Poverty in Costa Rica
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Photo by Tico Times of the slum Triángulo de la Solidaridad with small child peeking from her home. |
This excellent article, Costa Rica’s first slum tour offers visitors a different perspective on paradise, and tells about an organization, “Boy with a Ball,” that is helping to build community in the slums of San Jose and now offers tours of a major slum for tourists as a fund raiser and educational experience about community among the poor. Don’t miss the excellent video clip in it!
Poverty is everywhere including Costa Rica and like most places it is usually worse in the big city. It is also interesting to note that most of the CR poor are immigrants from Nicaragua, Honduras, and El Salvador who came here for better work opportunities than in their home countries. This is not a Global Poverty, Child Mortality Fall Sharply, According to UN.
paradise for everyone, though most are doing better than they did in those neighbor countries. Many of the low-paid house maids are among these immigrants as are some gardeners. Good news is that
Costa Ricans are mostly better educated and have the better-paying jobs. With universal health care and free education through college, there is little excuse for many Tico citizens to live in deep poverty. Immigrants on the other hand have many reasons for living in poverty. I think the fact that most Costa Ricans are very religious, have high moral standards, party a lot and are the happiest people in the world also helps! 🙂 Yet an article in this same newspaper, Tico Times, said in 2014 that nearly a quarter of Costa Ricans live in poverty. Another 2014 article said Poverty programs enjoy success but jobs would be better. So – poverty continues to be a problem everywhere and there is no easy solution so far beyond us as individuals following the teachings of Jesus as we relate to the poor. And then, maybe that is the solution. 🙂
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Tomorrow, Wednesday, 9 July, I will be on a 12 to 14 hour trip to Nicaragua to renew my visa and may not be doing a post tomorrow night! The last “visa run” trip like this left me beyond exhausted. A local tour driver takes a van load of us on this trip every 3 or 4 months. I can live here now without a visa but cannot drive a car or even get a rent car. Like to keep my options open! Once I’m an official resident, I’ll get a CR Driver License.
Sidewalk Flowers in Atenas
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Atenas, Costa Rica |
Another New Butterfly!
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How can anything this distinctive not be in any of the books? For now, it remains an Unknown beauty! On my Living Room window screen. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Whether butterfly or moth, this dude is cool looking! I’m having this image printed to hang in my house here in Atenas, Costa Rica. |
My new gallery now has 20 species in it: Costa Rica Butterflies by Charlie Doggett
And by the way, my “Birthday Breakfast” with Anthony at Kay’s Gringo Postres was great with a yummy omelet, biscuits and gravy, and a fabulous piece of Karo Pecan Pie just like Mother made! It is a place to get American food by a Texas couple. And the only place I know with real bacon!
A Happy Birthday in Atenas!
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One portion of the sidewalk I cleaned off. A community project, not the city! |
BIRTHDAY GOOD DEED
I decided a few days ago I wanted to start a new tradition for each birthday: Do a good deed, service project, or something that helps other people. One I have been wanting to do is contribute to the neighborhood community-built sidewalk on the road leading to my subdivision. So this morning after breakfast I spent an hour and a half, before getting too hot, shoveling gravel and dirt and sweeping parts of the sidewalk. In short, someone left a pile of gravel for the concrete on top of the sidewalk so all of us who use it have to walk around it into the street. So the first thing I did was use my very small garden shovel to move the pile of gravel off the sidewalk onto the shoulder of the road. Hard work! Then another longer section of the sidewalk has a dirt wall along side it that is crumbling onto the sidewalk with each rain or bump of anything into the wall. I started shoveling a drainage ditch between the walk and wall and putting the dirt in the street which will be removed when they come to repave and widen the street. Then I swept the sidewalk and parts of the street. By 8:30 it was very hot with no clouds and I had to quit. But I plan to go back and finish the job! Lots of women and children and old people use this sidewalk and I want to help make it safe and usable!
