Third broadcast email

Even though winter is not supposed to start here until May, it rained quite consistently around Easter (April 8th). Because of all the rain we didn’t see all of the pageantry here that we thought we would surrounding the holiday. We saw photographs and articles in www.amcostrica.com (the daily free online English newspaper that spotlights news in CR) about the religious processions and elaborate costumes surrounding the re-enactments of Holy Week and the ’stations of the cross’. You can see them too by clicking on these links:
http://www.amcostarica.com/040207.htm (scroll down the page for pictures of Palm Sunday), AND
http://www.amcostarica.com/040307.htm and http://www.amcostarica.com/040907.htm
Easter or Semana Santa is REALLY big here like Christmas in the states without presents!

Dave and I along with the Brinks co-founded a volunteer organization called VTE (Volunteers Teaching English). Initially we started working with UCR (University of Costa Rica in San Ramon) with their program that was teaching English to the Policia de Transito (the equivalent of the State Police). They needed us to work with the classes so the policemen could hear and converse with native English speakers so they will feel comfortable conversing with tourists. UCR will have a graduation ceremony for the first class of policemen just before we leave for Nicaragua which we will all attend. UCR is planning to teach English to other service groups like ambulance drivers, doctors, nurses and firemen which we will also be involved in. Needless to say, we have been really, really busy with the organization of this group. More updates and information to come!
Every morning (at sunrise around 5 AM) we are awakened by the sounds of birds, not just a few – lots of different calls or ‘songs’. Most of them we couldn’t identify so Dave set a slice of a large tree trunk onto 3 metal poles in our front yard so we could attract and feed the birds. They got bananas, watermelon and papaya. The first couple of days we had no interest but after that they started to grace us with their presence daily. Dave even took a picture of a really pretty blue bird! (blue gray tananger)
It will be a glorious day when we are able to take a focused picture of the exotic parrots and toucans as opposed to seeing them far away! We had one of Costa Rica's national birds, the 'turdus grayi', a clay colored robin or gray thrush build her nest over one of our lamp posts on the front terrazzo. Within 3 weeks of when she started sitting on the nest, she had 3 babies born. She certainly liked this ‘B & B’; Dave took pictures of her eating some of the fruit(she favored the papaya). At the same time, we had another nest on the cinder block wall out back. I don’t know what kind of birds nest it was but the gardener cut around it instead of disturbing it! After the mom from the front terrazzo and her hatchlings left, we had another prospective mom take up residence by building and sitting on a nest over one of the downspouts at the rear of the house. I have no idea what materialized from either of the later 2 nests. I’d say that we have provided quite the nesting location, huh?
Behind the cinder block wall that is behind our casa there is quite a large sugar cane field. When we first saw it last year we were wondering what would happen when it was harvested. Well we know now! It took less than a week from start to finish. Even though I couldn’t see it, Dave described the numerous workers as machete wielding (machetes are VERY popular here - I’ve even seen women carry and use them!) dressed in long pants, long sleeve shirts, tall rubber boots (I imagine due to snakes), hats with cloth hanging down around the back of their necks (for sun protection) and face masks. VERY hot, hard work! These men worked from dawn to dusk cutting the cane at ground level, stripping all the leaves off and then piling the stocks onto long ‘u’ shaped wooden trailers. These trailers were hauled to San Ramon by numerous tractors. They only burned (something) once causing us to close up the house as the wind was carrying large hunks of ash in the back and front of the house (much to our housekeepers dismay - she ran around yelling "prohibido, prohibido"). Now that it is harvested all the slash has been left on the ground and the ‘new’ crop is coming up on its own!
We really enjoy watching the men’s soccer games in the field across the street every Sunday. We know the Gringo that bought the brightly colored uniforms for the team here in San Rafael. All of the uniforms proudly sport his name on the front - Jimmy.
In mid April there was an all day tournament across the street that brought out parents with all age groups of boys from near and far. Not only were there a lot of cars parked around the field but buses from other towns that dropped off kids to play. I really wanted to watch the games but it became evident by mid day that asking each and every car that parked in front of our house to move was laborious! It was the one and only time in this country that I got flipped the bird – from a soccer mom of all things and in full view from her kids in the back seat! I imagine she was angry at me for making her family late (as if they weren’t already). It was a full day of competitions complete with tipico food, drink and cerveza (beer) being sold from the community building next door. The young ones (we even saw a girl!) played in the field divided in half (four teams at a time) and the older boys played on the whole field.
Because all non-residents have to leave Costa Rica every 90 days, we went to Nicaragua on April 27th for our requisite 72 hours sabbatical to get the exit/re-entry stamps on our passports. We still have the one way tickets to Boston that would have served the same purpose but we had our car that also needed to have its’ paperwork ‘updated’ because it, too had been here 90 days! When we decided to ship the Subaru, we were under the impression that we would not have to pay the tariff on the car because of a law passed last year that gave handicapped people a waiver. Unfortunate for us, the government is having difficulty defining who is eligible under that law. By taking the car out of the country, it gave us 90 more days before they either give us the waiver or we end up paying the tariff (5K). Needless to say we prefer not to pay - we'll have to wait-and-see.

