The 29th of this month I marked my one month anniversary here in Costa Rica.

You always expect a transition period when you arrive somewhere new, especially overseas.

But in all honesty from the moment I got off the plane its been a great month in every way. I have met and made friends with people from all walks of life and persuasions.

The secret to living in another country, even if you don’t speak the language, is to say ‘hello’. “Hello’ is a word that, said with a smile, a ‘my name is…’ and a extended hand, translates into every language.

I do not mean to come across as some savvy international traveler that knows all the secrets and whose mere presence breaks down culture barriers but, more often than not, if you want to have your ‘world’ expanded and your stay in Costa Rica made richer, make a point of saying ‘hello’.At the end of this article I will put an exclamation point on this.

Anyway, I have set up a good day-to-day constructive routine. I have a comfortable place to live and work writing for WeLoveCostaRica.com and I have set up my operations center for clients coming down for world class, affordable dental work from the US and Canada with Dr. Mario.

Also in my quest for finding the ‘best food for the buck’ I have found several little ‘soda’ eating places to go to, especially my new ‘find’, a place called Lucy’s, that serves a great breakfast.

I like to swim and work out and there is a local gym around the corner that’s as good as any Golds or Planet Fitness. I have treated myself to a few nice dinners with ‘company’, a movie here and there at the mall and of course an occasional adult beverage at the Time Out Tavern.

OK! So you want to know what my monthly expenditures are after one month including room and board, couple meals a day, walking when possible, buses and occasional taxi when not and the extracurricular activities noted above….US$1,100 – Not bad, huh?

So, I was having lunch at ‘La Cafeteria’ run by John and his brother Adrian, an ‘organic’ soda (yep, you read right, they grow their own produce) reading the Tico Times, the English language newspaper when I came across an article about a ‘Gringa’ from Indiana, late of Tucson AZ, Stacy Auch, that in the process of re-inventing her life, educated herself about the true urban history and legends of downtown San Jose.

In the process she created a ‘ground floor’, no-frills 2 hour walking tour that’s thoughtful and full of little surprises as Stacy uncovers the nooks and crannies of San Jose.

I later found out that Stacy gives an informal bar hopping tour that includes the best in Costa Rican karaoke for the price of a picked up bar tab. Think Dylan singing ‘Blowing in the Wind’ in Spanglish. So, I decided that it was time to head downtown and get the low-down on my new hometown.

I met Stacy at the Temple of Music across from the Holiday Inn with a few others and we began the tour. It was all that the article wrote about. I won’t give it away but I just have two words for you to remember… Barrio Amon. The pictures are from the tour. You can contact Stacy at Barriobird@gmail.com

So, back to the ‘exclamation point’ I mentioned earlier. After Stacy’s tour I asked a bellman at the Holiday Inn what bus I needed to catch to get back to Escazu. I was told Sabana Cementario.

OK, so the cemetery is not exactly the place I was looking to go to at this stage in my life but I dutifully went to the directed corner and waited…. and waited… and waited… finally I stopped and asked a policeman about the bus and he told me that I was at the wrong corner and needed to go two blocks further down.

The bus came as I arrived, I got on and grabbed a seat next to a girl who had that European student look, backpacking through Costa Rica. After 10 or 15 minutes I was getting a bit curious… about the bus that is, and where it was going.

I had a bad feeling I was in a ‘phone home’ ET moment…so, I turned to the ‘backpacker’ and said ‘Hello… do you speak English?’ She pulled her earplugs out and responded like we were in Queens, NY and said ‘Yeah!’ Emboldened by this temporary bridge over cultures I said, “Where are you from?’ She said, ‘Here!’

So, I asked , “Are you in college?’, she responded, “Yes, I am in dental school, I graduate in April.’ Who knew? To make a long story short I told her I worked with Dr. Mario’s dental practice in Escazu and after we talked a bit I told her I would put her in touch with Dr. Mario’s office about an internship which brought a big smile to her face. We got off the bus, she guided me to the right place to get my bus to go home, shook hands and parted ways both richer for the ‘hello’.

You never know the answer a question will bring.

[custom_script adID=97]

Written by VIP Member Charlie Dennard. Charlie is a native of Georgia, born in Columbus, growing up in Savannah and working professionally in Atlanta.

He is a graduate of the University of Georgia with a pre-law degree. Shortly after graduating he met the actor Burt Reynolds and later managed his restaurant at The Omni in Atlanta.

In 1984 he was offered an opportunity to live and work with local communities in Monterey, Mexico and Lima, Peru which he did for several years. Upon returning to Atlanta, Charlie worked a national sales rep and after being invited to address a local mens group became a highly sought after motivational speaker. Charlie is the proud father of three beautiful girls Carson, Galilee and Emma.

In 2008 Charlie started his current business whose mission statement is to provide world class dentistry at affordable prices.

Our immediate goal is to introduce you to world class dentistry at affordable prices and we will work with you personally, or your chosen travel agency, to facilitate any and every need you may have in making and fulfilling your travel itinerary.

For more information about our highly recommended Dentist and how you could qualify for a free round trip airfare to Costa Rica, please contact us using the simple form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.

Are you into beautiful Costa Rica?

All interesting things you want to know about Costa Rica are right here in our newsletter! Enter your email and press "subscribe" button.

Subscribe

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Comment *

Name *

Email *

Website

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Δ