I Have a Dentist!

People who know me know that I have a near-phobia-level fear of dentistry. There are huge chunks of my life - years long - that have been dentist-free, and NOT because I have great teeth...

Well, I had a great dentist in California, but since we began our slow move to Costa Rica, I have only been a couple of times - and those were more in the first couple of years. So, it took losing a filling here to make a call, and find a new dentist. I was very lucky - Rick had already been to this guy, and he had kept his eye out for whether he would work for me too. I called about a week ago for an appointment, and since I had no pain, and also had school finals coming up, I was happy to wait a bit to see the dentist :-|.

Today, I walked (yes, walked! he's very close.) to the dentist. I spent about 15 minutes filling out new-patient forms, then an entire hour with the hygienist. She was very careful around the lost filling site, and watched for my signs indicating pain or a need to spit. She used both the electric cleaning thing (a symptom of my phobia, I guess - I can't remember what it's called), and manual scraping. Got a thorough cleaning and polish, followed by a fluoride treatment.

Then Dr. Jimenez came in and introduced himself. He listened to my fears (thankfully by now I know exactly what scares me, and what I need from a dentist to alleviate those fears). He explained exactly what he would do. He asked about any problems, did the exam, and gave me the choice of returning for the filling or doing it right then. I opted for the latter - do it while you have the courage, right?

Throughout the entire procedure, he did exactly what I needed, and explained as he went. He even avoided using the word "shot" (fear #1)! I got a triple-level of numbing - a topical, then a "dot" (eyes closed, so I don't know exactly what that entailed), then the final "numbing" (aka the afore-un-mentioned shot). I got x-rays in between the two final stages - and managed to dribble on the bib ;-S.

Between the first two numbing stages, he polished the edge off another filling that had a small chip. He was very careful to explain that I wouldn't feel any pain, and was surprised that the drill wasn't one of my fears. Something like 85% of people fear the drill and/or the sound of the drill.

On top of the hour of cleaning, I spent another hour with my new dentist. I am so happy to finally get back on a dental schedule! I told him - and I meant it - that he is the third dentist in my entire life that I trust. I know exactly who I will go to if I have a tooth problem!

Still Moving…

After a lovely week of visiting family and finalizing our address changes, shopping, re-packing, and doing all those infinitely-added-to list of thing to do, we are ready (almost!) to fly to Costa Rica.

We got up at 4 a.m., and threw the last items in our bags. Then (arg!) we weighed the final bag – 54 pounds! 4 pounds over! We hurriedly decide we don’t really need that toiletry bag, this item can go in carry-on, and that shirt can pad the banjo. We now have 3 bags at 50 lbs, one at 70 lbs, 2 max-sized carry-ons, a banjo, another carry-on, and a medical equipment bag that doesn’t count. Plus, we have coats and an umbrella (these count either). Are we the ugly travellers now, or what!?

We leave by 5:15, and notice the temperature is 36 degrees – okay! Time to start thinking about warm Costa Rica!

We get to the San Francisco airport in good time – 3 hours almost to the minute. We unload the car and say goodbye to Mom and Brother. We still don’t know when we will return, so it was a bit more difficult this time.

Well! So we get to the counter – no line! But (BUT!) OMG… I could have *sworn* I read the website correctly, but it must have been wishful thinking – San Jose (Costa Rica) flights don’t allow *overweight* bags! This is now (barely) peak season, so only 2 checked bags each, and only 50 lbs each bag. ARG! We sort through the heavy bag, looking for small, heavy items – succeed in pulling out 20 pounds, and re-distribute in carry-ons. I cannot get my sling bag zipped. Too bad. It’s going. (oh, soooo ugly!)

In all this chaos, we now can’t find our baggies of liquids. At least the line in security is also not bad – we keep telling people they can go around us – they didn’t seem too PO’d. We finally find one baggy – we figured we must have left the other one at the house. We proceed. We have to:
- take off shoes
- take out 2 laptops
- take out the CPAP
- take out the DVD player. Yes, we brought it – padded with 4 pounds of clothes :-)
- take out the baggy of liquids
- go back through the beep-beep machine, empty pockets…
Then we get to do the reverse! People *really* love us now, and it’s only gonna get better.

