One more post left...

Well, here we are, it is 12:30am...we just got back from dress rehearsal #2, for the Costa Rican cast. Things were a little smoother and then bumpy in other parts. Everything will be great for the performance on Saturday night.

I ordered a carrot cake today for the cast, they have been a joy. It has been wonderful to see everyone pull together to make it all happen. We have no stage-mangers, no props manager, no costume assistants and no set changers. I am told this is normal in Costa Rica. Amazingly, we all just chip in and things get done. I think I will probably have zero tolerance in future productions if one of my colleagues isn't ready for the entrance...there is really no excuse to not be at the correct side of the stage before your entrance!!!

Tomorrow we have the small recital for and American school here called Marion Baker. In between the time we have to go to the main bank and pay our "exit tax", so we can leave the country. I also need to pack all my bags, since we need to move out on Saturday morning, since the girl who normally rents here returns then.

Then it will be on to performance night and I leave on Sunday morning back to the USA!!

Dress Rehearsal Domani!

It has been a busy past few days. Saturday was a full run-thru with the orchestra, Sunday we had free, but used our time to practice and catch up on much needed sleep. Monday was another run-thru with Cast B, just to iron out any problem spots. Tonight was our Vandelprobe (sing and walk your staging with orchestra). There are still some little problem spots, but with two dress rehearsals, everything should be perfect for opening night Saturday.

I have started trying to pack and organize my things, as Sunday morning is quickly approaching.

I have really enjoyed working with my colleagues, they are a wonderful group.

Here is to a successful dress rehearsal. It will be my only one in the theater, first time in makeup and costume.

TOI TOI a TUTTI!

Condensed milk, bag of ice and bad frozen pizza...

We are finally a week from opening night. Today I will be heading into downtown San Jose with a few of the cast members in search of last minute items for the opera. (fake lashes, blue sparkly eye shadow, hair extensions, hair-dye etc..)

Yesterday was a strange day...I think my body is really affected by the rain and the incredible pressure it brings. I was lathargic all day...and this morning, sunny outside and I jumped up out of bed at 6:45am.

After rehearsal last night we went to the grocery store. I needed to buy items to make a flan for Gustavo's mother's birthday, which is today. While standing in the store the can of condensed milk rolled out of the top of the cart and fell smack down on the top of my foot. I was standing with Cynthia and started crying...it hurt that bad. The red "dent" within minutes turned purple. We were standing in the meat department (which is hard for Cynthia, since she is a Vegetarian) and the meat man ran and got me a bag of ice, which I tied to my sandal in order to continue walking.

We have really been craving pizza, but it was too late to order one, so we got 3 frozen ones...not very good :( I am hoping today is a better day.

Tonight is our last run-thru without orchestra. Our Sitzprobe is on Saturday (run-thru without staging), tech is Tuesday, my dress Wednesday...last days are approaching!

ciao for now!

Home...alone

So, tonight was supposed to be a "touch-up" rehearsal, but I was not needed, so I am home alone. Going to straighten up things a little and just relax.

Today, we did another mountain climb, much farther and then went to see the big mall called Multiplaza, it was amazing!!!! I bought a great new pair of shoes and 2 cute tops, all on sale and all super cute. They had so many stores I have never heard of and also a rice-pudding stand (instead of an ice-cream one I guess), I got a small cup, tre yummy!

That is all for tonight...

Ciao!

I survived!!!

We returned home from our adventure last night.. What an experience!

We decided to travel north the cheapest way possible so we could spend money on various tours and I wanted to be able to bring back some gifts.

We woke on Friday morning at 6am in order to catch the 8:40am bus from San Jose to La Fortuna.
The bus ticket cost $3.75 in total...and for good reason. Yes, eventually we made it to our desination, but it took almost 6 hours (direct would have only been a 2 hour drive). We made several small town stops and pickups. It was amazing to see how people knew where the bus-stops were, since there are no signs and no maps that give you the bus routes. You literally have to ask the bus when it stops where they are headed. Cynthia and I have severe motion sickness, so we felt pretty awful.

