Initial Impressions

On a scale from 1-10 with 1 being “Oh No” and 10 being “Amazing” I would say we are 8. It is more sunny than I expected but nobody stops short of telling us the down pours are soon to come... and with that comes a whole new world of growth, lush, furry and sticky. Beauty and uchy seemed closely linked here in the flora and fauna world down to the excessive mold and 4 inch roaches.

As funny as it sounds we think Costa Rica is like the southern Appalachians meets the jungles of Tanzania, misty, steep hills, phenomenal green, fenced plantation looking homes and land.

Our neighborhood is gorgeous, secure and friendly. We did not get the house I was expecting/hoping for but the one we got is bigger. We are directly across from the pool and away from the main gate. The people we’ve met around town say this is a great choice for a neighborhood in terms of safety, young families and comfort.

The greatest disappointment is that it is necessary to get a car here. The beach is further than expected and the roads are traveled by quickly moving vehicles so I don’t feel safe walking with the family down the road. The neighbors say that the dust gets so bad in the dry season that it will not be good for the kids to inhale all of the dust from passing vehicles.

A neighbor filled us in on the luxuries of living here in terms of help. He has a nanny who cooks, cleans and babysits for 3-4 US$/Hour. I have already seen how gracious the Costa Rican people are toward families and young children. We always get pushed to the front of the line with our babies.

The kids lost themselves into crazy happiness when they saw the Pacific Ocean. The beach stretched for miles, few people and NO buildings. You would almost think they had never seen a beach before but that may be compounded by endless hours of airplane travel.  No wonder the great wide open nature made them loopy. The kids woke up at 4am to the screams of the Howler Monkeys. Oliver stands at the end of our side walk and howls back at them.  He is so fearless.