SHORT REFLECTIONS ON OUR FIRST WEEK IN COSTA RICA

On our location:

We live on top of a mountain ridge in small town called El Cajon, a suburb of Grecia, surrounded by coffee and sugar farms and spectacular view of Central Valley. It is a rainy season so our mornings are sunny but the afternoon rain comes almost right on time everyday. The afternoon if not rainy are mostly cloudy, the mountain air feels heavy at times. We wake up with the roosters early in the morning and we go to bed by 8 pm since its pitch dark at around 5.00 in the afternoon. 

On bugs:

Although we feared the worst when it comes to bugs its really not that bad. The high altitude definitely helps, the one thing we are watching out for are bullet ants, we spotted two in the house so far and they say that their bite hurts like being shot. In certain Indian tribes when boys become men to prove their manhood they wear a glove filled with bullet ants, some make it alive some end up in  the hospital.  

On wildlife:

Our location is perfect for bird watchers, we have spotted parrots, hummingbirds and many that we haven't learn the names yet. Their morning serenades make you feel like you are in the deep forest at all times. 

On people (locals):

We have met few neighbors since we walk to the bus everyday, they always greet us with a smile and a greeting. Local kids attend school for a half a day only so we see them all the time. Zosia wants a play date with two girls from down the street but we haven't got the courage to ask yet. Kids have been playing with one neighbor for few times already. They point and whistle and run around most of the time since neither of the parties speak each others languages. Ticos ( locals) seem to be fascinated with children, giving them special attention everywhere we go. We had waiters bring extra things when they see our kids don't like things they ordered, they offer to take kids on their lap at the bus. One day a passerby brought ice cream for our kids while we waited for the bus. It is a big difference from the States where you receive looks when kids are a little louder or wild at times. Here you see the opposite, everyone seems to be amused by it and giving me looks when I tell my kids to calm down. 

On people (expats):

I'm sure there are many different stories here but our story is a good one for now. We met a fantastic group of people eager to share their knowledge about living in a foreign country. Central Valley is a home to many expat families with children, small and bigger. There are plenty of play dates, great homeschooling support group for newbies like us. We received car rides, shared dinners and information, people even offered to borrow us their cars so we can explore more of this country. 

On food:

If you love fruit this place is your fruit heaven. Local public market is filled with exotic fruit that is cheap and organic. We now eat fruit for breakfast and lunch and make something more substantial for dinner at home. Vegetables are not as good as fruit, I had a difficult time finding organic tomatoes and meat for Matt. We do love homemade goat yogurt they sell at the market. 

Eating out has been a little bit better for us then kids. We only ate out twice and had lunch at the market. We tried their famous rice and beans, rice and beans and chicken, rice and beans and shrimp etc... Our kids weren't so lucky since they would order familiar meals to them which tasted nothing like at home, quesadilla was super greasy, grilled cheese sandwich came with ham, tomato and lettuce, one thing they did like was warm sugar milk (leche con dulce) and the yummy vanilla ice cream with jello bits. 

On homeschooling: 

This will have to be a separate post but so far the kids are very happy which means they are doing very little school work. Leo is much easier because he is a good reader and he can do a lot of homework on his own while Zosia looses interest after three minutes. I see a school in the future but the Costa Rican summer is starting soon so they will probably not be able to attend school until February.