We took our friends Dave and Arden Brink in the Subaru with us as they also were forced into exodus. Dave and Arden came from Bowdoinham, Maine but they live here now north-west of San Ramon in San Pedro. It took us 8 hours to go 200 miles ONE WAY (the roads here are up and down esses!) We drove to San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua on the Pacific coast and we stayed at a B & B called Hotel Villa Isabella. The temperature was very hot there compared to San Rafael. We all spent our days in the air conditioned room together watching movies and reading. I felt like a bat - the only time I went out of the hotel was at night to eat! One night we went to a VERY posh hotel called "Pelican Eyes' built on a hill. The dining room had a very high ceiling made of palm branches/leaves and looked very Polynesian - you would have sworn that you were in Hawaii! We all had the best steak we have had since being in the states!
Of what I saw of Nicaragua, I would say that it is a very poor country. I saw a guy guiding a cart pulled by 2 oxen complete with yolk and another guy riding on a cart being pulled by a horse, not many cars! Compared to Costa Rica, it was a very flat country. It was nice to see the ocean again and like the Caribbean islands, the buildings were painted in bright colors
The border crossing between countries was a dry, dusty mess and a dinero grab (a lot of bribing going on!).There were only 2 lanes of road going between Costa Rica and Nicaragua. Those 2 lanes had WAY MORE tractor trailers (semis) than cars. At times those semis would go one way on both sides of the road! Needless to say, when that happened there was a lot of backing up and getting out of the way! We hired ‘facilitators’ to help us get out of Costa Rica and into Nicaragua on the trip up and the reverse on the way back. Their role was to be ‘interpreters’ and help us through the maze. It must be quite the ‘cottage industry’ as we had a lot of men and boys clamoring over our car to get our attention along with seeing numerous very small casas nearby. The whole trip was most interesting!!! One of life’s experiences that you need to be there to understand!

A few weeks before we left, we started feeding and giving water to a very skinny stray dog. He just 'showed up', hanging out mostly with the kids that are out and about daily. We affectionately referred to him as “Flaco”, the Spanish word for skinny.
The Saturday before we left for Nicaragua, the Fuerza Publica (public police) came to get him. They wrapped about 6 feet of yellow “Caution” tape around his neck and opened the trunk to their “cruiser” before Dave furiously consulted the Spanish dictionario and grunted out enough Spanish to have them turn “Flaco” over to us. I guess that equated to a Costa Rican “adoption”!
Dave took him to the vet that morning (vets here are open 7 days a week) and the vet confirmed our suspicion that he was malnourished and dehydrated along with being full of worms and covered in fleas/ticks. The vet thinks that he is about 2 years old because of his teeth, and we all agree that he is most likely a purebred Doberman. Because he had an infection (I think probably heart worms) he was kept long enough to have an IV of antibiotics and the needed agua (water). (Quite interestingly, Dave noted that ALL of the veterinary test kits were manufactured by IDEXX Laboratories in Westbrook, Maine – small world!) Even though he got a Frontline application that day to kill the fleas and ticks, he was too weak and sick according to the vet to have a bath for 2 more days. He was VERY dirty so every time we touched him, we had to wash our hands. Because he had to continue taking the antibiotics twice a day for 10 days and got tired with very little use of energy, he slept a lot for about a week and continued to heal. I know there was a grateful puppy in there as he woke me out of a sound sleep one morning by licking my nose and forehead - it was ICKY but cute at the same time!!! He now protects me by sleeping on the floor next to me.
We ditched the name ‘flaco and started calling him "Rafael" or "Raffy" for short. San Rafael (the town that we live in) is where we found each other, Rafael is the patron Saint of healing (appropriate for both of us!) and I (along with the kids in the neighborhood) like to call him by his shorter nickname!!!
Adres, a young bilingual Tico man that lives in Palmares, came and stayed at our house while we were gone to Nicaragua. He is the nephew of our landlady and very familiar with our house. He enjoys dogs and was great with Raffy, making sure he didn’t feel abandoned and gave him his much needed medicine!
Raffy certainly is not what we envisioned we would get for a dog, but he chose us and needs us!!! We have been truly blessed by having him in our lives.