So, we get to our gate, relax, get some juice and a bit of food. Rick starts to look for his pack of important papers, and *CAN’T FIND THEM* - we’ve now used up our quota of panic. We find the USA cell phone and Mom’s cell phone number – call. They pull off the road and look – they find. They are 50 minutes away, and our flight boards in just about that amount of time. So – plan B. We’ll deal with all this later…

Now we get to make more friends – carrying on all that *stuff!* Some anxiety later, we are safely ensconced in our seats, “stuff” stowed. This time we fly through Houston, Texas – never done it before. Houston is *lovely* from the air! Trees all over the place, river and delta gleaming in the sunlight. The airport has *got* to have the longest taxi distance in the world! But our connecting flight is not very far, and there is a food court in between. After a little more anxiety, we again get all our stuff stowed, and away we went!

Got into the San Jose airport with no problem, about 10:00 pm. Went through the resident’s line at immigration and showed our old passports with the residency stamp, our copy of our cedula renewal appointment, and my cedula. Rick’s cedula is in the “pack of important papers,” but all the other documents we had seemed to suffice. We got our entry stamps in our new passports, and we’re off to collect our many suitcases!

What a line! We had no problem finding suitcases, but had to wait for 2 carts for them. Then the line for customs was all the way to the back of the baggage claim area – I stopped looking at the time… The lovely customs lady came down the line collecting our customs papers, we got all our bags through the viewing machine, and rolled on – no one seemed to be checking any bags other than that. So, pretty smooth.

We got our taxi to Los Yoses ($30). I had looked into using Interbus – it was advertised as $7 each to San Jose, but we would only be allowed one bag each. (something for others to keep in mind tho – you just need to reserve it 72 hrs ahead). Our taxi driver knew right where the hotel was – thankfully, since I had emailed for directions, but not yet received them (they were in my inbox when I checked it the next day – from the hotel - LOL).

Got checked in, and conked out a bit after midnight (75 degrees)…

High Anxiety

High Anxiety - no, not the movie :D
Just life lately...

Perhaps it's because this is the longest we've been away from Costa Rica. Maybe life in the states is starting to overcome our "tranquilo" gained in Costa Rica. Who knows?

In our quest to return, we've had change after change after change. We first thought we *had* to be back in September. This is the month that our residency expires, and we thought we had to renew then. So, all our plans revolved around that requirement. We had to figure out how to renew my driver's license - no problem, just change my address. But we also had to solve how we were going to vote - BIG problem - leaving too early for "early voting" and no knowledge about voting from abroad. Turns out you can vote from abroad fairly easily for the federal ballot; still not sure how (or if) you can vote in state elections.

But, as the month drew near, and we started to find out more about the changing laws, we discovered that no, we in fact did not have to be there in that month. Instead, we had to *call* in that month to get an appointment for renewing our residency.

So, on to our next change. We had heard that appointments were taking one or two months from the time people called. Therefore, we expected something in November (give or take). Well, this solved the license and voting problems, but added a few others.

By this time, our passports had gotten a bit close to the expiration date, and so we sent them off to get renewed (I know, I can hear the teeth-sucking all the way from here). So we enlist the help of ARCR - great group, highly recommended. They tell us all about what we need to have ready for renewal - including (guess what) our passports! Unngggh. All we could say was that we expect them back by November. Well, so they put off getting an appointment, we get anxious because we *know* we need to call *in* September (and September is running out). But then (whew) Rick's passport comes. His new one. Not his old one - the one with all our entry/exit stamps - the one that proves we met our residency requirement. PANIC! Deep breath. Read the insert that says the old one will come separately. Wait on pins and needles. We got the old one in a couple more days. Whew! So now we ask if we could get the appointment - Rick has his passport, and mine should be coming any day now (after all, they were mailed only a couple of days apart). Well, ok - we got an appointment. BUT. It is *not* in November! It is in *February!*

Recalibrate.

August 09, 2007 - Where Am I? 101

Where Am I? 101
Or, finding your way around a Costa Rican town.

First, REMAIN CALM! All will be well – don’t panic. Every time I panic, I get lost.
I finally feel confident stepping off the bus in a new town. OK, proud. Cocky even. I don’t expect to find everything on the first trip, and I know I will find plenty of interesting places that I didn’t plan on. Here’s what I do.

