Tonight I revisited the land of Lola, which would have made me a bit sentimental, if the Embassy had resembled my life in Costa Rica in any way.

Alas, although elegant and distinguished in that generic diplomatic way, with heavy drapery and furniture, and a nicely tended, formal lawn, the Embassy could not have been more different from my life in Costa Rica, which was wildly improvised on chaise lounges and hammocks,with no proper windows or doors and the jungle bearing down on the house every minute.

The only thing that did remind me of my time in Costa Rica, were the embassy personnel, who were beyond nice: warm and effusive, just as I remembered. A young woman touched me on the arm as she welcomed me in and smiled and joked about her English skills (which were very good).  I wish Lola might have come, but alas dogs were not invited to the event

Anyway, it was great to connect with a past place and see a new place at the same time. Minus the snakes!