I sold my office furniture, entertainment center and TV today and it was all hauled off in a moving truck. The house is becoming more spacious and life is simpler, except that my internet-only connection with Comcast is not working effectively like it did when I had both TV & Internet – so I have to wait until Monday for a technician to come out. It gives me email, google, and my blogs (all on Google) but no other website. Strange! Tomorrow I pick up my new Asus Mega Laptop (G751) which replaces my desktop that I’ll be selling soon. The transformation to my simpler life in Costa Rica is happening daily and letting go of all that furniture today was another big step.
Will Costa Rica Be Surrounded by Canals?
Everyone knows that Panama is just south of Costa Rica with one of the busiest and most important canals in the world that many American businesses have greatly profited from. Now Nicaragua, just north of Costa Rica is planning an even longer and wider canal – or should I say that China is planning a canal there that will of course greatly help the economy of Nicaragua, but of China even more, just like the U.S. profited most from the Panama Canal. They break ground on the Nicaraguan Canal in December.
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| It will go not far north of the Costa Rica border through Lake Nicaragua, largest Central American lake. |
Those of us who care about the environment and clean water are opposed to it, but “green” people still don’t have that much influence in the world, beyond Costa Rica that is. In contrast to the U.S., China and Nicaragua, Cost Rica is one of the greenest and most ecologically sound countries in the world with 25% of its land set aside as National Parks and reserves. They planning to become the first carbon-neutral country in the world and already produce about half their electricity with renewable sources. Ecology and preservation of nature is one of many reasons I’m moving there. Hopefully the neighbor to the north won’t let greed spoil our pristine Costa Rican environment with spillover affects through overlapping rivers and forests.
Costa Rica’s “Psychotropic” Pop Music
With Salsa music big on Costa Rica’s west coast and Reggae/Calypso popular on the Atlantic/Caribbean coast (for tourists in particular), and a world-class symphony orchestra in San Jose, I haven’t really experienced specific Costa Rican pop music. But one local band, Sonambulo, is trying to help the world experience it with a new album “Psicosonorama.”
Read the Tico Times story about it or to just see the YouTube music video of one weird single, “La Maraca,” on their “Psychotropic” (Voodoo-like) album that is also being released in the United States. It is the most popular group among youth in Costa Rica, selling out all concerts. Interesting! Though not exactly my taste in music. (My age maybe?) 🙂 I suspect that U.S. youth will like it!
A Testimony of Living in Atenas
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| A Rural Road Near Atenas, Cost Rica (copied) |
I’m guessing she is a 30-something girl who wrote this descriptive testimony of living in Atenas where I will live in less than 8 weeks.
Check it out to get a different description than I have shared yet. One of her photos is a road outside of town which I expect to find near my apartment. We’ll see!
This morning’s activity was another “Moving Sale” day in the McKendree Village Treasure Shop. I did fairly well, a little better than last Saturday.
This afternoon I will be doing laundry and culling down my files to what I really need to take with me to Costa Rica. And I saved one of my books from sale or disposal which I thought I might read first, Richard Foster’s Freedom of Simplicity (click for excerpts) then I discovered it is available on my new Kindle Fire which I got to avoid carrying so many heavy books to costa Rica. It was just instantly loaded on my Kindle – how cool this is! I’m going to live in the rainforest while building my new library electronically! 🙂 As usual, I’m as excited as a little kid about all of this!
And as has happened before, my post on His Spirit Blog today relates directly to this, the removal of stress by depending on God and simplifying my life as getting rid of all this stuff is doing already!
The Move is Moving Along Faster!
It is like so much is happening every day that I have not been able to keep up with posting. I have buyers for my car (Dec. 19 release so money in bank that day), Washer & Dryer sold for Dec. 20 release, Office furniture and bookshelves sold and I’m letting go in the next two weeks when the buyer gets transportation arranged. In relation to that I just bought a new mega-laptop to replace my desktop which comes in next Wednesday and two days to get it setup and my desktop cleaned off for selling. Whew!
And before he gets my credenza file cabinet I have to refile everything for (A) Going to Costa Rica and (B) Going in storage. Whew again! I’m still moving books and little things to The Treasure Shop here at McKendree for about 3 more Saturdays of selling stuff though it is slowing down and is much less money.
I’m also looking at the new T5i Canon Rebel since the two I have are really getting old and worn but I will keep and use. If I get the new one I may start trying little short videos and even start a YouTube Video Channel. We’ll see.
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| Turrialba Volcano on a Pretty Day |
And for those interested, another volcano erupted this week in Costa Rica, again not close to where I will live. Here are some nice still photos:
http://www.ticotimes.net/2014/10/31/turrialba-volcano-eruption-in-costa-rica-photos-from-the-web?utm_source=BenchmarkEmail&utm_campaign=Daily%20RSS%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email
Car Paved Around in San Ramon & Theater Anniversary
A Lack of Communication?
