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Thing 2: Hablando Español!

In the great landscape of Things To Know When Moving to Costa Rica, you start with Thing 1 and Thing 2. I have heard people say you do not need to learn Spanish to live in Costa Rica. They must be selling real estate. You absolutely DO if you are going to thrive here.

Can you get by without it? Yes, particularly if you live in an area heavily populated by expats. Will your expat life be satisfying? No, it will be hellishing frustrating. You will miss 90% of the adventure because you won’t know what . . . → Read More About Thing 2: Hablando Español!

26 September 2006
3 comments - (Comments are closed)   CR: Amistad Institute, CR: Communications, Culture Shock, Expat, Spanish

Futbol Fever!

Since the day we arrived, we’ve heard about the Copa Mundial (imagine the red-headed announcer from Dave Letterman saying in his booming-est voice "The KO! PA! Muuuuuuuun-Deee-ALLLLLLL! That’s how it sounds on the radio.)

The Copa Mundial is the World (mundial) Cup (copa) soccer championship and this year it’s in Germany. In Costa Rica, we call it futbol. And we are quite passionate about it.

Despite this passion, Costa Rica almost NEVER plays in . . . → Read More About Futbol Fever!

9 June 2006
One comment - (Comments are closed)   CR: Amistad Institute, Cultural Events, Festivals & Holidays, Spanish

The Road to Volcan Barva

On a clear day, you can see Volcán Barva from our back door, off in the distance. See? Right there in the middle of this photo  is the tip of the volcano.

Our landlord, Roz, and everyone at Amistad Institute where we take Spanish language lessons say it is gorgeous. Tons of butterflies, quetzals, unspoiled by human hands, worth the trip, don’t miss it.

The trip, according to the tico friends who gave me directions, is a little rigorous but only a couple of hours away. . . . → Read More About The Road to Volcan Barva

20 May 2006
Comments are closed   CR: Amistad Institute, CR: Attractions, Culture Shock, Driving, Travel Tips

Esther, The Tao and La Vida Loca

We are losing Esther. Life happened – all good life, just unexpected. Crazy. La vida loca. We have that in common, Esther and I.

Yesterday, I was reading a passage from The Web That Has No Weaver by Ted Kaptchuk:

"In Chinese thought, events and phenomena unfold through a kind of spontaneous cooperation, an inner dynamic in the nature of things. Wang Cong (c.27-100 C.E.), the great Taoist scientist, philosopher, and skeptic, describes the inner working of the universe as follows:

"The way to Heaven is to take no action. . . . → Read More About Esther, The Tao and La Vida Loca

4 May 2006
Comments are closed   CR: Amistad Institute, Culture Shock, Spanish

Spanish Language Immersion Classes

We had high hopes. High in the sky apple pie hopes. Just before leaving Key West, we’d searched the net and found a Spanish language school, Amistad Instutitue, that uses the immersion technique to teach Spanish, along with a thousand other techniques. There are at least one million of these schools in Costa Rica. The one we chose came highly recommended by our Costa Rica landlord as well as a fellow tenant on the finca, and is right in our village. So close, in fact, we could have walked there. We did not walk . . . → Read More About Spanish Language Immersion Classes

10 March 2006
One comment - (Comments are closed)   CR: Amistad Institute, Culture Shock, Spanish