Hope I didn’t bore you to tears with my long diatribe. If you want to be taken off the distribution list, please let me know as there will be no hard feelings!
Look for May’s issue to come out soon!
Our love to you all,
Dabid and Reiling (phonic spellings of what we’re called) Read more Entry>>

Inkjet delivery

Dave went into San Ramon and ordered an ink jet cartridge yesterday. Less than 24 hours later, it was unexpectedly delivered to our front gate by a young man. Dave paid $12.00 for it upon delivery.
Now THAT kind of service wouldn’t happen in the states! Read more Entry>>

Death & Dying customs in CR

Our next door neighbor, Maria, had her father living with her and her family while he was dying of cancer. The following is a combination of our observations and what we have been told.
- Shortly after he died, the ‘mortician’ arrived in a late model Volvo station wagon to deliver the coffin. We understand that not only did they deliver the coffin but they lifted the already clean body (done respectfully by close family or friends) into it and placed it (the coffin) in a place of the home suitable for viewing by family and friends.
- The next afternoon, the ‘mortician’ returned and took the closed casket to the church.
- After the funeral at the church, family and friends WALK behind the vehicle carrying the casket to the cemetery to be buried. All this occurs within 24 hours of death AND without having the body embalmed.
- In keeping with tradition, each day for the 9 days after the funeral, the family welcomes family and friends to come into their home for prayers. On the 9th day the family provides a meal to all in attendance.
- Prayers for the deceased are done in the home by family and friends every month on the same date as the death through to the one year anniversary of the death. Read more Entry>>

Second broadcast email

Here we are again with our news from our side of this beautiful country we call 'home'.

A lot has happened since we wrote a month ago. We have stayed very busy doing God knows what each day, but each day is full!

We did get the house phone line as promised but less than 10 days later we lost it for 4 days! Even though we got dial-up for the internet we couldn't use it while the phone was down and we found we were unable to make SKYPE calls even when the phone was working! No doubt about it - we were spoiled by having cable in Maine and we are thankful that we have friends with wireless!!!
After exhausting ALL possibilities, we found out that neither DSL or cable is possible here for internet. As a result, we are the proud owners of a new 2.4 meter diamter satellite dish which was installed last Wednesday the 14th. We have been told that DSL and/or cable will be available here SOMETIME in the future, when that happens we have faith that there will be a market for the dish. Needless to say, we moved fast to have the office up and running so we could start trading again!!! We have been 'down' for a long time - it will feel good to work and have a regular schedule again!
We have had mail challenges since coming to Costa Rica. The USPS decided to abbreviate our forwarding address in their computer so we didn't get ANY mail in February! With Pam's assistance and her knowledge of who to call at the post office in Portland, we are now able to get mail, as SLOWWWWWWWWWWWW as it is!!! Of course February's mail is still AWOL complete with debit cards, bills and bank statements!

