¿Donde Estan Mis Pantalones?

But seriously. 

We moved to San Jose somewhat unexpectedly (it's where the jobs are), and I'm learning some fast lessons. When Adam and I left our house in Binghamton, we (mostly me) sold, donated, and dumped lots of unneeded items. The rest went into storage about an hour north of Binghamton...even farther from San Jose, Costa Rica. The things that I chose to bring with me included a miniature library of paperbacks, a few framed pictures, a Binghamton graphic dishtowel, Mr. T. Heart, and clothes. Specifically, clothes for the beach ("beach professional"), and a small amount of outdoorsy mountain wear. Really, nothing for the city. 

Which begs the question: Donde estan mis pantalones?

In Elmira, New York, that's donde. It's been especially frustrating, living in a hip neighborhood (Barrio Escalante) of a new city, and seeing passersby wearing outfits that scream, "I have access to my entire wardrobe!" For the last few years, I'd been pining for a minimalist lifestyle, a "capsule wardrobe" if you will. Now I ostensibly have one, but the wrong one. I've been fantasizing about taking a midnight flight to Elmira, driving to the storage unit, switching out my clothes and flying back to San Jose. It's possible. Both cities have airports. 

But then there's the money thing. Not only do I have a full, beautifully curated wardrobe IN STORAGE, but I'm low on funds right now, so spending money on new clothes pains me (okay, that's a lie). But it is annoying. Rest assured, I am thrift shopping and making the most of what little I have, which is still a lot by probably most standards. 

And I love this city! It's a little gritty, with lots of beauty, and is centrally located in the country. More on that to come. For now, enjoy these pictures of San Jose, mostly taken in the San Pedro neighborhood, not far from where I live and where most of the University of Costa Rica students call home.

Here's my friend Serai, working as crossing-the-street model. We have the same birthday!

The view from an apartment Serai looked at but didn't take. This was its best feature by far.