charliedoggett.net
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| “The Strawberry Woman” is what I call her. La mujer fresa Sometimes she sells fruits/veggies from back of pickup downtown but most often here in front of her house. The best & cheapest strawberries! Atenas, Costa Rica |
When she saw me about to make a photo, she hid behind the cart. 🙂
A new friend who visited Atenas once and is coming back for 3 months to find if this is really where he wants to retire and maybe find a specific place to live long term. He asked me to check out a rent house he found online listed by owner and I made him a temporary Photo Gallery of the House. I just sent him the link and then thought that others might like to see what you could rent in Atenas for less than $600 a month! Just click the gallery link above. It is 3.9 km from the center of town.
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| His possible rental house overlooks a beautiful valley and is surrounded by nature and a mountain resort next door he can use. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Having butterflies is important to me and there were several right in front of his potential house. Red-Spotted Patch Butterfly Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Logo University of Costa Rica |
I was trying to link to the University of Costa Rica medical school and when I googled it the paid ad of a private medical school here came up first and that was the link I used. Sorry! The above link is to the real university website and you can drill down to the medical school or other information about the university. And I just corrected my original post. Money rules even on Google searches! Where you can pay to be listed first! 🙂
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| Renown medical journal University of Costa Rica |
The university medical school does a twice a year medical research journal called Revista Médica that is well-respected throughout the Americas. And of course they train most of the doctors in Costa Rica along with a few other Latin American medical schools like UCIMED I mistakenly linked to yesterday and a few medical schools in other countries, including the USA.
Most doctors here work for salary through the government health plan where no patient is turned down because of “pre-existing conditions” and there is not expensive co-pay like in the states. The outstanding single-payer healthcare services here contribute to Costa Rica having a healthier population than the United States. And I think the relaxed, happier, pura vida attitude helps too! It is a great, healthy place to live!
Some of you know that in Nashville I had the very same arrangements made with Vanderbilt University Medical School, but you have to die within 100 miles of the school to be accepted there. Not likely now, though if for whatever reason I would be in Nashville at the time of my death, it will still work there and not for Costa Rica.
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| So very, very good ice cream on a stick and frozen fruit pulp on a stick, about 44 cents USD. I walk by here on my way to La Coope. Great on a hot afternoon! 🙂 |
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| Another Home Selling Ice Cream Atenas, Costa Rica |
And another home selling something more like popsicles except it is frozen drink in little plastic bags the kids bite a hole in and suck the juice out. Not for me:
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| Apretados (to squeeze) Atenas, Costa Rica |
And the photo gallery of Home Business Signs Atenas
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| On the back of the menu at Crema y Nata translated to English: Life is very short . . . start with dessert! |
And some morning when I walk by there I may just start the day with a cup of Te Chai!
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| Blue-winged Sheenmark, Eurybia lycisca In my garden yesterday. Only the 2nd one I’ve ever seen. See last year’s sighting inside my house! Better photo! This is cellphone. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Maraca Plant or Shampoo Ginger Is spreading like wildfire! Each flower will be a new plant! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Caladium Lily Not expecting flowers from my caladiums! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Guardian Mom! She sits on top of hummingbird feeder, chasing adults off so her children can freely feed when they wish. See below. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| Guardian Mom! Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| This physical therapist is at end of street my development is on. Friends have used her and claim she is amazing at solving back problems. |
As I continue to find and photograph new home business signs in Atenas, I am amazed at how many businesses are in homes here. I guess that is how it was in “The Olden Days” all around the world. Stay tuned to this blog for more interesting signs coming! And/or . . .
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| First, Second and Third Place Winners in the English Festival Spelling Bee Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica The light green uniform shirt means he is a graduating senior. All others blue! |
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| First Place Winner Receiving a Gift from Teacher Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| “Native Speakers” as Judges for the Spelling Bee The teen is a student there, but from the states and a native speaker helping. The rest of us are old retirees from both the states and Canada. Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica |
We started at 8 with a 9 or 9:30 break with a full Tico breakfast (Gallo Pinto, eggs, plantains, bread
and coffee! Then at noon a full Tico lunch and a donut as we left about 2 PM. The teachers are so nice and appreciative, the kids so nice and polite and helpful. It is a joy to visit this public school! And I will again tomorrow as a judge for the English Festival speaking contest and conversational English activities. Fun! One of the English teachers is Zaray Monge, a friend at church where she is also a translator and she was for awhile one of my Spanish teachers. So even more special to help her! She has three kids of her own plus a foster-child and her husband is a teacher at the other high school, Tecnico. A busy family!
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| My Gift from School A Beautiful Pot Plant! Colegio Liceo de Atenas, Costa Rica |
https://www.facebook.com/liceodeatenas/
They have updated the website for El Camino de Costa Rica and are having weekend hikes almost every weekend, though mostly in the steep mountains right now. Check it out! This will eventually be a top tourist attraction for nature lovers & hikers!
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| El Pingüino is a landmark on my side of town. It is a very small corner grocery store called pulpería or mini-super It looks like a store in front but it is also their home, living in the back. Atenas, Costa Rica |
How cool is it to have a little corner store called “The Penguin” in a tropical climate country where no native has ever seen a penguin? And it is the front part of their house! Or attached to their house. Plus it is 2 blocks from one public high school/middle school and 1.5 blocks from one public elementary school. Needless to say they have more student customers than anyone, selling lots of cold drinks an snack food! But they are better stocked for real food than another similar home store closer to me, though I still prefer the supermercado! There are many of these little corner stores all over town and probably many are in homes. No strict zoning codes or laws here! 🙂 Atenas is a really cool place to live!
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| El Pingüino Store entrance on corner. White addition on right is a rental apartment. The owner’s home is also attached to the left, seen in next photo. Also notice a mother walking daughter home from primary school. Atenas, Costa Rica |
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| El Pingüino Owner’s home is light green, attached to left behind white metal fence. These boys are at a school with a “no uniform day” today. Rare! Or out of school, especially the boy in shorts! No shorts in school! Atenas, Costa Rica |