Why is everyone staring at me?

The main form of transportation (after bicycles and walking) here is buses. A ride that costs 20 bucks in a taxi is 1 dollar (30 cents per person) on the bus. However, these buses can get packed....and I mean packed. We are talking no standing room left at all...not an inch. The kids love riding the bus (as long as we get a seat) and beg to ride it every time one rides by. Parker hangs his head out the window as Abby waves to anyone on the street. We have found that when we ride the local buses, we are usually the only gringos on it. We are 4 specs of white in a sea of brown.

The other day we were riding on the bus and suddenly Abby whispered in my ear...."mom, why is everyone staring at me?" Confused, I turned around to indeed find a bus full of Latinos staring at her in adoration and shock that we were taking the local bus. (Most white people ride in taxis or rent their own cars.) I turned around, smiled, and told her it was because she had beautiful blue eyes. She was content with that and smiled back.

The whole incident did not make me feel uncomfortable at all. I think everyone in the bus was glad to see gringos participating in the same daily activities that they do. Many asked us where we are from, and were extremely complimentary of our family even when Parker pulled the emergency stop string above the window and made the bus stop on the highway. Overall the Costa Ricans have been warm to our presence and happy to share their culture with us.

P.S. For all you Nelsons out there, Ashlee and Brian have arrived safely, just in time for the Festival of Arts week here in Jaco. I am sure I will have a post on that later.