Apr 20, 2008 | Culture Shock, Living-In, Moving-To
We are home again, back at my desk next to my bed wearing my sheets (the bed, not me). So happy to be in my house with my stuff. Overlooking my valley. Through my razor wire. Which seems to have lost its lustre. Sigh. I have to tell you: I came back a tad confused....
Apr 7, 2008 | Cost of Living, CR: Working, Crime, Culture Shock, Expat, Key West, Living-In, Real Estate, Recovering REALTOR®
"In America, you'll get food to eat. Don't have to run through the jungle and scuff up your feet. You'll just sing about Jesus and drink wine all day. It's great to be an American." ...
Feb 8, 2008 | Culture Shock, Domincal, Ojochal, Travel Tips
Cindy, Gary and their tres hijos [trace EE-hose, three sons] have been planning a trip to Costa Rica for many months. And I mean planning, leaving no stone unturned. Secretly harboring a thought or two of giving up the stinking Canadian rat race and transplanting to...
Dec 31, 2007 | Culture Shock, Festivals & Holidays, Hope, Indigenous Societies, Mel Gibson, Samara, Nicoya Peninsula, Volunteering
I thought of something else I need in 2008. I need to talk to Mel Gibson. If you know him, could you please get me an audience? Why? Well, he’s cute for one thing, although probably too old for me now. OK: DON’T tell him I said that. Plus, he bought a huge...
Dec 24, 2007 | Cabecar, Culture Shock, Donations, Indigenous Societies, Volunteering
Last Thursday, the Badgetts and Mo and Ryan and I all took off for Ginnee and Phil Hancock’s home out in the boonies. I mean OUT in the BOONIES. The Badgetts brought an extra suitcase with clothes and Christmas presents for the Cabecar [kah-BECK-are] indigenous...
Dec 13, 2007 | Cost of Living, Crime, Culture Shock, Death & Taxes, Economy, Expat, Living-In, Taxes
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...
Nov 27, 2007 | Banking, Colones, Cost of Living, Culture Shock, Economy, Living-In, Money, Political Blah-Blah
Must be nice to be a government, able to muck around with the money when the mood strikes. Grab a little here, a little there… I would have said "Stealing 4%" but that might sound a little caustic. Slanderous, even. For instance. Last Thursday –...
Nov 19, 2007 | Culture Shock, Economy, Entrepreneurs, Expat, Hal, Health & Wellness, Hope, Key West, Living-In, Money, Spiritual Stuff
This morning, I had to admit to Hal that my homesickness has ratcheted up a notch lately. A big notch. So much so that, in my mind, I unconsciously find myself adding "when we go back" to the end of my thoughts. Unconsciously, until this morning when I heard...
