“Come on baba! Let’s play unexpected visitor.” Last month, I travelled with my daughter and her husband and my favourite 3-year-old travel guide to Costa Rica. Shannon was celebrating a milestone birthday and invited me to join them on vacation. We spent five days in the rain forest near the Arnel Volcano and moved to Tamarindo on the Pacific Coast. Now, I like hot weather but 31 degrees with about 85 percent humidity kind of drains you after a while. So, we adopted the afternoon siesta and either stayed close to the pool in the complex or in the comfort of the air-conditioned condo.

Evie has a great imagination and every day I woke up to a new baby animal she was imitating that day or that we saw on our tour from a howler monkey to a bat to a baby butterfly. One morning she announced she was Princess Nella. Not being familiar with who she was, Evie pulled out her book and explained she was a princess knight and has a talking unicorn as a best friend. Not being at home, we had to improvise with what was available to make her a costume. We made her crown using the paper with direction to Dantes Eco Adventure Park we visited the day before and for glue we used a couple of stickers Evie had from a Paw Patrol book.

Then Evie announced with great enthusiasm, we should play unexpected visitor. Not at all familiar with the game or what was expected, off to the pool we ventured as it was cooler and if needed we could take a refreshing dip. Evie said her castle was at one end and that I should be at the other and she would just come by. It started where she walked to where I was relaxing by the pool and she would sit down beside me. I then proceeded to say hello ask her a few questions or comment on her beautiful dress or crown or sandals. After a minute or two, Evie would announce she had to go and that we should play unexpected visitor again. Back to where she started from and the game proceeded the same way. This went on for a couple of hours, but Evie never got tired of playing the game. I never knew where or when she would announce…”let’s play unexpected visitor baba.”

A couple of months back, when mom was in the hospital and we needed a distraction, my nephew showed us a skit on YouTube from comedian Sebastian Maniscalco about ‘when your doorbell rang 20 years ago vs now.’ Needless to say, we all howled with laughter and agreed how true it really is, whereas some of the younger generation struggled over ‘what is Sanka’.

The gist of the skit is how years ago when your doorbell rang the entire family rushed to the door happy to greet who ever was there to invite them in for ‘SaraLee cake’ and Sanka, otherwise known as instant coffee. Company received our undivided attention and time just drifted by. Our sheer enthusiasm and excitement was that someone came to visit. Today, unfortunately we may react with a bit of suspicion as ‘who is ringing the door bell and what do they want?’

Evie’s game brought back some memories and I know as I write this blog I would like to think and hope my reaction to an unexpected visitor would be like it was 20 years ago, just like mom taught us.

So, if you ring my doorbell, there may be only the two of us at home and I may not have cake or coffee and because I wear slippers I won’t be sliding to the door, but we will be happy to see you, expected or not.

P.S. The blue bag got through customs without any problems both in San Jose and Mexico City as I made sure that I carried only the pottery and soccer shirt in it, I will keep you in the know on our next trip.