BIRTHDAY PRESENT
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Birthday Present to myself is two handmade wooden rocking chairs. That’s sillas mecedoras in Spanish |
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Sometimes you just don’t want to sit at the table! Now I’m looking for a matching small table to sit drinks, etc. on. That will be mesa pequeña in Spanish. No luck yesterday. |
BIRTHDAY LUNCH
David & Corrina with their full-time assistant at Su Espacio plus helpers Jason and Roni walked to my house at about 6:35 PM and they later found in my baby book that I was born at 6:35 PM – spooky huh? They are all young and full of life and brought everything for my feliz Cumpleaños party. It was a blast! And Jason even brought a gift, a Pura Vida coffee mug! My Tico friends are my best friends here and I will always remember this birthday party!
Blomfild’s Beauty
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Blomfild’s Beauty, Atenas, Costa Rica |
A few days ago I displayed 3 new butterflies for me. One was on a window screen and I used the text book name Smyrna Blomfildia. Well, two days later he (or one like him) showed up in my bathroom near the ceiling above a high window. Poor light, but two better shots than the one on the screen. This beautiful butterfly is found only in Central America and Mexico, very rarely in South Texas. It is know for the very intricate bottom or closed wing pattern. This time I got a partial shot of the top wings. Neat butterfly!
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Blomfild’s Beauty, Atenas, Costa Rica This shot shows the bottom wing pattern a little better than above. But I will add the screen shot that might show it even better.
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Blomfild’s Beauty, Atenas, Costa Rica Notice the intricate design and the multiple colors! |
See my complete collection at Costa Rica Butterflies by Charlie Doggett photo gallery
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And sorry about two posts in one day! I meant to hit the “Save” button, but the “Post” button is bigger and I’m used to hitting it! So consider this tomorrow’s post! You won’t get another one then!
Finally! A U.S. Ambassador to Cost Rica!
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They’ll be here in time for the Embassy 4th of July Picnic! |
See this article with video clip in the TICO TIMES: http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/06/25/senate-confirms-s-fitzgerald-haney-us-ambassador-costa-rica
We have been without an ambassador since 2013 thanks to the shameless, mean, Anti-Obama political stalling by Republicans in the Senate. It had nothing to do with Ambassador Haney or his qualifications, just silly hatred of President Obama that is now backfiring. Yesterday I read in the Washington Post that this kind of Republicanism is finally dying out in the states.
Be sure to read his stellar qualifications for this position in the above article. He should have been approved the day he was appointed! Hopefully he will help the U.S. image here during the one year he has left for sure and maybe he will get to stay longer if the next U.S. President is a Democrat.
I am trying to avoid politics in this blog, but this is about Costa Rica and affects us here and indirectly you there in the states. Plus I wanted to share what a great new ambassador we now have here. Some things are slowly getting better! 🙂
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Some of the surrounding forest and farm land as seen from my bedroom window (above the ugly power lines) |
Have you seen the Chamber of Commerce video promoting Costa Rica? essential COSTA RICA
Pure marketing, but it does show some of the diversity and strengths of my new home country. (2 min.) But the shorter tourism promotion clip with singing animals is more fun! Called: Save the Americans made especially for those of you who are overworked! 🙂
¡El Sapo!
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Giant Toad or Black-backed Frog, Leptodactylus melanonotus Not a positive identification – Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Dark color with light spots, guess 5 or 6 inches without being stretched out, largest I’ve seen yet |
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Giant Toad or Black-backed Frog Atenas, Costa Rica |
And a late-breaking photo at about 5:30 while watering the garden:
Costa Rica Named the #1 Happiest Country on Earth . . . AGAIN! By The Travel Channel
Quote seen today:
“Not all those who wander are lost.”
– J. R. R. Tolkien
Three New Butterflies!
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Southern Broken Dash Skipper In my garden at Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
Smyrna Blomfildia butterfly inside my house on window screen. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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Turquoise Emperor butterfly In a neighbor’s yard, Roca Verde, Atenas, Costa Rica |
I’m getting more photos at home than I do at some of these butterfly farms! And I never tire of this! Also so glad I went to the trouble and expense of starting a flower garden two weeks after moving in! It has really paid off! In just two months! I’ve lost count of the butterflies I’ve photographed here, and that is in addition to 5 species of Hummingbirds photographed! My Costa Rica Butterflies Gallery is up to 19 species now, but not all from my yard!
