Los atardeceres

Recently, I learned the word for sunset: atardecer. As we get later into the calendar year, the sunset have only gotten more beautiful, more intense, more colorful. The day after I learned sunset in Spanish, I happened to leave the Institute later than I wanted. I should leave by 4:30 if I want to get home before dark (and I sure do… fear of the dark hasn’t subsided, even in a place as safe as Monteverde), and that day, for some reason, I left late.

I was hoping that someone would offer me a ride, and a guy on a moto stopped and asked, “Quiere un ride?” Of course I had to hesitate, because it’s a rule of our program that we aren’t allowed to ride motos or quads for safety reasons (we also aren’t allowed to zipline, or climb trees without permission… to put into perspective what our program designates as safe… I mean, really!) I weighed my options: take a ride and “risk my safety,” risk being caught, or not take a ride and end up walking in the dark by myself.

I took the ride. “Sí, por favor!” I hopped on behind him, careful of the exhaust pipe that can burn my leg. I held onto him with both arms, aware of the faith I was putting into this man to keep me safe. I told him, “Yo no jámas tuve un ride en un moto antes ahora!” (I’ve never ridden a moto before!) “Tiene nerviosa?” (Are you nervous?) Yes, I told him. Of me or the moto? The moto! I won’t go too fast. Muchas gracias. Como se llama? Kendall, usted? Brian.

It was rather thrilling, and I did feel super safe. When we got to the steep, steep trocha, he said he would go extra slow for me. We turned a corner, and the sunset came into sight. “Que linda!” (How pretty!) We both spoke about the enchanting sunset, and I was able to use my new word. “Me encanta atardeceres!” (I love sunsets). “Sí, yo tambien. Aquí los atardeceres son muy bonitas.” (Me too. Here the sunsets are beautiful).

We reached the entrance to Finca la Bella, where I usually get dropped off when I get rides. “Es un buen ride, sí?” “Sí, me gustó mucho!” (It was a good ride, yeah? Yes, I liked it a lot!) I hopped off and thanked him. My legs felt kind of like jello, and it took me a few steps to get the hang of walking again. I gotta say, motorcycles are pretty fun. I took my rebel moment with little fear, and it turned out to be a beautiful ride, with the wind in my face and my hair. I met another person in the community, practiced my Spanish some more, and got home before dark, without any burns and completely unharmed!