Drama and Romance

[LisaValencia]

Hola,

Some of you have been following my Vida Nueva Aventura travel journals, a celebration of life in Costa Rica. I have just posted a new journal entry entitled “Drama and Romance.” It’s about the contrasts in nature and life in this amazing country. Check it out and let me know what you think!

Last night I slept restlessly amidst bellowing thunderstorms. This morning I awoke to blue skies and bright, hot sun with deep rolling thunder lingering out over the ocean. I’ll miss this place of contrast and drama. Yet, now that I know I am leaving in a month, I find myself looking forward to the familiar and even predictable. This drama is part of our attraction to Costa Rica, with it’s volcanos, earthquakes and landslides, yet at times it can be a bit much.

Power outages are frequent. When the lights go out at night a candle lit atmosphere can be delightfully dramatic. When it happens in the middle of making dinner, it’s just annoying. Nature is stunningly dramatic. To hear the crashing waves and peer out into the vastness of the sea gives a feeling of exhilaration. But when you see a crowd gathered around a lifeless body on the shore, natures drama leaves a sunken sadness inside. The rip tides are strong in the south Caribbean.

The other day I told my twenty year old daughter that she needed to find a television and watch some novelas so she could enjoy some drama vicariously instead of creating so much of it in her own life. Novelas are the television soap operas that the Latins love. They are full of beautiful, wealthy people living opulently and wreaking scandal left and right.

Dramatic turmoil shows up in real life here, daily. Young, pretty Gringas are snapped up fast by the local Latin boys, who have drama in their blood. I think it’s the source of their endearing passion and enthusiasm for life. That’s why I love salsa music. Through the complex percussion beat, powerful horns and alluring vocals, salsa exudes drama and romance. And that can be so much fun. At least the dancing and the fantasy of romance is lots of fun. But perhaps it’s a good thing I don’t understand all the words. I’m told salsa is a lot like American country music, which is a lot like the soap operas and novelas – lies and infidelity, unrequited love, tragedy and tears. The quest and then conquest of love is a driving force for humanity. It is expressed in many ways.

I enjoy watching it from the sidelines but rarely let that kind of drama into my life. I hold my daughter when she cries and wish I could protect her but that would mean holding back the experience of life and she wouldn’t let me, even if I tried. As for me, I usually just test the waters a bit and then back off. The other night the nice bartender made me a couple of way too strong drinks. We had so much fun dancing that I let him walk me across the street to look at the full moon over the ocean. I didn’t object when he helped himself to a few kisses but the next day awakening groggy headed, I thought, “How rude, the way that guy made my drinks so strong and then pushed himself on me.” I’ll stick to the fantasy as I drive with the top down, reveling in the spectacular scenery and blasting my salsa music. And maybe I’ll watch some novelas, too. http://www.travelexperiencecostarica.com

[ian luff]

WOW ! good de good de good.
you are a great writer and have a foot with words. LOVe ya and your poetic transmissions. You say so much in such a wonderful way. How did you learn this art and would you tell and I will not yell to no one as I too love to write but only hope to megerly come close to you...........Give me some more advice and advice that is helpfdull. ian edluff@ imbris.net
You are one in a million..................... which is a short bast at the local casina...... but a life time for me to read you ]
you are great.