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[quote=”DonDiego”] By the way, does anybody know the call letters of a company that make condoms? I am going to buy some stock. quote]
http://www.alatechhealthcare.com/
largest condom production facility in USOn a side note, I understand the U.S. is going overseas with condoms too, buying them cheaper from China…
[quote=”jdocop”]They don’t have:
air conditioning
water heaters
glass in their windows, or screens
more than one toilet
more than a very small gas stove (bottled gas, of course)
more than one TV
more than a boombox, for stereo
computers or internet
security lighting
much meat in their diet
big refrigerators
toasters
can openers
microwaves
Mr. Coffee coffeemakers
lamps
ceiling fans
cars
beer by the case
pet food
ice makers
long distanceAnd, their kids don’t have:
iPods
Playstations
Xboxes
personal TV’s or computers
personal cell phones
designer clothes
Air Jordans (OK, my age is showing; whatever $200 tenny is currently required)
BMX, or other fancy bikes
cars at 16
They do eat lots of black beans, rice, veggies, fruits, and other healthy things
If they work, they have the CAJA, so no medical expenses[/quote]This gave me a good chuckle! Thanks! I liked the “no glass in their windows, or screens” and yes, I know you are being serious!
[quote=”DavidCMurray”]Dan, we’re booked through June of 2011 (yup, 2011).
WOW!!! I had checked your place out, and it definitely looks nice!
Thanks everyone, and keep it coming! I am adding San Ramon to my list!
Don – not interested in the beach…always ready to go home after a week/two of all the surf/sun/sand so that tells me I’m not cut out for beach living. I am more interested in a constant temp, little to no humidity, and greenery! In regards to research, there’s no way to include all the research on here…I like to research, so I just poured myself into it, from books to online books to websites to the CR newspapers (online) to blogs to discussion threads to emailing people and the list goes on. I’ve got a little something out of every piece of research, so it’s hard to pinpoint what I got the most from. As most research goes, you get the best picture from the more research you do, so that’s what I’ve done. I will say I started with the book “Living Abroad in Costa Rica” and “Frommer’s Costa Rica” and various websites which helped me narrow down to the Central Valley. Once I decided on the Central Valley, then I focused on the various provinces in the Central Valley, then narrowed down to the specific areas that interested me the most (as I mentioned in my original post). The Central Valley just seems to fit me, so now it’s time to visit and see if my research proved me right…Oh, and how I choose Costa Rica in the first place? Well…that was just a wild hair..Wow, I sure hope you have stock in condoms. I could so tear your post apart line for line, it’s ridiculous. Let’s get your shallow conclusion out the way…culture doesn’t make a man cheat, a man cheats by CHOICE. AMEN.
It’s pretty simple to me…if you wanta taste all the flavors, then don’t ask for a woman’s hand in marriage…doesn’t that normally get the ball (and chain?) rolling….
One more thing: insecurity = sex = power = insecurity = sex = power = insecurity…and so the male cycle continues.PS – this isn’t written from the female perspective because we all don’t have the same perspective, this is MY perspective and MY opinion on your shallow, egotistical post.
