First Friday is tradition in Samara.  Essentially cocktail hour at a local bar, the venue changes each month.  Everyone is welcome but truthfully it’s an English-speaking crowd.  Living in a Spanish-speaking country can be exhausting – David Sedaris said it best with “Me Talk Pretty One Day” – and  sometimes you just need the comfort of a common tongue, where you can express yourself clearly, where your puns are understood.  I can only guess that the Italian, German, and French speakers in our community get together somewhere else for gnocchi, schnitzel and brie.

Yesterday we met at Hacienda del Mar, in their open restaurant facing the courtyard garden and pool.  The deep overhangs protected us from the rain showers that persist off and on through the first half of this month.  Conversation was accompanied by a good blues duo.  The first week of November brings a lot of snowbirds back from the north so yesterday showed a nice crowd of nearly 50.  We were about 50/50 full-time residents and part-timers.  Mostly retired but a few business owners like us.

First Friday is a chance to catch up on the latest news (the Arts & Crafts Fair is scheduled for 10 December), to share opinions (there’s a new tax proposed by CR government), and to meet new people (Lisa and Heather have just moved to Carrillo).

But really, it’s just an excuse to dress up.  Polished nails and jeweled sandals.  That’s about the limit here.  And some folks don’t even go that far.