Do some planning ahead, but don’t get anal – this (the latter) was the difficult part for me, but I’m getting better. If the town is fair-sized, look it up in a guide book. If you are staying in a hotel, see if they have a hand-drawn map. If not, make your own. Get some grid paper (or just any paper), and lay out a basic pattern, with a central park and cathedral in the center. These are usually a full block each, and within a couple of blocks of the center of town. If the guide book has a map (this is important), COPY it onto your paper – guide books usually show no more than 10 square blocks. Add some of the landmarks, like banks and perhaps a hotel. Mark the bus stop (coming and going) if this information is available. Mark a couple of avenidas and calles, and mark the compass directions. If you have any specific destinations, mark them on the map. Of course, if you are starting from scratch, your map will start out with nothing but a street grid and a central park & cathedral. That’s OK, because you will add to it as you go! Also, if you start with another map, keep in mind that parts of it could be wrong (or changed since it was published). This is also OK, since you will be marking it up.

Bring your map, a pen/pencil, and a compass (not always needed, but nice to have). Leave the guide book at home. The guide book is conspicuous and distracting – you are exploring! If you don’t know “enough” Spanish (“enough” is individually defined), bring a small dictionary or phrase book – if it makes you feel like a newbie, guess what? You are! You’ve never been here before! Most important, bring a smile and a “buenas.”

Which brings us to a very important aspect of this excursion – Attitude! Be flexible. Don’t expect to find everything you look for. Treat this as an adventure. When in doubt, know that a taxi is always near; relax and enjoy yourself. Accept that you and your travel companion will have moments of stress and get snippy – let it go. Best of all, go with Rick – he’ll let it slide unless you go off the deep end, *and* he’ll let you apologize gracefully (I know, that *could* be sarcasm, but it’s not).

As your bus is coming into the town, look for landmarks – Tribunales, parks, churches, banks, taxi stands, etc. Have your compass out, and try to fix North in your head (if you can’t, that’s OK – it will come). The bus ride is where I still get anxious. I often end up getting off WAAAY too early (click on “bus” in the tag cloud, and you will see what I mean). Wait till you can see the central park and/or central market, then ring to stop. Many bus terminals are within a couple of blocks of the central park (bigger towns have multiple terminals, and many small towns don’t have terminals). Sometimes it is difficult to tell if you are even in the right town. I find that bus passengers are very friendly, and love to tell you that your town is still ahead (and they aren’t pulling you leg).

Stop, look, and listen. When you get off the bus, your first instinct is to walk - anywhere. Don’t! Find a place to sit, or stand out of the press of people. Pull out your map and compass. Be discreet but not paranoid. Notice which direction most of the people are going. Notice which compass direction is uphill (most towns have at least a slight incline), and mark it on your map. Look around for the park, market, church, or other landmark. Look for the bus stop sign – it usually has some (but not always all) interesting information, like where it continues, schedule, and whether the return is from the same place. Keeping up/down and North firmly in mind, put away your compass and map, and start walking. You are looking for the park. Turn a few corners. Look for trees and spires.

Stop and smell the orchids. When you find the park, have a seat! This is a good time to update your map. Mark the bus stop and any landmarks you noticed on the way. I like to do this several times in a visit, and add stores, restaurants, schools, whatever. Mostly I just like parks . Don’t worry if you can’t remember exactly how many blocks or turns. Just mark what you think is right, and check it on the return. I once added an entire block to Grecia’s downtown – it stayed that way for nearly a week (no one seemed to notice the longer walk).

Ask and ask again. I have rarely had trouble finding the park within a few blocks, but in larger towns, you may want to step into a shop and ask. Also, if you have any destination in mind, like a bookstore or a Chinese restaurant, but you don’t have an “address,” just ask around. I have had conversations in parks that turned towards recommendations for restaurants and stores, and I have asked bookstore owners for directions to a close Chinese restaurant. I’ve asked bank guards and bus drivers about which street we were on. Sometimes you get an answer that is wrong, because (as my Spanish teacher says) Ticos don’t like to say they don’t know something, but most of the time you get the right direction. If you don’t find what you are looking for, ask again (and remember, stay flexible).

Helpful information:

· Este (East) and Oeste (West) are the directions that start with vowels. Avenues (with a vowel) go East and West. Towns are a rough grid, with street numbers (rarely names). Calles are even (2,4,6) West of the center and odd East of the center. Avenidas are even South of the center and odd North of the center. The saw to use is “North-Easterners are Odd.” What do I know about Odd – I’m from California.

