Work work work all the time

So many things around me are in English that it's easy to forget I'm in a foreign country, and not just in Hawaii or San Diego. The differences can be subtle, though, like trying to turn on the water in the morning. My whole life, I've known that the handle marked C is the one for cold water. And, apparently, I always check to make sure the other one says H just in case they both say C or whatever. When I look over and see an F, I'm drawn out of my Americanocentric views and reminded that we speak a different language here, and I'm a visitor. I like that feeling.

We took a bus to the office, which was an experience in itself. The speed with which things change from high class to poverty is astounding. After the interesting drive, we were brought up to the 4th floor of a fairly new building. The weather was decent, warm, though a little humid. The presentations went well, the team seemed to really get what we were saying to them.

During the presentations, the rain really started to kick in, and due to the metal roof on the building, the whole place echoed with the noise that only a tropical torrential rain can produce. Couple that with the thunder and lightning, and I definitely felt like I was in a different country. And, as if the weather wasn't enough to remind me that we're in a tropical paradise with volcanoes and hot springs nearby, the whole building shook with a minor earthquake, too. What more could you ask from a first day in a new country?

The talking went a little longer than I'd hoped, but by the end of the day, people were about ready to build ads, so I guess that's a success and tomorrow should be fun and interesting. By the time the day was over, the storm had cleared and the sun came out to show us a gorgeous sunset.

We headed home, where I had a nice gin and tonic, got an amazing seafood platter for dinner, and then finished up a project I was supposed to complete today. Once that was done, I relaxed in the hot tub for a while, and here I am, winding down, enjoying the spacious, clean hotel room. The cleaning staff even extra-organized all of my toiletries for me. I had them somewhat structured, but they took the time to lay them out on a towel and space them evenly. Now that's service.

Costa Rica, the Co-Star I Can't Ignore

About 4 months ago, my company came to me and said, "How would you like to go to Costa Rica to help us teach a company to use the software you write?" After I finished choking on my coffee and nearly strangling the man to say yes, I didn't think it would actually happen. Who gets to go to Costa Rica for work? Yet, here I am, right on the heels of my Ireland vacation, preparing for my first day teaching Costa Ricans how to use the thing I build. I hope it goes well.

The plane flight down was half good, half bad. I sprung for better seats on United, and then connected to Continental. They were bought by United, and so I assumed the quality would be comparable. The plane was comparable, but the service was light years away. I hadn't been asked for seating preference at the time of purchase, so I figured I'd be okay when I got to the airport. If I hadn't picked a seat, nobody had, and I could be early and grab one the day of.

While nobody had picked a seat, it wasn't due to timing. It seems that you can't choose your seat on Continental flights? The entire time, people were milling about the cabin, visiting their loved ones, trying to stretch their legs near someone they knew. I suppose they had us over a barrel when it came to us needing a flight, but isn't this something that's been solved for a long time?

Despite the cramped conditions and strange "burrito" they served on the plane, we landed, and the door opened to the humid, slightly sticky feel of a tropical country. We were greeted by the man with whom we'll be working, and he drove us to the hotel. We relaxed for a bit, got a light dinner, wandered the hotel and eventually passed out.

The hotel was built in the middle of an active coffee plantation, something Costa Rica is known for. The place is nice. The hotel has accents of spanish style everywhere, the people are really friendly, and everything's been easy so far. If their shower is tall enough to wash my hair, this is going to be the nicest room I've stayed in since the castle room Eli rented us in Makree.

Jet Blue, thy name is so so

Well, that was an experiment in futility. I decided that because I'd never flown jetblue before that I'd give it a shot. The people weren't the nicest, the terminal wasn't the nicest, the price wasn't the best, but hey, people say it's great right?

Yes, the seat was slightly bigger than the normal economy seats I've sat in, and they assured me at the gate that I'd be fine. And, to be fair, when I got off the plan, the pilot did ask me how I did, as he had been there for the initial talk to the lady behind the counter. I didn't have the heart to ask him "Ever sat in a seat with too little legroom for an hour?"

Ultimately, I shouldn't really complain about this too much. Tall people get breaks in various places and plane flights are one of the ways in which we pay for it, but it's not just an inconvenience to me. The person in front of me is incapable of reclining when my knees can't move out of the way. The person next to me often has a knee that encroaches on their space. It's in everyone's best interest to treat me as handicapped and just seat me in a bulkhead.