We finally arrived in Fortuna and I just needed to get out and smell the fresh mountain air. Immediately we were swarmed by locals, some young boys asking if we need help. I said "No thank you and to please leave me be." I guess he misunderstood me cause the next thing out of his mouth was "Get back on the bus and go back to your country...I am TICO and this is my country." Well, know you all know me very well....of course I didn't just smile at him and allow him to keep screaming at me. SO, since he yelled at me in English, I yelled back "ARE you really trying to fight with me when I get off the bus...you better shut it or I just might throw up on you..." He walked away.

We settled into our hotel and found out there was a tour leaving at 5pm that would take us to the Arenal Volcano and then to the hot springs of Baldi (resort). Each of the 25 pools had different tempartures and were heated naturally by the volcano...YIKES! The tour also included dinner, so we were happy with the price ($45 total for everything).

We passed out when we got back to get ready for day two...

For whatever reason I have been waking up everyday at 6:30 or 7:00am...so I went to the pool and waited for Jim and Cynthia. We decided to book the horse-back riding tour. We started on horse back and went up a HUGE hill, trotting and running through old river beads till we reached the top of the small mountain. There we left the horses in a corral and had to walk down very steep steps to reach the waterfall. The hike down left us pretty tired...beautiful trees and animals along the way.

We climbed a few more steps, over rocks and there at the end was the 125 foot Fortuna Waterfall.

After splashing around a bit, we had to make the treak back-up, at one point my legs were shaking so much, that I had to take a break halfway up. Thank goodness the rain came at that moment, made the hike much easier. We all made it up safely and proceeded back on horseback. Jim (a.k.a. Indiana Jones) ran off ahead of us (accidently dumping out from my backpack towels and the bathing suits...luckily we recovered it all from the ground).

Our guide was a little nutz, which made the tour all the more fun! We all made it back, covered in mud and with a big smile on our face!

The next morning, after breakfast, we braved the roads again on the bus. We took a different route, which may have been shorter, but still rough for me. I was able to get some meds to help with the nausea...but grateful to get back, take a shower and get to bed.

Tonight is a small master class for the singers, hope we have some wisdom that we can share...

ciao for now!

Christina vs. The Volcano!

So, last night we finished the run thru of the opera with Act 3, a few bumps, but went very well.

Tonight is the full run-thru. I am feeling a little sicky (allergies), so I may not sing full out, just feel comfortable with all the blocking. Will report on that later..

GREAT NEWS! We have been given this weekend off to explore, so Me, Cynthia and Jim are going to be heading north to La Fortuna tomorrow, where there is an active volcano called Arenal. We found a great bed and breakfast, rated 5 stars on every trip advisor site, for only $36/night. We can go horseback-riding up to see the volcano, go to the hotsprings, go to the downtown-chessy tourist place, ...really looking forward to it all. They have a butterfly conservatory that I really want to see. Butterflies are huge here, due to the tropics and the rainforests...very important symbol for my family as well...so I hope we can squeeze that in.
Here is a website if you want to view the map of the town http://www.crmaps.com/ also look at http://www.puravidatrips.com/ if you are interested in planning a vacation one day to Costa Rica.

After being here for 2 weeks, I would highly advise booking a complete trip, as there are so many areas that are hard to navigate through.

will report back later...

Another GREAT space...

Tonights rehearsal, was an Act 2 run-thru..a little rough, but we all helped eachother. We were at a new space nearby in Santa Ana. Beautiful public arts school. HUGE room with art hung all around the room...wonderful inspiration.

Cynthia made dinner for us tonight, made from scratch black beans and rice...MUY MUY Bueno!

We then played cards for a while before going to our separate quarters...didn't last too long. At one point Jim had suggested using various fruit we have in the house to play poker (as currency).. I thought he was serious, he was not and we laughed as I brought limes, potatoes, mangos and apples to the table.

Sorry to cut this short.. kind of tired, it's 1am, and I am going to try and start winding down.

It was a sunny day...

Our first Sunny day indeed.. the clothes dried and Cynthia put fabulous green eye-shadow on my eyes...she is a true artist!

