Como se dice "bureaucracy?"

We are pretty busy this week. I am into San Jose four days this week. I think I have spent an entire days wages on bus fare already. In case you were wondering, I get about 1700 colones per day which is the equivalent of a little over $3. j We went into the city yesterday to get fingerpinted for our residency permits. There are 33 in our group and we were all lined up outside the office waiting to get processed. About 10 of us got through without any problems and then someone decided that the pictures we had were not good enough and that they needed originals. So the rest of us had to go across the street to a shopping center and get new pictures taken. I think someone wanted a "cafecito" and figured that was the quickest way to get rid of the line. Awwww... the power of the bureaucrat. I can't say that I blame them too much though... the office is a lot like every Latin office you see in any movie, flashing florescent lights, small desks crammed between huge file cabinets holding real life paper files, the nearly forgotten sound of the typewriter, tap, tap, tapping....

We eventually finished and then spent the afternoon at the U.S. Embassy. We met staff and interns and then got a security breifing by the security officer. He had a pretty impressive resume. His speel went back and forth between nasty scare tactics and reassuring us that we are really in a safe country. We are in fact in a very safe country... the biggest threat is getting your stuff lifted from the bus. Most crime is petty and avoidable.

Back in San Jose today for our typical Friday training session. We are going on site visits next week in groups. My group is going to Limon, the main port city on the Carribean coast. It should be pretty cool although I am told we are kept very busy and it is very, very hot. We will stay with three different host families in four days. This is a lot of adjusting but I am not too worried about it. I figure one night a piece should just about estinguish my Spanish skills and I won't have to worry about trying to translate new jokes. :)