I guess in the states the car would have been towed – maybe – but in San Ramon, Costa Rica this guy leaves his car parked on a street on paving day and the workers just pave around it. A little funny from Costa Rica!
It is exciting to see how Costa Rica is celebrating the 117th Birthday of the National Theater tomorrow. I look forward to hearing the national symphony or some other performance in that beautiful theater! And by the way, you did know that Nashville, Tennessee’s Symphony Director, Giancarlo Guerrero, is from Costa Rica? Didn’t you?
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| Teatro Nacional, San Jose, Costa Rica |
Human-Pseudo Orcas Snorkeling Encounter
In the southwest corner of Costa Rica off the coast of Osa Peninsula (Corcovado National Park) is an area for great whale-watching and dolphin-watching. But this encounter by snorkelers with the rare Pseudo Orcas (a type of dolphin sometimes calle “false killer whate”) is supposedly rare and beautiful
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6sLoTzTk5k#t=221
If I decide later to live on the coast, this southern Pacific Coast is the area I would choose, even though more isolated or maybe because it is isolated! 🙂
Why Do “Easy Jobs” Get So Complicated?
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| Sunrise at Tortuguero by Charlie |
In addition to continuing to sell things and/or arrange for the pre-sell of items like the washer/dryer (Sold!) and the car (Sold!), I have to deal with car dealers for appraisals and struggle with unanswered phone calls, etc.
BUT the biggest issue this week was the simple email that said “click here” to upgrade your system to Windows 8.1 (from just 8). Wish I had never clicked! I spent a good bit of two days dealing with all the problems like the sound not working, all drivers needed to be updated, by me of course! Why can’t they make that a part of an upgrade? Then I googled for help on the sound first and some company, implying they represented Microsoft, wanted $200 to get my computer working correctly again. After an hour of “Live Chat” I canceled and found a true Microsoft fix for the sound and downloaded the needed drivers myself. Grrr.
Then, knowing that the address the apartments gave me in Atenas may not be permanent and will not work for internet ordered packages, I spent several days signing up for an Aeropost mailbox and street address in Miami. ARCR would have handled it for me if I wanted to go to downtown San Jose to pickup my mail and packages, but they recommended that I have them delivered to a pickup station closer to where I live, which is the Aeropost Office in Alajuela (near airport). That meant working with the spanish-speaking employees of Aeropost, Aerocasillas in Espanol. After most of a week, getting a USPS Form 1583 notarized today, I now have everything done for my two Miami addresses, except for hand-delivering the notarized form and copies of passport and driver license to the Alajuela office on my first visit.
It is too early to give these addresses out right now, but I will publicize them by the first of December and send change of address cards for Christmas Cards. And make them pretty too! 🙂
And in Spanish Class we are trying to memorize the many versions of the verb “to be” -ser. My head is spinning, but for a good reason! 🙂 And at school yesterday, my tutoring was interrupted with an awards ceremony assembly to recognize perfect attendance and good citizenship, while my kindergarteners are still learning how to write their names and the sounds of the alphabet. Slow progress everywhere this week – but good and important progress! I feel that a lot of things are starting to “fall in place” (with a lot of help!).
PURA VIDA!
Church Possibilities in Atenas
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| “Atenas New Community” |
About 4 or 5 blocks from my apartment in Atenas is a non-denominational Bible Church Iglesia Biblica Atenas.
They have Sunday morning services in Spanish language that I’ll attend.
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| Iglesia Biblica Atenas |
Connected with it is an English-speaking Atenas New Community with Bible Study on Tuesday night and English Language Worship on Wednesday evening in the same building.
Both the Tico church and the English speaking community are somehow affiliated with LifePoint Church in Plano, TX and the English leader, Steve Lucas, was formerly on staff at that Plano church. The auditorium above seems to be used for Spanish on Sunday morning and English on Wednesday night.
40 minutes away in Escazu is the large, English-speaking International Baptist Church if I really get in the mood for a larger North American style Evangelical Church, though I expect to stay close to Atenas at first.
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| International Baptist Church Escazu, Costa Rica |
Click the links to each church above to see what I have to look forward to. The two in Atenas just have Facebook pages, but IBC has a full website and busy program. Christian fellowship and worship is important to me. I may try others I discover in Atenas.
And oh yes, I have already been invited to the Atenas New Community Christmas Eve service in English if I get in and settled in time. I am to arrive at airport at 2:00 and service is at 5:30 – so we’ll see! 🙂
Poas Volcano Erupted This Week!
Post by OVSICORI-UNA.
Thanks to Steve Lucas for leading me to this up close video of an eruption! And friends, don’t worry, I will not be living close to an erupting volcano! I promise!