Our dear friend, travel and house mate Pam, left to go home to Maine on Tuesday February 13th.
We did some traveling/exploring with her before she left. We all enjoyed the time off and to act like tourists!!!
We spent 2 full days at Volcano Arenal, an active volcano about 2 ½ hours away. We had perfect weather. We actually got a chance to see the lava flows at night and hear the eruptions throughout the day. An absolutely incredible experience. Dave and I took a wonderful tram ride above, through and under the primary and secondary rain forest and had some time at the top just to experience the volcano itself, see Lake Arenal and see the top of the 4,000+ feet of zip lines. Pam went off by herself on an all day tour to experience the hanging bridges, waterfalls, lava fields and hot springs. Together, we saw Coutimundis, Howler monkeys and multiple species of birds we had never seen before like the Montezuma Oropendola.

We spent a full afternoon at the Basilica in Cartago called "Our Lady of the Angels". It is an absolutely beautiful church both inside and out, built in 1912. According to history, in 1635 a small black statue of a mother and child was found on this site in Cartago. Although removed numerous times, the statue kept showing up back on the same rock in the forest. It was understood that the Holy Virgin wanted to stay there, so they built a church at that location.

We drove to Sarchi. It is known for woodworking, furniture making and colorfully painted oxcarts! The wooden oxcarts originally were adorned with geometric patterns reminiscent of Pennsylvania Dutch painting but now they are also being decorated with jungle scenes, wild animals, flowers, and all things Costa Rica!!! While in Sarchi, Dave got himself a sling leather wooden rocking chair!
We also drove to Zacero, a well known town for the topiaries that have been formed in the park in front of the church. The same man has been sculpting them for over 40 years!!! Because of its altitude and the German heritage, this town has a Bavarian feel with both the cooler temperature and the architecture (very strange to see some A-frames again and chimneys jutting out of some roofs). See and hear the NPR story about Zacero online here. Link

The ferria or farmer’s market is HUGE and is held every Friday and Saturday year round! Dave and I go every week to get our fresh fruits, vegetables and CHEAP tropical flowers!!! (Heliconia, ginger, birds of paradise, antheriums, etc.)

We routinely yell “hola” or “buenos dias” to neighbors as they pass by our ‘casa’. They are VERY quick to speak and wave back. I am sure that the gringo and gringa are the talk of the town (as we are most likely the ONLY gringos in this town). Some of our immediate neighbors have introduced themselves and speak quite good English. Some of the other adults want to learn English and come by for their interactions via ‘dictionarios’. We even have one guy that always yells “goodbye” with a big smile on his face and waves every time he passes the house! (I imagine that is the only English he knows, but is very proud that he can communicate). There is a LOT of children around. We see and hear them daily from early morning to dusk playing futball (soccer) across the street. They are very interested in us (especially the one that shares names with David) and have posed on the fence in front of our casa for a mass picture!!! I don’t know how many posed, but I counted 14 on the street that day!

One day, Pam saw a large iguana eating orange flowers off the vine on the fence. He/she was gracious enough to let us take a picture or two before he/she scurried off!

I have rambled on long enough! It was great sharing what we have been doing. We miss YOU but not the cold and dampness!!!
Dave and Raylene Read more Entry>>

the FIRST broadcast email

We’re hoping this finds you all well and staying warm (yes, we heard about the cold and snow in Maine and to be VERY honest – we’re glad we are not there!) We wanted to touch base and let you know what we’ve been doing for the last 2 weeks!

As you guessed, we got here safely and everything has been moving along FAST.We were planning on staying at the Hotel Posada in San Ramon on the 1st but ended up staying at Casa del Sol (our rental home pictured below) and have been here since.

We obtained the items we had put in Dave and Arden’s container on the 5th and had only one day to take care of them. We weren’t expecting our container to arrive until the 22nd but we had them delivered to our door on the 6th. All arrived unscathed – the only casualty found so far is a chipped tea cup – not bad I think!!!

The day after we received our container items, all three of us piled in the rental car to go to San Jose to turn it in and get the Subaru! I thank God that Pam is here to help Dave – she has been such a BIG help! I certainly couldn’t have done all that she has!!!

