Muy Calor

It has been very hot this last week in Atenas and it is our understanding that it will only get hotter from now until March.

(For our readers in the United States, that’s 102 degrees Fahrenheit outside the car and almost 106 degrees Fahrenheit inside the car.)

To cool off, the kids washed the car (soaking each other in the process, of course).

The nights are very warm as well (the low for the days is around 22 degrees Celsius (72 degrees Fahrenheit)) so dinner is best served outside.

Focus on the journey, not the destination

We finally made it to Costa Rica. Here is a summary of our journey.

From	To	Distance (km)	Flight Time (hours)
Montreal, Quebec	Fort Lauderdale, Florida	2,230	3.25
Fort Lauderdale, Florida	Atlanta, Georgia	939	1.5
Atlanta, Georgia	Phoenix, Arizona	2,550	3.75
Phoenix, Arizona	Houston, Texas	1,630	2.5
Houston, Texas	San José, Costa Rica	2,490	3.5
	Total	9,839	14.5

“Focus on the journey, not the destination. Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it.”

Greg Anderson (American best-selling author and founder of the American Wellness Project)

(However, not much joy in going through airport security so many times.)

When we got here, some old friends were waiting in the house for us.

Phoenix Zoo

Phoenix, Arizona has an amazing zoo and it is often rated one of the top zoos in North America. We spent a wonderful day there yesterday.

The largest non-profit zoo in the United States, the Phoenix Zoo is a must for family vacations in Phoenix or pretty much anyone who likes to enjoy a laidback afternoon. This massive 125-acre complex differs from most modern zoos in how it structures its 1,200+ animals into four long trails covering the native wildlife of Arizona, Africa, and others. There’s also a large “touch” tank called Stingray Bay.

The Phoenix Zoo garnered worldwide attention for one of its animals, an Asian Elephant named Ruby. Ruby came to the zoo in 1973, just months after being born in Thailand. After noticing Ruby doodling in the sand with sticks, her keeper decided to give her a brush and paint. Ruby quickly became famous for her paintings, whose sales raised over US $200,000 for the zoo. Art collectors all over the world joined 18-month waiting lists and paid hundreds of dollars for original prints.

More pictures here.

Where in the World?

We tried to make our way from Montréal to San José on Sunday, January 10, 2010. We took a flight from Montréal to Fort Lauderdale, Florida first thing in the morning (we were at the airport at 4:00am) and then had to deal with the nightmare of the heightened security at the airport. We were already exhausted when we arrived at the American Airlines counter in Fort Lauderdale for baggage drop-off with our boarding passes in hand to continue to San José. Unfortunately, we were denied boarding due to the fact that we did not have an onward ticket to prove that we would be leaving Costa Rica within 90 days (we only had a one-way ticket). After the shock wore off, we quickly organized a one-day rental car and overnight in a cheap hotel, and put our thinking caps on. So what do you do if you are a young family of 5 stuck in Southern Florida? You head to Arizona, of course. ^_^

We are in Scottsdale, Arizona for the week and plan to be back in Costa Rica next week.

An aside

Since July, 2009, I have flown to San José through Toronto, Newark, Fort Lauderdale, and Charlotte, and I have never been asked to show a return ticket before boarding the plane. Plus, they have never asked for an onward ticket when going through customs in Costa Rica. In addition, I could only find one page on any official government site on the Internet that mentions this being a requirement and it is on the site for the Costa Rican Embassy in Washington, DC (being Canadian, this is not a site that I would visit). So, is this a restriction that is applicable to US citizens only? Or, does it apply to everybody who passes through the United States to get to Costa Rica?

Vive le vent

We have been in Québec for most of December and we are only heading back to Costa Rica next week.

We have been busy:

- Building snowmen

 

- Sliding

- Snowshoeing

- Building fires

- And not sure how you would label this sport

Christmas Spirit

Su Espacio, the community center located in Atenas, Costa Rica, was collecting presents for children who might not otherwise receive a present for Christmas. Over 300 angels hung on the Christmas tree in the center; each angel represented one child and the back of the angel described what the child would like for Christmas. Anybody wanting to act as “Santa” for the child can adopt the angel and provide the gift. Our own 3 children were very excited to be able to play Santa and each of them adopted an angel.

It was heartwarming to find out that all of the angels were adopted before the end of November.

 

Isa

It is difficult being far from extended family especially in times of need. When Léah was ill, we couldn’t just call Grandma and Grandpa to come over and take care of the younger ones. In those situations and on a day-to-day basis, we feel extremely fortunate that we have “adopted” an extended family member like Isa.

Isa is originally from Nicaragua and lives just across the street from us. She could not possibly have a bigger heart and would help us out at a moment’s notice. She loves the kids and they love her. Isa doesn’t speak a word of English so it forces me to practice my limited Spanish. She is in her early twenties and like many Nicaraguans, had no choice but to leave her country of birth to find a better life elsewhere.

Some facts about Nicaragua:

• The 1980s were the backdrop to a savage civil war which saw conflict destroy the nation of Nicaragua
• Already the poorest country in the Americas, the situation has only gotten worse with the global recession
• A country of 5.7 million, 48% of the population live on less than $2 a day; 80% of the indigenous people (who make up 5% of the population) live on less than $1 per day
• 27% of all Nicaraguans are suffering from undernourishment; the highest percentage in Central America
• Many Nicaraguans emigrated during the 1990s and the 2000s due to the unemployment and the poverty; the majority of the Nicaraguan Diaspora is in Costa Rica and the United States
• Today, one in six Nicaraguans live in either Costa Rica or the US; it's difficult to estimate the number of Nicaraguans living abroad because many of them are living in host countries illegally