Our first rental house in Costa Rica was in the beautiful Orosi Valley, a sleepy, lush area that is definitely not on the typical tourist routes.
The house we rented was an old coffee plantation. It was rustic and full of butterflies, cockroaches, and decades of old National Geographic magazines. It had an open-to-the-outside kitchen, no heating or cooling, no working locks on the doors.
(Additionally, I would not have said “no” to a more robust toilet. That fickle thing nearly failed us our last night there, but we were saved by the caretaker who dropped off a half a plunger.
Yet, the home was absolutely perfect for us. There were gardens outside for us to romp in, a nearby national park to hike in, and a friendly town to explore.
The hands-down best part though, was Sonia.
The listing for the home said breakfast was included. When we reached out to mention we were vegetarian, we were assured that wouldn’t be a problem. And so it wasn’t, because the same breakfast was served every day without fail: Gallo Pinto (beans and rice), scrambled eggs, and homemade tortillas. What the listing didn’t say though was that the breakfast would be prepared and served by the most warm, good-hearted woman imaginable.
As soon as she laid eyes on our family and understood that I was able to speak Spanish, she was effusive with her praise and encouragement of our family. She told us that children make a home alive. They make messes and noise but they “happy” a home. There isn’t a perfect translation for this into English, and she was insistent on the point.
Sonia was like sunshine and rain. She taught me to cook her signature breakfast and a yummy dinner with yucca and chickpeas as well. She was patient with my Spanish, played with the kids in the gardens and taught them what was edible. She did our laundry(!) because she had a washing machine and the rental house didn’t. When I asked when it would be ready, she looked into the sky to check for rain and estimated 2 days.
She greeted us in the morning and had endless interest in the kids’ chatter though they couldn’t understand each other very well. She called Caitlyn “Recitos de Oro” (Goldilocks) and Josie “Munequita” (little doll). She was so delighted when Mackenzie made her a friendship bracelet that Mackenzie promptly made some for her grandchildren as well.
We were all so sad to part ways after a week, and her warm spirit will live on in our family’s culture.
“Todo es facil” means “it’s all easy,” and she insisted that was true as she expertly taught me how to cook in that kooky kitchen. The kids and I were still laughing and saying that to each other when we returned from Costa Rica a month later with the craziest travel day imaginable.
“Facil, no?” “Claro.” (“Clearly’, or ‘of course!”)
Everything she did for us was “con gusto” or “with pleasure.”
Gracias, Sonia!