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| Tonight’s Sunset from the driveway above my roof looking west. Different from my balcony views looking north. |
Five months! They have flown by and I’m still on vacation! Soon I will start traveling more and seeing new places, though I will always love where I live and every day is a vacation here!
In the first five months I moved here with 5 suitcases (one was all winter clothes shouldn’t count!), lived 4 months in a really good “starter” apartment with great views, just different than here. I have learned my way around Atenas, where to find things, how to ride taxis and buses. I’ve tried multiple churches and not found my place there yet. I’m in a Spanish class and making progress poco, poco (slowly). Have multiple new friends! I have a quick half day bus trip to Alajuela down pat for picking up my Aerocasillas mail from Miami and shopping at Walmart and Pricesmart (Costco) and sometimes trying a new restaurant. I know how to get to San Jose in an hour by bus, visit Association of Residents of Costa Rica, the U.S. Embassy, a hospital and doctors office for a physical, and to get a rental car at the airport. I’m even comfortable driving here!
My Residency Application is in process with a Cedula by early next year and earlier if I’m lucky. I now have private medical insurance here and just in time to cancel my stateside Medigap Insurance as it doubled in price. I have a bank account and learning to use it and maybe online banking soon! (In Spanish!) I have my SS Check scheduled for deposit here in this account starting in June to more easily pay my rent. Even with lots of extra moving expenses, I’m spending less money than I did living at McKendree Village Retirement Center. I have a good cellphone service and know how to use it and get service and even use it to read books with the Kindle App when away from home. Internet and TV service is better here than the apartments (different company, CABLETICA) and I’ve got auto-debit payment worked out for that. I get Netflix when I want to watch a movie which is seldom. I read more now. I’ve been in a new house for a month now with a beautiful flower garden and extra trees planted.
I’ve been to Nicaragua to renew my visa once and will again in June just so I can drive if needed with my Tennessee license. I will get a Costa Rica driver license when I am an official resident. I’ve visited multiple tourist places in Central Costa Rica and ready to show guests around (thanks to Kevin for helping me learn!). And I’ve started unpacking the boxes I shipped and planning to give away a lot more stuff! Retirement in Costa Rica is good! Pura Vida! And I have fun telling about it in this blog! More than 60 people get it by email and another 50+ are reading it online daily, so there must still be some interest in retiring in Costa Rica. Thanks to the encouragement so many friends have given me to keep writing this. So I will. But will keep trying to not be so long-winded! 🙂
C.D. – thank you for your daily posts to your blog. I read each of them. I enjoy your photography and your accounts of the Pura Vita in your new home. It takes a lot of discipline to write each day, but your efforts are a book in-the-making. I frequently experience your adventures vicariously. I pray for you often and hope that in the future we will share another hike on unexplored trails. Grace to you, L.Y.
I would love to share another hike with you Larry! But it might have to be in Costa Rica! 🙂