We headed to Robin's cafe, where Cynthia finally got her carrot soup (Jim usually inhales his food, so we are never sure if he likes it :)

We then found the local supermarket and bought some arroz and a pineapple. Cynthia and I were certainly the talk of the town walking home, as it cost money to buy a plastic bag...so there I was with my bag of rice and Cynthia with her pineapple, doing her best Carmen Miranda!

We have had the luxury of having new rehearsal spaces since Saturday. Saturday we rehearsed in a Flamenco studio, today a huge house with a great space with a large mirror, yippeee!

sidebar: Cynthia and I learned a new exercise from Mariah Carey.. hurts, but very effective! She is our new BFF.

Anyhow, we are home from rehearsal.. it's 11pm.. time to ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzz

covered in Aloe Vera

So yesterday, being Sunday, was our day off. Me, Cynthia and Jim rented a car from the airport and headed the coast to see the beaches. (The rental car process was ridiculous, from extra airport taxes to a $1,500 deposit, but I digress)

We took the "road-less-traveled" through the mountains and saw beautiful homes, giant boulders on the clifs that were painted by a local artist, cows, horses and chickens (yes, trying to cross the road).

We arrived 100km later at Playa Herradura, which lies on the south/west coast, near the town of Jaco. There were quite a few people there, but we walked the beach and crossed a fresh water river coming from the mountains, flowing into the ocean, and made it to the less crowded side of the beach.

The sand was very soft and a marble black/brown (due to mixing with voclanic lava). The water was a little cold, so I sat on the beach under my umbrella. I am not sure how the sun found me under there, but it must have been during my brief moments in the water, that I got BURNED. I haven't allowed myself to burn in almost 10 years (hence why I still look 16 at 33 years old..well, maybe not 16).

We then went on to the city of Jaco, a tourist town...good food, fun nick-nacks and very strange locals. A man on a horse rode by and stopped and asked if I would like to hop on his horse with him.. umm, no..but thanks!

We ended the day on Playa Hermosa, a little further north. We were the only people on the beach and this sand was very grainy and jet-black. This beach is famous for surfing, as the waves were very high. I ran along the beach and we watched the sunset (no, it was not romantic, but I wish my husband could have seen it :)

We left the beach, still covered in the black sand...this morning, I actually still have grains in my hair...yuck!

We started our way back to our little town house in Escazu..when we arrived Gustavo and Jim went to get us aloe gel, as my poor shoulders and legs were fried.

Today was laundry day and clean the house.. we are all reviewing our music now and tonight is ACT 1 run-thru. Should go very well!

Ciao for now

rough 2 days..

It still continues to rain everyday..while it is lovely when you can sleep through it, not so nice when you have to walk in it, rehearse in it and accidently track it into the house.

I woke up feeling a little sick and with a bad headache. We went with Karen to go and look at some Indian jewelry and bought some amazing headpieces, belts, earrings etc.. for my Cleopatra costume. (I bought myself a few things, along with earrings we will use in the opera, which are in the shape of snakes..perfect for the Egyptian Cleopatra).

We made it to the end of Act 2 staging, still a little rough, but we have time. Yesterday was also the first rehearsal with orchestra. The group is named Academia Bach, mostly between the ages of 20 and 25...however the concert master (first violin) is the wife of the conductor and is excellent. We are very lucky as she keeps the group together.

We each were able to get through 2 arias (which lives me 4 more to go at the next rehearsal). The rehearsal location was VERY far away and we also had to negociate through downtown San Jose, and parts that were pretty dangerous. The reahearsal space was very nice, on the grounds of a school, the acoustics perfect. The orchestra was a little out of tune, but as we practiced and everyone's adrenaline was pumping, both singers and orchestra improved.

I was able to go through my last 2 arias; Piangero and Da Tempeste..the two most difficult in the role. I was very pleased with what I was able to do and happy my coloratura was working.

By the time we got home last night, I was feeling very sick. Karen gave me a medication that helps to settle your stomach and I went to bed at 10pm, just woke up a little while ago, so that was 12 hours I slept! Not sure if it is something I ate, or the stress of how fast the rehearsals are going..just glad I feel better.

Today the others are going to the fruit fair, I am going to stay here and relaz, big rehearsal tonight.. will write more later!

