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A record crowd of U.S. citizens and families showed up Thursday for the traditional July 4th celebration. By mid-morning James Fendell, chairman of the American Colony Committee, estimated the crowd at 5,000 persons. But he said that organizers will have to check hot dog and beer consumption before making a final estimate. He expected more to come, and they did. The turnout was higher, he said, in part because U.S. citizens here sought to show solidarity with the United States at a time of international danger. He said attendees always wore patriotic garb to the event but that this year he has seen more pins and other personal displays of patriotism. The event was at the Cerveceria Costa Rica facility in Alajuela, and the cars of guests far outstripped the capacity of the available parking. Vehicles were lined up more than a half mile down the General Cañas Autopista. The annual event is free to U.S. citizens and family. Support comes from contributions. The committee has been putting it on since 1961. Formalities were held to a minimum. The principal speaker, John Danilovich, U.S. ambassador to Costa Rica, was the only one with a blazer and tie. He read the July 4 message issue by U.S. President George Bush |
and then told the crowd that "each of us has a duty . . . to represent our country overseas." The U.S. Marine color guard was the center of attention for an emotional flag raising while the University of Costa Rica Symphonic Band played both the national anthem of Costa Rica and that of the United States. Passenger jets from nearby Juan Santamaría Airport gave the impression of a flyover twice at key moments. The crowd recited the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. For adults the key attractions were free beer and free hot dogs. The committee served thousands of hot dogs. For children, the attractions were games, hot dogs and a chance to mount a mechanical bull. Not far from everyone’s mind were events in New York and Washington Sept. 11. In fact, some of the attendees had not joined together like this since a memorial service Sept, 18 for the victims of the terrorist attacks. The picnic was held under a worldwide warning issued by the U.S. State Department about possible unspecified dangers from terrorists. Security involved bag searches, and each visitor presented a U.S. passport. Fuerza Pública even brought its K-9 unit. But there were no incidents. |
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| Friends have come to my rescue with
sympathy, commiseration, and two
have even offered a loaner computer. So it is time to move on, get on with my life and get back to normal. However, it isn’t that easy. Within days of my own robbery, I was told of a friend’s cousin who was shot four times when thieves stole his motorbike. He is now paralyzed. Then, my neighbor told me about his friend whose house was broken into over the weekend. The thieves poisoned the guard dog, cut the metal fence and broke into the house where they emptied it of all the electrical appliances. Children are being kidnapped and killed. A retired police official is being implicated in car theft. Enough pedestrians have been mugged on First Avenue to make it a dangerous place — with no police around to help so far. Normal doesn’t exist anymore. The sad and frightening thing I am coming to realize is that this country, which during the 80’s was an oasis of peace in Central America, has changed. While other Central American countries were at war, this beautiful little country without an army was both safe and peaceful. It now seems as if the lawless have formed their own army. They may be disorganized, but they obviously are more than the police can handle. Earlier there were gunshots somewhere in the neighborhood. Once, when I heard a small explosion, I knew it was just someone celebrating a birthday or a holiday with firecrackers. As I listened to that crack, I was just as certain that it was a gunshot. The theft of my passport, of course, required a visit to the U.S. Embassy. It is a three-hour bus ride for me to Pavas. Engrossed in my book, I missed the stop on the first bus and decided to walk along Sixth Street to catch another bus. After walking a block, I saw two homeless boys ahead of me. One was sitting on the sidewalk and the other, a tall skinny teenager, was standing, just looking at me. I immediately became frightened and decided to cross the street when a taxi came along. I hailed it and got in, hating the idea that I had now become so fearful. At the embassy in the passport room one meets others whose passports have been stolen. Some of their stories were worse than mine. One young man had come overland from the U.S. He had no trouble in Nicaragua, |
Guatemala, or Mexico. But one day in Costa Rica and his wallet and passport were picked out of the side pocket of his jeans where he thought they were safe. He said, "They say that the embassy will help you if you’re in trouble or are robbed, that they will give you money. Not true. They wanted $60 before I could get a passport. When I told them all my money was stolen, they told me to contact my family." A kindly grandmother, who has been coming to Costa Rica for eight years, was there with her granddaughter. When their car overheated, the nice people who offered to help instead stole her purse. Then they evidently followed them to the house of friends where they were staying and when they all went to the OIJ to report the theft, the thieves broke into the house and emptied it of everything. When she had explained to the embassy that she had nothing, they simply told her they needed $60 to issue her a new passport. By now I was angry, and my anger was directed towards the embassy. My own passport, which had cost $40 to renew, was costing $60 because I had been foolish enough to get robbed. I was planning all the sarcastic and nasty things I was going to say to the consul if I ever got waited on. But for the moment I escaped into my book. A character in the book, a Vietnamese woman was saying, "First, you must reject hate. Hate and fear on two sides of the same coin. Hate imprisons you in time . . . . Once you let go of hate, you are free of time and of the past." I read that sentence over and over again. At the moment I thought I was more full of anger than hate, but obviously they are related. I didn’t want to be trapped in the past. When I was finally in front of the consul, I was no longer angry. I even felt a little sorry for the pretty woman on the other side of the window for all of the anger she must have to absorb. I am just going to have to adjust to a new kind of normal. More of Jo Stuart HERE! |
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