Cheers![quote=”maravilla”]the problem with the chicken here is that it is loaded with antibiotics and steroids. they are raised in huge factory farm (shudder), but occasionally i’ve found a neighbor who said he could get me a patio chicken that was free range and NOT fed all those things. when i used to buy it i would always ask the vendor about these two items and he would say, “there are no ADDED hormones or steroids,” which i learned later meant that besides what’s in their feed, they don’t give them any extra. as for the beef, it is unlike anything you ever ate in the States. it is grassfed and not aged, and not the cuts you are used to, except for hamburger (carne molido). having said that, i have had some great lomito (tenderloin) but it is expensive here — about $12.00 a pound. there are carniceria’s everywhere so you won’t have a problem finding meat; the question is do you want to eat it. grassfed beef is actually better for you, but don’t expect to find cornfed — that is an american thing; torture for the cows, and bad for you because the meat is very acid. i have a neighbor who has made some great brisket here, but she had to bring the butcher a chart so he would know how to cut it. people eat a lot of cerdo (pork) here, but i talked to a butcher the other day about how they are raised and again, they are pumped up with all kinds of hormones and antibiotics. i used to buy a few hundred grams of uncured bacon about 3x’s a year, but when i asked the butcher if it had nitrites, nitrates, or preservatives in it, he smiled and said, “oh yes!” as though i were hoping for those things. i never bought bacon again after that. when you see the variety of vegetables here, you will be excited about vegetarian cooking. eating meat in the tropics isn’t such a good idea anyway, but to each his own.[/quote]
Oh Maravilla…have you seen “Food, Inc”…this documentary has totally turned me toward organic foods and all free-range meats/eggs. I’m surprised to hear about steriods/hormones added to livestock there…that is disappointing, but I’m trying to move toward more of a Mediterrean diet anyways: fish, nuts, fruits, fresh veggies, and red wine (yum!). I’m glad the question was asked about meats…I hadn’t thought about this, only assumed…and we know what that means…[quote=”maravilla”] gringo living is all about excess, but i have stripped all of that away and live with only what i need and what makes my life comfortable. i could teach a class on how to live cheaply in costa rica and stop being a gringo consumer.[/quote]
Oh Maravilla, I so much admire you and I’ll be your first student! This quote of yours brings me back to my original response to this post in which I explained all the fears holding me back. I mentioned in my original response that I realized submerging myself into another culture would strip me of everything I know (David, I appreciated your response to this as well), and with that being said, your quote above is exactly what I meant by that. I know I live in excess and want, want, want – that does tend to be American culture. I have had to do much soul searching this past year and have come to realize it is time to change things in my life. Part of wanting to move to CR is to lead a simpler life and experience new culture. Yes, I know my life is what I create it and can be created anywhere, but I do believe removing myself from my comfort zone and my “normal” life is essential in growth and in creating a more “authentic” lifestyle for me.
I currently struggle on a daily basis about selling my things, my vehicle, etc. but also, day by day, I retrain my thinking that I don’t “need” these things, they essentially are “just things”. So….I still am fighting my fears, and trying to “rationlize” them, but yet I still forge ahead. I think it was 2BNCR that mentioned some of us have adventure in our blood, but are not full blooded adventurers, and yes, I do have adventure in my blood and am becoming quite excited about my future plans. Speaking of planning, luckily I am a Virgo which means I have to plan, organize, plan again, organize some more, etc. so, I do have my plans in order. I plan to visit in April to check out the areas I am interested in, return in Septemeber to make some final decisions, and hopefully in mid-November take the …what did Marvialla say….”leap and the net will appear”. Well, hopefully it’ll be a hammock and not soon enough as I’m peering out my window at snow…again!!!
PS – Thanks to those that commented on my original response to the post. For a person that has only lived in 1 state their whole life (I even graduated from the college in my hometown – ok Marvialla, stop cringing!), your words, encouragement and advice are much appreciated!
DawnWhat’s holding me back? That’s easy…fear. Pick one – fear of the unknown…fear of failure…fear that I’m crazy, yea, now there’s a good one…crazy!
It has been said the act of moving away from one’s family and heritage is [u]essential[/u] to a hero’s journey…now listen here, don’t put that pressure on me, I’m not trying to be a hero, but I am most definitely trying to figure out why all these damn signs are pointing to Costa Rica (kinda like all roads lead to San Jose…LOL…been doing my research I’ll have you know!). Let’s see…where was I? Oh, fear of new culture, fear of not fitting in, fear of loneliness, fear of being a non-retiree doing a retiree thing (hey, I’m only 35…still a baby you know!),fear of no hot water, no water pressure, no money, oh, and only rice and beans…ok, ok, so I get carried away, but you catch my drift.
I do realize submerging myself into another culture will strip me of everything I know, and that’s the most fearful feeling of all my fears. But for some reason, I have this game plan that keeps evolving in that crazy noggin’ of mine, and if I can keep my fears at bay, I expect Costa Rica shall have a new Expat about 10 months from now…
PS – geez-ba-leez, don’t worry, I will rent!