· You can usually see the tree-tops of the park and the spires of the church many blocks away.

· The central market is usually within a couple of blocks of the central park.

· Streets hardly ever have signs. Sometimes even bank-guards do not know which street their bank is on.

· Usually the wait between buses is half an hour or less.

· Banks usually have bathrooms available.

· Most of this will also work in San José, but there is so much more to deal with. I start with an actual city map here.

I’ll post some of my maps soon – you can see how messed up things can get :(

June 25, 2007 - Sarchí

We went to Sarchí today! It rained this morning, so we waited - it stopped, we went.

We walked the 4 blocks from our B&B in Grecia to the bus stop and caught the 11:20 bus (Alajuela-Grecia-Sarchí-Naranjo). I expected we would have a longer wait - I only know (thought I knew?) the schedule from Alajuela. Oh well, I´ll take all the beneficial occurrences I can get :D. We were in Sarchí within 20 minutes, BUT! Julie´s anxiety attacks again. It seems that whenever I take a bus to a new town, I panic, and think I will miss the "right" stop. Of course, I get off waaay too soon ;(. We walked past a lot of very nice furniture (for about 20 minutes!), then got to the central park and church. Talk about a HUGE oxcart! The central park has an oxcart that has got to be 15 feet high - I almost bonked my head on the part that goes between the oxen.

Sarchí is definitely a town of "makers" - every front yard and garage we walked by had a beautiful piece of wood getting into shape. Most of what you see is furniture, but there are other items as well. I definitely know where I am going when I finally get a bedframe, dining set, kitchen cabinets... hmmm - would a wooden kitchen sink work?

We had lunch at a soda across from the park, walked up to the church (it was being renovated, so we didn´t go inside), and surveyed the town - it is higher than Grecia (cooler), and has a lot of steep roads (good views, puffing walkers). We walked a bit further, found the soccer field and police station (If I had listened to Rick instead of my panic, THIS is where the bus would have let us off.), then - ahhh - a coffee shop that has cold coffee drinks (I had mine with ice cream, and YES, it still does count as coffee!). And ANOTHER oxcart wheel - this one wheel has got to be more than 15 feet in diameter, bright orange, with the "tipico" colorful decorations. These guys know how to market.

We returned to the bus stop, and, with one block to go, watched our bus pull away. So what´s our hurry? We have a seat, and less than half an hour later, we´re on the next bus; we´re back at our B&B by 3:30 - no rain!

Even though we had quite a walk getting into the center of town, we have a couple of nice memory nuggets:

· We provided entertainment for some school girls (perhaps 11 years old) who greeted us with "hello!" - we stopped and (amongst the giggles) said a few greetings in English, exchanged names, and said good-bye.

· We walked slowly here and there, past furniture stores, and feasted our eyes on the wood, carvings, colors, inlays...

Oh yeah - lunch was quiet a bit cheaper than Grecia - a beef casado (a BIG plate of food) was c1200 (less than $2.50)

March 29, 2007 - We're Here!

After a couple of days of last-minute panic, we're *here*!

I was all set for our flight to beautiful Costa Rica on Thursday. I had the hotel set up, housesitter arranged, and plans for last visits with friends and family. I was part of the way through the process for getting Spanish school set up, and was all set with a comfort zone for last-minute additions to my to-do list.

THEN! The date on one of my lists caught my eye - the 28th?! Huh? But *Thursday* is the *29th*! I immediately checked my flight information - sure enough, our flight was set for *Wednesday* - arg! Panic now!

Well, I didn't expect my just-in-case day to be eaten up by the flight. But we still had some time. I called the hotel in Costa Rica, and got an extra day added (whew!), called to finalize the Spanish school, and emailed a couple of people to confess. The response was uniform - panic now, because you are not allowed to do this in Costa Rica (as one said, "check it at the gate").

We got up extra early yesterday and made some last-minute packing decisions. It's *hard* to pack for a new life with only 4 checked bags and 4 carry-ons! "Discovering" that coats don't count as separate items helps a *lot*! And my coat has an enormous pocket...:D

I've decided to blame this all on retirement - my brain thinks it can just turn to mush. Well, *wake up* brain - we've got Spanish school to get through!