Update Aug 31, 2005

August 30, 2005
Hi everybody


Everything is going very well. We visited Panama earlier this month. Until we are residents of Costa Rica, we have to leave the country every 90 days and Joe’s 90 days were up. We did not like Panama as much as Costa Rica. We have applied for residency and we are told we may become residents within four months.

We are adjusting to living here. Things take longer. And between the language, the culture, the remoteness, the climate, and just moving to a new neighborhood, there are things to learn. Most of the time learning how things are done here is interesting--sometimes it is frustrating. For example, we are still using a borrowed cell phone. Phone lines are available at certain times under certain circumstances. And we are still trying to get the electricity into our name. Joe thought that going to the office two months ago with his passport and a copy of the bill as he was told would transfer the account from our builder to us. John, our builder, told me to check on it because he is still paying our electric bill. Well what the office needs is a copy of a previous bill and a copy of the passport—they don’t want the passport itself, they want a copy. Making a copy is one of these processes that slows things down. They sent me to the elementary school to see if I could get a copy. After 10 minutes wandering through the school looking for a copier or someone to make me a copy, I found out I had to go somewhere else—one mile away—our car was not working well, etc. So I will try again today!!

We are studying Spanish. Private lessons $10/hour. The teacher is excellent. She is German and has lived in Nosara for 10 years. We have our lessons in her back yard in a casual atmosphere and we are both progressing.

We continue to love our house up in the mountain with views of the ocean and the mountains. The air is very clean and the natural beauty is uplifting. Now that it is the rainy season, we watch the clouds come down from the sky with the mountains in the background. However, either the electricity or the water goes off approximately once/week. But it is OK. Last night we ate dinner on the terrace with candles and talked rather than watch a DVD. There really is not much to complain about.

We are busy attending to getting things fixed, (both cars have problems), unpacking our container, and monitoring the construction. Moving is a big deal. All the stuff that we packed now has to be unpacked and put somewhere. The construction is amazing to watch. There is a team of young men who are very strong, work fast, and have great attitudes. We are fortunate.

For Internet, we have to rely on Internet cafes for now which in Nosara are $2-$4 per hour. Until we get a landline for our telephone, we will not be able to have the Internet at home.

I will attempt to post one-two pictures—these pictures were taken late afternoon from our terrace. Much of our property is under construction but you can see some of the initial landscaping. We will have a pool. The major landscaping is being done the next 2 weeks. Once we have everything done, there will be more pictures.

Write back. Let us know when you can visit. We are expecting to have the guesthouses, pub, and the pool done by November, which is the beginning of the high season. It is good to hear from everyone. We don’t miss our Boston life at all but we do miss our family and friends. Hope all are having a wonderful summer, Joe and Helena