Where is CJ Craig when you need her?

Today, I went to my first politics-related press conference. I've been to press conferences before here, but this was at the Casa Presidencial, or the Costa Rican equivalent of the White House. The president wasn't there, but the Presidency Minister (still not sure what that means, exactly) as well as a few other ministers were on hand to talk about the economy. At least, I think that's what they were talking about...

In many ways, the press room at the Casa Pres reminds me of Kresge Auditorium, a lecture hall back at Stanford, but on a smaller scale. The set up is almost exactly the same--podium up front, stadium seats ascending away from the stage, and the huge windows on the side walls that allow you to daydream and gaze at the palm trees outside. Also, exactly like a group of college students (and unlike the White House) the press corps fill all the back rows first, only very reluctantly taking the risk of sitting up front. Fake plants adorn the stage, highlighted by green and orange accent lights--something Kresge could probably use back at Stanford to liven up those econ lectures.

As the press conference begins, I struggle to keep up. The ministers refer to several events that took place in the country before I arrived, and, without the context, following along is difficult. The rapid-fire Spanish compounds the problem. To top it off, however, several cell phones go off during the conference--and the reporters have the gall to answer them and carry on a conversation! This would never happen in a Stanford class, much less in the White House!

I hear that such occurances are actually common. In fact, a co-worker told me a story involving a doctor who answered his phone while performing surgery. So, those of you who were contemplating it, it may be time to reconsider the whole medical tourism idea.