Tiquizia

Hello, broadcasting from Cynthia's room:



Came back from a wonderful evening at the mountain top restaurant, Tiquizia, that overlooks all of the small cities surrounding San Jose.



We arrived after braving the moutain roads, very VERY steep and treacherous to be rewarded with warm smiles and the most breathtaking view we have ever seen.



We were immediately seated outside near the dance floor where a troup of professional local dancers, spinned and laughed their local costumes! They were incredible!



We all had incredible local dishes from cheese stuffed yuca balls to gallo pinto and a drink called "agua dulce" (sugar water).



We then drove down the mountain and through the small town and saw incredible murals and local people out on their front steps talking and laughing..



what a beautiful country indeed.



We are off to bed...Zzzz

A "Snoopy Adventure"

So, last night Cynthia me and Jim...walked up the road to a bar called "Snoopy's". Great little hole in the wall, every type of beer and a full menu. I had a fresh fruit drink and some fried yuca...VERY good. The beer imperial, is made here in Costa Rica and a bottle cost 1,000 colones, which is $2 American :)

This morning, Cynthia and I decided to brave the mountain. The path was SO steep that at one point had I not been leaning forward, I would have rolled backwards. Big, beautiful homes up there and then we were past them and I started seeing tracks in the mud from the rain over night...and felt it best that we go back and steer clear of any possible wild animal that was out there (the Tarzan in me, I guess ;)

We are resting now and will be joining Karen and Gustavo for dinner tonight at the Tiquicia bar and grill on top of the moutain...yay, more food!

laters!

What sidewalk?

I decided to get back to my exercise routine and braved the streets this morning for a walk/run. Amazing to see the difference in the homes along my walk. Down the street is an ENORMOUS mansion, next to it a small shack with barely a wall in front. Regardless of the size of the home, they are all guarded with giant gates topped with barbed-wire. I am looking forward to returning to the states to bring back with me a new state of mind of how to conserve and not waste; along with enjoying our freedom and being able to sit on my front porch, without being afraid that someone is going to come and still my rocking chair! We always talk about how we should be more grateful etc...truly people, appreciate what you have, NO MORE COMPLAINING :)

The moutains are gorgeous and as I mentioned earlier, the people here are very easy-going. Need to get ready for my 11am coaching...will write more later..

A horse, 2 dalmations and more rain..

The rehearsal space is a little unconventional here, from what we have in the states. Staging rehearsals are held on a huge covered patio, which is outside. It works very well, except that in the yard is a horse and several dogs. Tonight we were staging the Cleopatra/Cesare duet and at the moment where Cesare is getting close and there might be a kiss that occurs, the horse (named Aramis) had come over behind me, stuck his neck out and almost bit my rear!

The puppies came back again tonight, we have named them "Salchicha" (little sausage), "Honey" and "Lydia". They are just so beautiful and playful..

Cynthia and I made fresh limeade and ate tortillas with re-fried black beans...muy bueno!

I have not been exercising much since I got here.. planning to get up early and go for a run...

I succesfully did a full load of laundry today, with no dryer (there isn't one). I hope I will keep some of my new habits when I go back home..they really know how to conserve over here.

Karen had told me also that I will need to dye my hair, she wants it to be closer to the color of the Egyptians, so I will be a very dark brown when I get back to the USA; not permanent, washes out.

OH!! Totally forgot to share--I found out yesterday that the grandaughter of Rachmaninoff lives here in Escazu and has his piano!!! I am hoping we get to meet her!

night for now!

Rain, rain go away

yes, it is still raining...and while I know it is good for the trees, the mud is getting pretty gross.

I had about 2 hour coaching this morning on the majority of my arias...went well. Gustavo has a lot of wonderful ideas on styles and ways to make the CRAZY coloratura easier.

We are going to be singing a few fundraisers, in the form of small gatherings at local homes and possibly at the big mall (lots of wealthy people). We are literally going to ask permission to sing opera hit arias and put down a collection hat while being in costume..just like in the old days, what a riot, its going to be great!

Tonight we have staging rehearsal on Act 1..by Friday we should have the entire opera staged..woah!

