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Mam

When we first moved here, of all the people we thought might come to visit wild and woolly Costa Rica, Mam, Hal's mom, would be the very last. Not just because she had never shown particular interest in traveling to foreign lands, but because she had been quite ill during the preceding year. She was a shadow of her former self, a mere slip of a girl at 79 years old, quite frail, frequently needing oxygen.

Eh, those minor details didn't . . . → Read More About Mam

13 November 2009
6 comments - (Comments are closed)   Cancer, Death & Taxes, MOM

Knee-Jerk Reactions

Jacqueline’s pistol-whipping break-in, along with everything else I wrote about yesterday, is upsetting our apple cart. Not to mention today’s A.M. Costa Rica article about how the I.R.S. is "helping" Costa Rica redefine it’s income tax laws. Because, you know, the U.S. is the expert when it comes to owning its citizens. Apparently, Costa Rica sees this as a good thing.

Back in the discussion of the surprise dollar devaluation against the colón, I totally skipped reporting on the inflation rate. El pais [pie-EESE, country] says it’s 10%. My pocketbook – and those . . . → Read More About Knee-Jerk Reactions

13 December 2007
16 comments - (Comments are closed)   CR: Cost of Living, Crime, Culture Shock, Death & Taxes, Economy, Expat, Living-In, Taxes

Death To A Nation

This article was written by the daughter of a local family we’ve met here in Costa Rica. Ayn is 14 and is unschooled. I must admit to harboring suspicions of unschooling’s effectiveness in somehow producing schooled children. Those are smashed.

2 February 2007
2 comments - (Comments are closed)   Bush, Death & Taxes, Political Blah-Blah, War

Dying In Costa Rica

If you die here, they put you right in the ground so you better make sure you’re dead.

If you are particular about WHERE they put you in the ground or IF they put you in the ground (instead of in, say, an urn), you want to make those arrangements beforehand.

For almost everything you do here, you have to use a lawyer. Finding a good trustworthy reasonably-priced attorney is a critical item. Talk to plenty. Take everyone’s suggestion and meet with that person. It’s critical.

And, if your Spanish is fledgling, work with an attorney that speaks very . . . → Read More About Dying In Costa Rica

22 January 2007
3 comments - (Comments are closed)   Death & Taxes, Expat, Legal Arrangements, Living-In