dislike in more than language. U.S. needs to be aware of that for real. We are not as loved as we think in the world.
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