hola

I arrived in Costa Rica a little over 48 hours ago. Getting our living situation in hand has taken us a little longer than I anticipated. On the other hand, it has taken me less than three days to realize how spoiled we are.

We are staying in a condo in the town of Tamarindo. True to its ad, our condo is “walking distance to everything.” WAYRA, our spanish school, is right around the corner; the small market is 100 yards away; the bank and larger market are 10 minutes away; and the beach is a 5 minute walk out the front door. Since a car was not in our budget,we wanted to live where we could walk easily with the kids.

Another reason we wanted a convenient location was because we are visiting during the “green” (meaning rainy) season. At this time of year, it rains every day, sometimes up to 3 hours. Having this central location makes life easier overall, but walking is not as easy as we had hoped.

Walking on the roads is the first reminder of how spoiled I am. I am used to roads being paved, and having sidewalks. All of the roads through Tamarindo are dirt and pothole-filled. There are hardly any sidewalks to speak of. After the rain fills the holes, the mud is slippery and unavoidable. Slipping and sliding from the market with my backpack filled with groceries was quite an adventure. The road sometimes dries out by 2 pm; drying just in time for the afternoon showers.

The water-filled potholes also make it difficult to move around with the twins. It is nearly impossible to convince a two-year old to resist the tempting invitation of so many mud puddles. I have already had to do laundry thanks to the mud and my twins’ lack of will power.

Feeding all of us is also challenging. We have committed ourselves to eating locally for two reasons: taking a party of six out to eat frequently is cost prohibitive, and Mark and I value eating local cuisine. Unfortunately, the grocery stores here are a lot smaller than the ones at home and they have limited supplies. The farmer's market is only open on Tues, Thrus and Fri mornings and we still haven't found the fish market. This has made for a few "interesting" meals. We figure as long as we have a protein and a starch, we will be ok (and mangos make up for a lot).

We have learned that there is an AUTO MERCADO about 3 miles down the main road (also dirt), just past the blind curve of death. Most everyone agrees that this is the “most American” grocery in town. Mark is planning to bike down there this afternoon. We shall see how it goes.

Other things that take getting used to: the need to boil our drinking water and the periodic power outages. The landlord told us to expect the power to go off and stay off for a few hours, 2-3 days a week. The resorts have backup generators, but the locals just keep going in the dark. We are living more like the locals, much to the kids dismay. We have already experienced our first afternoon of darkness. We also endure sporadic internet availability, and sharing our space with the massive iguanas that hang out by the pool.

Nonetheless, we are priviledged and blessed. By the standards of most families in this area, we are living large! We have a dishwasher!!

Whatever adjustments or challenges I face, I am certainly blessed to be here. If nothing else,the challenges remind me how much I have back home.