Guide to the first weeks. Settling in.
Last night we experienced our first serious tremor.
I say serious because we had felt slight tremors before. Both in Alajuela and in Guanacaste. They usually came at night and they felt as if someone had forgotten a mobile in vibration mode on the bed. Like a subtle, almost unnoticeable move. But strong enough that we would wake up. … More Our first tremor
We have now arrived to what will be our home for the next four months. The trip was “almost” uneventful. Almost. Let me explain. We left the central pacific with blue sky and full sun. It was even too hot. But as we were approaching the Osa Peninsula, it suddenly got dark. Let me repeat. … More Welcome to the jungle!
Oops! Have we been here already for a month?
After 10 hectic days in Alajuela and more than two weeks doing nada on the beach, I finally have the need to start doing something. I am basically getting anxious because I see the days passing by without accomplishing anything, apart from resting and blogging. I realize that part of the problem is that I am so used to do something and moreover to have to do something that the mere fact of having days without plans is scary. This is a bad sign.
… More Why ‘doing nothing’ feels so alien. A reflection on the first 30 days of the sabbatical.
Earlier, we settled for an understanding of ‘doing nothing’ of not having to do anything that is somehow externally forced upon us. Now that I am writing this, I finally realize that we ended up in the ironic and frustrating situation where ‘doing nothing’ is actually forced upon us. … More When ‘doing nothing’ is frustrating
Among the purposes of this first month of the sabbatical were to sleep, relax, recover and “do nothing”. But even on holidays, we are always doing “something”: reading, birdwatching, organizing photos, strolling on the beach, snorkeling or nowadays, writing a blog. So, what do we mean by doing nothing? … More Learning the art of doing nothing
Both Frank and I had imagined a car-free sabbatical in Costa Rica. Our dream was to go around on foot (flip-flops to be more precise) or with a bike and enjoy a slooooooooow life. It turns out that while it might be possible when we live around Puerto Viejo during the second half of the … More Buying a car in Costa Rica
Hoy se cumple nuestra primera semana en Costa Rica. Y de acuerdo con nuestros planes, deberíamos estar ya en chanclas en la playa. Sin embargo, seguimos en San José, soportando el ruido continuo de los coches, camiones y autobuses del año del Perico, que pasean por la ciudad. Las 24 horas del día. El ruido … More Nuestra primera semana en Costa Rica
Yesterday, I realized that in terms of planning and work, taking a one-year sabbatical in another country is similar to migrating to that country. You need a visa, a bank account, a place or places to stay, decide what to do with your home/sell it/cancel the rent, a car, and perhaps some more. The past week, one of the things we were not so successful in was finding a bank to open an account. Having an account here would greatly facilitate large payments for buying a car, paying the rent, or making a deposit. … More Opening a bank account
This is an automatic english translation of a post originally published in Spanish Today is our first week in Costa Rica. And according to our plans, we should already be in flip flops on the beach. However, we are still in San José, enduring the continuous noise of the cars, trucks, and buses of the … More Our first week in Costa Rica
A major item on our to-do lists has been the application of a one-year visa for volunteer work. Yesterday, we went to the migration office bracing for the impact of endless queues, grumpy bureaucrats and Kafkaesque referrals from one desk to another. It was not that bad, and at points even fun and pleasant. … More The visa bureaucracy : not that bad
