El Feo y El Feisimo

Well, England are through past the group stage, although Lord knows we don't deserve it. It´s por dicha, nothing more. However, the Ticos were sin dicha and are out after a 3-0 loss to Ecuador. Unsuprising given Ecuador´s Qualification Standing and results, but still, sad. Although after hearing everyone in the other offices slag off England, I´m not as sorry as I could be. And certainly not that sorry that I only watched the last half hour - sounds as if we were indeed diabolically bad in la primera parte.

Anyhoo, not much more to report other than I have learned several more things about the world and myself today. Namely:

1) The full title for Mexico is actually the United Mexican States.

2) The full title, even better, for Paraguay is the Oriental Republic of Uruguay. What exactly is "oriental" about it? I´d love to know... answers on a postcard please! (or, of course, email or comments will do!)

3) My sense of direction, combined with my memory, is a good thing for a young rubia (or macha) indeed. This morning had a wobbly moment when my landlady, bless her sweet nature, DID NOT KNOW WHERE THE NEAREST BUS STOP IS. How is that possible? But people here don´t really seem to know where anything is, just where something is relative to something else. But I pieced things together and got to work, on my own, caminando, having been shown the half hour journey once. I rule.

3a) Following on, self-reliance is an extraordinarily powerful emotional - at least, the realisation that you can get by and do something in difficult circumstances. This morning I asked for directions - something I HATE doing and certainly in another language and it was empowering and uplifting to know I´d done it and now had the knowledge that meant I could get to work. Not much, but something. Ladies, don´t always rely on everyone else to get you around. Please.

3b) When you ask directions, LISTEN to what they say. I.e. to the difference between "ya se paso" (please forgive lack of accents here - haven´t worked those out yet) and "ya se pasa" - the latter being what the driver told me i.e. "it´s coming", not that it had just gone. DUHBRAIN. Listening always important - don´t ask a question unless you´re prepared to hear the answer...

4) Tica cerveza, according to both my guidebooks, is best represented by Bavaria. However, I was distinctly unimpressed by my first encounter with said beverage in its "Gold" variety, but am prepared to be convinced by repeated consumption.

5) It doesn´t always pour down by lunchtime in SJ in the rainy season! I wish it would, however, it´s very very very sweaty here, which doesn´t make for happy Grace. Furthermore, I may have to walk home given my promise to myself that I´d only catch the bus when the weather dictated. And it´s fair to surmise that, on a day like today, the bus would be miserably humid and so does not demand I get myself on its un-airconditioned self. I would be saving myself a massive 200 colones by not taking the bus (roughly 40 cents, 20p, 35 cents in Euros for you international folk unfamiliar with this noble currency), too. Looks like it´s the long trek home for me. Huzzah. Then a night in with a dvd on the racism Nicaraguanses experience, reading about the Tico mentality, and possibly Scrubs, too. Ricky Martin would be proud (and if you don´t get that reference, you have NO BUSINESS READING THIS BLOG). I thank you.