BackpackerMom

   

    Thirteen Secrets about COSTA RICA
   

1. Costa Ricans call themselves Ticos
   

2. Costa Rica was voted as the third best country to live on earth.
   

3. In Costa Rica there are two seasons: The wet season and the not-so wet season
   

4. You can make a collect call (110) from any phone and it’s practically free and almost everyone accepts it.
   
5. You can drink the water here!
   

6. Cash is king, so always, ALWAYS ask for a cash discount!
   

7. One out of every four women is pregnant, yet the population growth is less than 1%.
    8. Costa Rica is the number one country in all of Latin America who imports the most amounts of pesticides for their produce.
   

9. Costa Rica is not at all cheap.
   

10. The saying for the roads goes like this:  There is a few pieces of road on the holes–meaning, get a 4 by 4 if you want to drive on the holes (Costa Rica calls its highways).

11. You do need some spanish to get around Costa Rica.
   

12. If you make an appointment–ALWAYS–be prepared to wait anywhere between 30 minutes to a few days.  They are always late!
   

13. The weather here is truly ideal.

   

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(Even if it is only to the corner market, and even if I do live in tropical, exotic Costa Rica.)

To get out of the house before my 2-year-old determinedly achieves making my head and/or my husband’s into a flat-board for his diving expertise.
2. To avoid hearing my son demand I draw his hand on any random surface, AGAIN!
3. To see new places and teach him something other than “do you need to go pee-pee/ca-ca?”
4. To wear him out so he can develop a big hole in his belly and finally eat without me ripping my hair out or crying for him to take just one teensy-weensy morsel of the food I’ve slaved over for hours so he can have some ‘spice’ in his life, because god-forbid if a toddler eats something with less than eight words in the title. And, of course, the reason for his NOT eating is because ‘y cooking is too boring’for him and I have to cook up extravagant concoctions of mac and cheese, chicken nuggets, pasta, and meats!
5. To wear him out completely on someone else’s turf so he can sleep like a ‘baby’.

6. For me to see something other than my four walls which have become miraculously, and too quickly, covered in chalk, crayons and marker. (My husband and I are totally opposed to this, but if we say no the full-on temper tantrum awaiting us is by far more taxing than the hours of scrubbing the walls clean.)
7. To know that there is a world out there with real people other than Barney, Mickey, Clifford, Dora…
8. To interact with real, live people and kids who will be great distractions for my son as he attempts another round of climbing our shoulders via stepping all over my body and face, or having us fly him around like an airplane. (He only weighs 30 pounds!)
9. To have a reason to take a shower (other than because I am too stinky even for myself) and throw on clothes bought in trendy stores than my glorified robes and PJ sets. Besides, I’ve realized dressing up for any reason at all when my little man joins me is fruitless. He manages to leave footprints, paint prints, food prints on me no matter how hard I try to run from him.
10. To dress up ‘the-light-of-my-life’ (my son) in the numerous designer outfits my family and friends eagerly bestow upon us. They actually think my life is as exotic as the country I live in!

First and foremost who in Costa Rica doesn’t have a kid! And if they don’t, there’s one on the way. It’s contagious. Even us, ex-pats, are multiplying like bunnies down here. My husband and I have made a ... [Continue reading this entry]

I have been proven right about the treasures hidden at Universities. It just so happens that this week in Costa Rica is Japan week. I live next to the National University and today for free there are two ... [Continue reading this entry]

Being married to an Academic helped us discover these rare gems that aren't only in Costa Rica but in every corner of the world. And, without even realizing it, I've been checking out these spots in practically every city and ... [Continue reading this entry]

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