Oct. 12, 2006
San Jose
Posted in Costa Rica
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We have arrived. The craziness of the move and the preparations are mainly behind us. Yesterday we flew to San Jose. Took a taxi to the hotel (www.hotelsantothomas.com). The kids thought it was funny that they had to share a seat belt in the car. There were 4 seats and 5 people. There just wasn't much other choice. We got a chance to walk around downtown a bit. I guess I am a bit tired because I am not able to put into words what the day was like. I have travelled a lot but not with a 5 year old boy. The sidewalks are narrow, and the traffic heavy, and he is completely oblivious to his surroundings. It caused me to be a bit nervous on our walk around town. He wanted to run and I just didn't think it was a wise idea. I hope that as we get out of the city his energy will be easier to handle. We have found the people to be nice here. When we lost our bearings and could not figure out where our hotel was, the shop worker walked us a good block to show us where our hotel was. (The guide books are really true - the streets are not labelled. Occasionally I will see a sign but not every street/avenue is so labelled.) We had expected the food to be cheaper here. Granted if you eat rice and beans it is, but my family is eating meat since access to that will be limited when we get to Punta Mona. It has rained both days in the afternoon. Very hard rains. And the sun does go down at 6:30ish and rises at 6:30ish. Feels very weird to me. |
Aug. 30, 2006
Family Sabbatical in Costa Rica
Posted in Costa Rica
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Our family is taking a sabbatical to a remote area of Costa Rica for 6 months. I will continue to homeschool my kids, as well as another boy age 5 and help with the care for a 2 year old. My husband has always thought that our kids are missing out on something because they don't have the chance to grow up in an environment like he did. He grew up in the rainforests of Southern Africa - his father was building the roads so it was very wild. This adventure will give all of us a chance to experience that mindset. Making do with what is available, rather than heading to the nearest store to buy things. Eating what the community can grow and harvest rather than getting our produce at the grocery store that has been shipped across the country. Luckily we will have internet access on our adventure. I plan to update this blog regularly to give my friends and family an idea of what is happening. My kids will each have a page where I will type what they dictate to me. We leave the country Oct 11. We will arrive at our destination Oct 12 or 13. In the meantime, we are packing up our possession, and tying up loose ends. I probably won't have much of a chance to blog. Emptying out the food cache is almost a full time job. |