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                                                                                Our Paradise
                                                             Ana Zahler             xiyvza@hotmail.com

COSTARRICAN GIFTS

Very soon we are going to set our luggage to go back to the country where we

live. In few days, we are going to say bye-bye to our relatives, friends

and exneighbours. Also, to our tamales, brown sugar with Pinito milk

drink,horse parade, floats parade (carnival), soccer games, Little Jesus

rosaries, wake up early to go a Social Security hospital in order to get a

medical appointment 3 months later, a fast shop at the convenient store to

get the last gossip in the neighbourhood. Among these activities, we do a

question: which presents to give to our friends, neighbours and coworkers

out of Costa Rica? Well, here I write you a simple guide about the national

products we can give them as presents.

For a very feminine woman:

a small basket decorated w/ pastel ribbons and fill out w/ honey soap,

roses, cream, violet perfume and a hand painted or embroided handkerchief

For somebody who works in an office:

- (if we are short of money) a coffe mug painted w/ an Arenal volcano in

eruption, a "guaria morada" (the national flower), any tico bill or the

Costarrican fauna, do not forget a package of coffe, so the person tastes

our gold grain and enjoys better the mug

- banana paper notebook w/ an wxotic wood pen, original!

- leather desk set

- small ox cart for the business cards

For the kids:

- boys: cars made out of exotic woods

- girls: exotic wood jewelry or leather hand bags

- for both: typical t-shirts, color pencils made out of wood coffee, a

small mug fill out w/ gummies, marshmallows, little caramels and lolly pops

For any age, sex, occupation or religion:

- little doll made out of shelves and winkels

- Costarrican post cards collection

- Costarrican flora and fauna pouster

- wood sculpture

- ox cart

- beach towel w/ the 5 of 5.000 colon bill design

- mural map of Costa Rica

- typical or ecological calendar

- mini adobe house

- key holder

- weather thermometer

- wood sculptured wall clock

- dried and framed butterfly

- instrumental typical music tape if the person does not know Spanish of

all, and w/ the lyric included if the person is Hispanic

If the person who receives the present knows Spanish very well, we can give

him/her a mini goodies basket made in a small basket to pick up coffee. We

have to put Costarrican products in it: tuna w/ vegetables can, small

bottles of pickeled vegetables (similar to Giardinera), pejibayes (fruit

palm), palm heart, kola syrup, small packages of Costarrican bakery, cassava

chips, so on. Notice these products do not require cooking or spending time

in the kitchen for the person who receives them, they are sealed, so they

have the OK at the airport.

Also, we can dedicate time to do a present by ourselves: guava jelly,

different shapes hard candies, honey toffees, hand painted t-shirt. An

original and surprisingly gift: one layer quilt. Do you remember how thick

and elaborated are the quilts in USA? Well, I did a summer one. I hand

painted a 20 inches X 20 inches white cotton fabric squares, then I sew and

put them together. The result was a fresh one layer quilt. It looks like a

sampler. The neighbours said "what an original idea". I tell you about

this handcraft to keep in mind.

I walk everywhere. When I see something curious and original, I buy it.

This object is kept until I give it as a present. There is always a

birthday, graduation, weadding or any other reason to give our Costarrican

presents out of our homeland.

Ana Zahler xiyvza@hotmail.com holly_heaven_angel@lycos.com

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