Costa Rica Expat Back in LA Where Pura Vida Meets Melrose
After living abroad in Costa Rica, I recently returned to Los Angeles, eager to sharpen my Spanish again by chatting in taquerias and soaking in a little Pura Vida spirit. A month without speaking Spanish left me restless, and I noticed that each passing year, I lose a few words and catch myself saying “¿[translate:Cómo?]” far too often.
It always takes my mind a bit to warm up again and regain fluency. A few days ago, I arrived in LA — the perfect city to let the [translate:Español] flow freely. On Sunday, I wandered along Melrose, where my son manages the bar at a trendy new restaurant. I had brunch there and met Felipe, a friendly cook at the taqueria next door. Born and raised in the city, he warmly greeted me in English and later invited me over for a drink.
When brunch wrapped up, I joined him and three friends at the taqueria — two men from Mexico and a friendly Cal-Mex woman who greeted me in English. I mentioned I live in Costa Rica. One of the guys, clearly drunk but cheerful, smiled and said:
“Yo, Meh-co.”
I had to ask “¿[translate:Cómo?]” twice before realizing he was simply saying he was from Mexico. The other man was more coherent, and we soon struck up a good conversation. One of the first names he brought up was Maribel Guardia, a Costa Rican by birth who once held the title of Miss Costa Rica and later became a well-known entertainer in Mexico.
Author’s summary
A Costa Rica expat revisits Los Angeles, reconnecting with Spanish through local friendships and conversations that blend Pura Vida warmth with Melrose energy.