Side note, breakfast today was amazing, I went grocery shopping last night. The eggs are a bright orange color and taste wonderful...I guess that is what they are supposed to look like :) I need to find a way to post photos, so you can see what the microwave settings say. In the USA, we have settings for things like "popcorn" or re-heat meal etc...Here in Costa Rica, the microwave has setting for rice, plantains and carne asada (roast beef), I thought that was hilarious.

will write later...

beautiful day

The rest of today went well. We painted some set pieces, I cleaned the little house, as much as I could...my allergies are bad.

Most of the day I played with the dogs and the horse. There are 4 dachshunds (spelling?) one of them had 3 pups, thinking of adopting one and bringing her home. We let Aramis out to run around the property (that would be the horse).

Now, I have to take a shower, cause I am covered with god knows what. Jim and I are going to join Karen and Gustavo at their church tonight...we got drafted to sing (of course!) but we don't mind..we get pizza for dinner..yeah! Cynthia flies in tonight at midnight.

Early morning again!!

It is officially 6:30am here..and I am SO tired..but I keep waking up on Eastern time. I think in a couple more days I will be more adjusted.

First problem I have run into is with the water. There is a bad pipe in one of the walls, so we have to keep the water off unless we are using it. Well, this doesn't work too well for me being a woman AND a singer where I drink water constantly. Also, I am living in the house with Jim and Cynthia...if it was just she and I, no big deal, but how do you deal with using the toilet and then not being able to flush? The water main is on the street..so to turn on/off, I have to open the enormous gate and then go out, turn it off, then come back in...by that point I will definitely have had an accident. SO, I decided that each night I am going to set a big bucket of water by the toilet, then I can flush. SORRY to be so detailed, but it was a MAJOR problem last night...especially since we eat a lot of black beans and plaintains here...LOL

Okay, going to try and go back to bed, will blog more later.

My first 2 days ..

I meant to blog yesterday, but I was exhausted from the flight here and no sleep the night before.

I arrived on July 9th. The flight was wonderful (Jet Blue), very nice people and the plane left on time and actually arrived in San Jose 20 minutes early.

Going through customs went very quickly and I went outside to meet Karen and Gustavo. They had gotten stuck in traffic and were running a bit behind, so I had an opportunity to look around at the people. Everyone was very polite, children running here and there and lots of Maleteros (Men who work for tips by helping you with your luggage, hailing you a cab or letting you use their cell phone, in case you need to contact your family/friends)

They kept calling me "Reina" (Queen), how nice :)

Karen and Gustavo arrived and we started our drive back to Escazu, suburb of San Jose. The moutains are magnificent, the town situated in the valley, with 2 volcanos on either side!

We had a wonderful lunch with fresh coconut water (still in the coconut) called Pipa, along with fresh black beans with plantains. Everything is relatively cheap, as our American dollar is worth about twice the Costa Rican Colone.

I stayed the first night with their friend Robin, who owns an awesome bakery, her house is attached behind. I completely blew my diet yesterday..I had passion fruit custard pie.. UNREAL!!

The night was a bit rough, parts of the downtown area are very loud and next door to Robin's house is a gym and they were listening to music most of the night, at some point I passed out :)

Crime is a big problem in Costa Rica, and most of the people live with very little..definitely important to remind myself of how much I have and how little we truly need to be happy.

This morning (July 10)

I moved my things into my permanent residence, which is next door to Gustavo's mothers house, it is a lovely two story town house, where I will be living with Jim and Cynthia,who are playing the roles of Cesare and Cornelia. This house is very charming and is owned by Gustavo and Karen. We have a nice full kitchen, dining room, living room with a piano, 3 bedrooms and 1 1/2 baths..

During the day today Karen and I went to the Feria (which is a HUGE farmers market) I bought so much fruit and fresh vegetables; I spent the equivalent of $8 American Dollars and could barely carry it all. Most of the fruits and vegetables we can't even buy in the USA.

We then went to lunch at Karen's cousins house and then came back for our first music rehearsal with the entire cast. WHAT an interesting and super talented group. The girl double-cast with me is a Micro-biologist, her husband a dentist! The color of the voices, the desire from all of them.. so exciting, this is going to be a wonderful production.

Well, it is getting late...will write again tomorrow.