May the wings of the butterfly kiss the sun
And find your shoulder to light on,
To bring you luck, happiness and riches
Today, tomorrow and beyond.
~Irish Blessing
My Health Improves in Costa Rica!
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At my target weight now! First time in 30+ years! |
After 6 months in Costa Rica I decided to buy bathroom scales for fear I was gaining weight instead of losing or staying at a healthy level. After all, I have been eating a lot here and learned that Ticos have a sweet tooth like me. Who can resist Tres Leches or Coconut Flan? So at the Alajuela Walmart I got a nice looking glass scales similar to what I had in Nashville. I bring it home and weigh for a pleasant surprise! I am averaging between 173-175 which is what the charts say I should weigh for my height, etc. 173-175. In the morning I am closer to 173 and by night closer to 175. I tried to reach that in the states all of 2014 but usually stayed between 180-185, which was better than the 200 pounds the year before!
To what do I contribute this? The same two things most people do, eating and exercise. I eat more fresh fruits an vegetables here than I did in Nashville, even living for 10 years across the street from Nashville Farmers’ Market. We have no American fast food restaurants in Atenas! Nada! Now, I can get a burger, pizza, or fried chicken from some Tico restaurants, but rarely do; only pizza or a good hamburguesa. I haven’t had fried chicken in many years! Don’t like it anymore, though popular here, especially with the young. I’m also learning to eat more sensible sized portions most of the time though some restaurants don’t help there, but now I’m eating at home more and that helps.
The best thing to happen to me exercise-wise was to decide not to buy a car, though the temptation pops up every once-in-a-while. I walk almost everywhere in town and when I take a bus to San Jose or Alajuela I walk most places when I get there. I’m averaging 3 to 6 miles every day. Part of the key there is “every day.” If I get a large order of groceries, then I take it back by taxi for about $2, but I’m learning to grocery shop little at a time every-other day which gives me more exercise as I can carry smaller loads and I have fresher stuff!
I am still debating a bicycle which would be quicker than walking and still be good exercise. The two negatives are the one big “killer hill” between Roca Verde and downtown AND the narrow streets with sometimes sloppy drivers of cars. It could be dangerous! Peligroso! So I keep walking! And probably will not get a bike.
OTHER HEALTH FACTORS:
- I have Costa Rican Private Health Insurance and got to cancel that expensive U.S. Medigap insurance. A big savings!
- I have a private practice doctor who speaks good English. (Sorry! Meant to get a photo of her office with an ambulance out front. Her assistant is an EMT, so they can come get me if they need too!) 🙂 I have heard that most of the government doctors speak English too when I eventually go on that program next year. But hope I’m speaking Spanish by then!
- Hospitals are all highly rated throughout Costa Rica at half the U.S. prices! Everything from heart surgery to cancer treatment is done here with great competence. I feel secure.
- Few weather extremes in our Atenas “perfect climate” which contributes to good health.
- Less stress than in the States and not having a car helps with that even more! 🙂 Actually, driving here is the most stressful activity I have done and it can be as stressful as in the states, though maybe people get used to it. Well, opening a bank account was a little stressful, but I’m getting used to bureaucratic paperwork now and to just “go with the flow!”
- Surrounded by nature. My cure for everything! 🙂
- A relaxed, laid-back culture helps one to slow down and “go with the flow.”
- I have slowly tapered myself off the drugs U.S. doctors gave me, first to sleep at night, I’m now using simple, healthy herbs to help with sleep. I get that from one of the local Macrobioticas or health-food (supplements) stores here. Feeling better and sleeping as good! Also stopped all the allergy meds and doing fine without them! (Sorry! Meant to get a photo of my favorite Macrobiotica at the Central Market.)
- But eating healthier and walking a lot are still the main reasons for my better health here. I turn 75 Saturday and expect to live a whole lot longer here! 🙂
SOMETHING NEW: I’m finding it harder to write without using some Spanish (or Costa Rican) words. So you will know, I am going to try and put all Spanish (Costa Rican) words in red. Tell me if that is distracting or helpful.