Mar 5, 2010 | Cost of Living, Culture Shock, Mail and Shipping
As you know, I hate to complain. But a coupla things are ticking me off lately. Like… 1. Gringo Pricing. While ticas and I are the same height, all resemblance stops there. Ticos see me coming. Like going into the local pulperia [mom and pop grocery] for eggs...
Aug 29, 2009 | Culture Shock, Death & Taxes, Driving, Expat, Legal Arrangements, Living-In, Teenagers
22 jan 2007This is how scary the roads are here: on Xavier's and my first date in Costa Rica, as he was white-knuckling the steering wheel and I white-knuckling my thighs, ä thought occurred to both of us simultaneously. What would the boys do if we didn't...
Aug 29, 2009 | Culture Shock, Expat, God, what a world!, Key West, Recovering REALTOR®
3 Oct 2006For my birthday, my friend Mary sent me this book. I love it, very sweet, simple. The funny thing is: I read the title and thought to myself "I have a charmed life." I've never had that thought before. The funnier thing is, I had to get broke...
Aug 29, 2009 | Culture Shock, Living-In
28 april 2007Around '94, Hal had business requiring several trips to Miami. When Mo asked where was Daddy going, Hal answered, "I'm going to Miami." One morning, Mo told me, "Daddy went to Hizami." At three years old, that logic is cute. At...
Jul 13, 2009 | Chelation & Heavy Metals, Cost of Living, CR: Working, Culture Shock, Current Affairs, Honduras, Living-In
Over on Costa Rica Living, we've been havin' ourselves a good ole time ranting and raving about Honduras and is it a coup or not. (It's not.) You can read the posts here (this is a 44 page pdf document… you have to be really interested!) The CRL camp...
Jul 5, 2008 | Cabecar, Culture Shock, Donations, Indigenous Societies
A Cabecar Indigenous reality Posted by Ginnee Hancockon the Costa Rica Living GroupThu Jul 3, 2008 12:19 pm (PDT) Yesterday a Cabecar Indigenous woman came down from the reservation with her mother and her child, a deformed two year old. The child has never seen a...
Jun 11, 2008 | Culture Shock, Etiquette, Living-In, Plumbing, Spanish, Utilities
Man, my patience is tried. I’m fried, wiped out. I surrender. Ok, I almost surrender, but it’s touch and go. When bad things happen here – just everyday bad things – you come up against the culture shock thing big time. Because simple solutions...
Apr 29, 2008 | Crime, Culture Shock, Legal Arrangements, Living-In, Squatters
A woman wrote to me recently about buying a house in Key West. Once she found out I live in Costa Rica, she wrote this:I have a question since you are living in Costa Rica. This is where my husband originally wanted to get a home. We had even started to look when we...
