Today marks three months in Costa Rica. And to commemorate such an occasion, I thought I would write a little bit about the things I am still learning about living in a new country and living in a new culture.
Not only do we routinely lose power (like for a few min. every night), but apparently occasionally the whole country loses it as well. Last week there were national power outages, lasting for between 3-5 hours. They were planned, but not communicated. So I found myself stuck outside of our electric gate, unable to get up the driveway, and Nicki found her self locked in. Thank goodness for the option of crawling under barbed wire fences to get in and out of our property.
Guanabanas make the best batidos (shakes). Well, that is according to our 50 year old gardener who, on two separate occasions, climbed up a very non-climber-friendly tree, asking both Nicki and I to stand beneath the tree as he shook the branches. Our job was to attempt to catch the large pokey green fruit that would fall, so we could try this acclaimed treat. I'll let you know how my milkshake tastes with the Guanabana is ripe.
Speaking of weird fruits, you have probably heard of guavas, but have you ever seen one? In the picture, I am holding one. To get to the fruit you need to crack this hard outer shell. Inside, there are small while fuzzy pods, that look and feel like a wet cotton ball. The fruit is the white fur-like coating around a seed, and you eat them by sucking on them like a hard candy. The kids wont touch them, I think it is the texture.
Here in the private school, kids learn to write cursive before print. Yes, we are talking about kindergartners learning letters in script. It still doesn't make sense to me, and has thrown off both Gabi and Ryan, but they are doing quite well none the less.
There is no easy way to transfer funds from one bank to the next. And you often pay people not by sending them a personal check in the mail, but by bringing that check and depositing it into their back account. This means coming to the bank, taking a number, and waiting. Just to give you an idea, last time I walked in and took the number 78. They were only on 16. I was glad I brought a book, and was surprised I was out within the hour.
Crocodiles get lost, end up in the ocean, and eat dogs. A sad story from a friend this week. I choose not to think about it.
Not only do we routinely lose power (like for a few min. every night), but apparently occasionally the whole country loses it as well. Last week there were national power outages, lasting for between 3-5 hours. They were planned, but not communicated. So I found myself stuck outside of our electric gate, unable to get up the driveway, and Nicki found her self locked in. Thank goodness for the option of crawling under barbed wire fences to get in and out of our property.
Guanabanas make the best batidos (shakes). Well, that is according to our 50 year old gardener who, on two separate occasions, climbed up a very non-climber-friendly tree, asking both Nicki and I to stand beneath the tree as he shook the branches. Our job was to attempt to catch the large pokey green fruit that would fall, so we could try this acclaimed treat. I'll let you know how my milkshake tastes with the Guanabana is ripe.
Speaking of weird fruits, you have probably heard of guavas, but have you ever seen one? In the picture, I am holding one. To get to the fruit you need to crack this hard outer shell. Inside, there are small while fuzzy pods, that look and feel like a wet cotton ball. The fruit is the white fur-like coating around a seed, and you eat them by sucking on them like a hard candy. The kids wont touch them, I think it is the texture.Here in the private school, kids learn to write cursive before print. Yes, we are talking about kindergartners learning letters in script. It still doesn't make sense to me, and has thrown off both Gabi and Ryan, but they are doing quite well none the less.
There is no easy way to transfer funds from one bank to the next. And you often pay people not by sending them a personal check in the mail, but by bringing that check and depositing it into their back account. This means coming to the bank, taking a number, and waiting. Just to give you an idea, last time I walked in and took the number 78. They were only on 16. I was glad I brought a book, and was surprised I was out within the hour.
Crocodiles get lost, end up in the ocean, and eat dogs. A sad story from a friend this week. I choose not to think about it.
While I have gotten used to the bugs, there is nothing quite like stepping on a beetle to throw me in a fear of the creepy crawlies. Flying beetles have to be the most dense insects (on more then one level). I can not begin to tell you how many I have flicked from my floor and swatted from my head. Seriously, gross.And finally, there is a reason why they tell you NOT to feed the monkeys. Jorgito, Ele's (our housekeeper's) son chose to give the Titi monkeys a few bananas. And they went crazy! And got really brave. They were taking it out of his hand, jumping up on him, and swarming. But as a side note, they get really angry when when the food is gone! Remember that, do not feed the monkeys!
While I am sure there are many many more cultural experience I can share with you, I will save them for later. Three months into it, I am still learning, always adjusting. I have learned to be flexible, humble, and teachable. And this is just the beginning. And I will never get sick of the sunsets. 
