Toni Morrison and Dancing here and afar

Okay so I am just really obsessed with Toni Morrison. I liked her when we read Jazz in the class of one of my favorite professors, then I loved her when she was the convocation speaker at Rutgers graduation, and the obsession has been solidified throughout my reading of Tar Baby. I know I should be reading books in Spanish right now, but this book is just so wonderful. And then I have The Omnivore’s Dilemma waiting for me. Anyway, I’ve rabbit eared some paragraphs from this book that I don’t understand how anyone can write this beautifully and profoundly. She has found the perfect mix of deep understanding, cleverness, amusement, pessimism, optimism, and the immense importance of perspective. Here are two of them.

p. 221 “He took off his clothes and filled the tub, smiling to think of what the leaden waves of the Atlantic had become in the hands of civilization. The triumph of ingenuity that had transferred the bored treachery of the sea into a playful gush of water that did exactly what it was told. And why not? Wildness wasn’t wild anymore or threatening; wildlife needed human protection to exist at all”.

p. 242 “At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint or even remember it. It is enough. No record of it needs to be kept and you don’t need someone to share it with or tell it to. When that happens—that letting go—you let go because you can. The world will always be there—while you sleep it will be there—when you wake it will be there as well. So you can sleep and there is reason to wake. A dead hydrangea is as intricate and lovely as one in bloom. Bleak sky as seductive as sunshine, miniature orange trees without blossom or fruit are not defective; they are that”.

Anyway, I hope the three people reading my blog give Toni a chance. I’m going to attack my stash of her other books as soon as I get home. Alright, well you’re all probably reading these to know about Costa Rica. So this was the week I was supposed to start classes, but we had Monday off (that cuts out two of them) and I got super lost trying to find General Ecology, got there a half hour late with Anna and Rachel-the two other gringas in my class-only to find out the professor had never shown up and the other students had left. The only other class I’ve had other than our mandatory Spanish class with the other Americans was Intro to Costa Rican Dance. I thought it would be filled with study abroad students and a few Ticos all clueless about dancing but all looking to learn a bit and have fun. Well, turns out that aside from us five international kids, everyone else in that class is like an intense dancer. EVERYONE, other than us that is, including the guys, was wearing leotards and tights. Oh, also, I was about 20 minutes late to that class too, lost with Anna again…I suck with direction. But we learned part of a dance, and it seems like it’ll be FUN!!

      Other than that, I’ve had several life talks and spent a good amount of time with my Madre and eaten all of her leftover homemade desserts (including the Costa Rican version of CREAM PUFFS as part of my breakfast!!) Oh, and Maria is really great! I met her boyfriend the other day, and it was really funny because the mom only cooks vegetarian now and her boyfriend brought takeout food in when he ate dinner with us so he could have meat. And they are so nice that they asked me if the smell of meat bothered me. Also, I had talked to Marco about ceviche the other day and how he loved it but I couldn’t do the fish and that might have been why he made us ceviche for lunch today except instead of fish he used green plantains. It was BALLER. Also, I walk so much here!! I like coming home for lunch because the food is better at my house than at restaurants AND it’s free! So since it’s like 1.5 miles to school I walked six miles just getting to and from school yesterday! I also have been running almost everyday, most of the time with Marco, some of the time by myself. So even though I eat a lot of really good food, I’m super healthy from all of the exercise I get and because my family eats very small dinners and no late night snacks (big breakfast, small dinner=super healthy!)

So I’m thinking this weekend (no classes on Fridays woooot) I’m going to go dancing at this famous place in San Jose and go on this all day religious walk and go to a National Park and other things!! I need to type up some of my poems man. Motivate me.