Last Friday our land lady went to the local government owned monopoly for electricity and telephone (called ICE) to get us a land line. We can’t get a phone line in our name as we are foreigners. Even though it is supposed to take at least 2 weeks our English speaking lawyer called on Monday saying he had pulled some strings and it would be hooked up this week and gave us the number!!!

We have postponed and as of this writing and our current knowledge probably will cancel the satellite dish for internet. We have found out that with a phone line we will most likely be able to get DSL. I don’t know how long we will be without internet service but it will be worth it as it should be faster and MUCHO cheaper!!! In the interim we have to go to the Brinks and mooch off their wireless – tolerable for the short term!
We were having challenges with the propane fired water heater (especially with my hand held shower) so we purchased and had installed an on-demand electric hot water heater. So far it seems more reliable and Dave or Pam don’t have to light the propane heater (a.k.a. “old smokey”) before every shower! When we get the hot water to come into the kitchen sink for washing dishes instead of heating it on the stove, the hot water challenges will be over!!!

I really thrive here – the warmth and flat surfaces make it MUCH easier for me to get around. I don’t have to be challenged with the cold decreasing the blood flow to my muscles and causing stiffness. Besides helping to unpack, cooking most all the meals and washing dishes, Pam has been working on me both energetically and physically along with helping me exercise daily to assist me in reaching my goal of walking. I won’t go into detail about what we have been doing, but everyday I get stronger and closer to realizing my goal!!!

There is so much here in Costa Rica that we want to go see and do – it won’t be long before we will be in a position to start! We want to take Pam to some of the places we went to in November and also hope to go see Arenal – the active volcano – while she is here. We’ll make sure to let you know about how the trip to el volcan goes.

We think we have found a nice Tica (native female) named Anna to start working as a domestic next week. She has an adorable little girl about 2 years old named Diana (pictured below) and a Tico (native male) husband that speaks great English. Anna will be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays to clean, do laundry and possibly cook. She speaks very little English but wants to learn. Who knows how much she and we can teach each other!

The weather here has been WONDERFUL – lows of 60 in the early AM and high of 85 during the day. This is summer or the dry season so we haven’t seen a drop of rain. Condensation forms at night that can be seen in the morning but is gone by 8 AM.
We are doing our best with learning Spanish. David has definitely learned the fastest. Soon, we hope to have a tutor come in for some intensive education.
__________________________
Here’s one of our life experiences:
The day after we picked up the Subaru we began to smell gasoline fumes. Dave figured out that the fuel filter had a pin-hole leak and repaired it with Liquid Solder and the old standby, duct tape! After consulting with our Spanglish helper we were told of a “mechanico” that spoke a little English. Dave called, explained the problem, and was told that the mechanic would be at our casa in about a half hour. Sure enough, 30 minutes later Joaquin arrived at the front gate wearing a huge smile and carrying a new fuel filter for the Subie. After about 10 minutes and a brief Spanish lesson, he informed Dave that the charge would be approximately $10 for the filter and $8 for the “house call.” The repair was perfect AND we now have someone that we can trust in an emergency. _________________________

After days of “parrot sightings”, seeing and hearing the loud flock of literally dozens of green parrots flying around in the early morning, we had our first sighting of toucans early this morning. We saw (but didn’t get a photograph) a beautiful pair of them in the trees across the street from the house. An absolutely incredible sight!

All for now – I promise to email again when we get our internet up and running. Maybe we’ll even be able to attach pictures!

Dave & his esposa, Raylene (the Tico’s spell and pronounce it “Reiling”) Read more Entry>>

We're moving!

We decided that this house is just too big for the two of us, way too much work for Dave and we both agree that the thought of spending another winter in Maine is just TOO much!!!

We have downsized SIGNIFICANTLY, selling most of the antiques we had collected over the years and have given away most everything else to family, friends and charities.

After placing our house on the market, it sold for the full asking price in less than 3 weeks! With closing on November 2nd, we have to move out of our home of over 20 years. We are renting a waterfront home in Harpswell for at least November and December to clear up loose ends.

We will keep you posted of when and where we go!!!
Dave & Raylene Scott Read more Entry>>