So I’m headed off to Granada, Nicaragua for a few days. This will be my first time in Nicaragua and I’m really excited because I’ve heard some great things about it, like the food is good, prices are low, people are friendly, sights are amazing. I don’t have any specific plans and will play everything by ear. I know where I’m staying, but that’s about it. I know Granada has some cool buildings, it’s by the lake, there are some volcanos nearby… I’m looking forward to showing up as an ignorant tourist and learning all kinds of cool new things

I’m also excited because I will be leaving the laptop and phone behind and disconnecting for a few days. I’m not quite sure how I will survive the disconnection, but the cord must be cut. I don’t think it’s healthy to always be connected.

How ironic is it that I’m taking a vacation from Costa Rica…

Do you ever disconnect? Have you ever been to Granada?

Thinking of living in Costa Rica's Central Valley? Get used to this sight and add it to the collection of daily sightings of wild animals, beautiful plants, amazing sunsets, etc.

Can one find a small one or two bedroom place? Cost?

You can find housing between $150 and up. For $150 you get paper thin walls and mold OR a nicer place far away from all the action with a long commute. For $350 you can find a really nice house or apartment anywhere. The average is $250. Expect to share a place – living alone is not common here. Rent sometimes includes utilities and a housekeeper, so always check to make sure of what exactly you will be paying for.

Keep in mind, too, that distances can be deceiving here. If you are looking for convenience, and you do not own a vehicle, you really need to find somewhere super close to your job to avoid hour+ commutes during rush hour. My house is 10 minutes away from school in a car unless it is rush hour – then it is at least an hour away. During the rainy season, add another 30 minutes.

Regarding transportation, if one is trying to get to their work place, how is the bus system (Mexico’s was confusing for me. Often could never figure out how to get around to various places and drivers weren’t much help with my limited Spanish being a problem).

Ohhhh transportation in Costa Rica…If you were confused in Mexico, you will be confused here. Buses are privately owned, so they all look different, with different routes, different fares, and different schedules. Bus stops are not usually marked – you have to look for the congregation of people in most places. There might be a sign on the bus with the origin and final destination, but you have to ask the driver AND some of the passengers where it is going and where it will stop. Specifically if it will stop where you want to be. Ticos do this too – it can be hard for them, so it will be that much harder for you.

You also have to get used to the fact that Costa Rica does not have street addresses. The directions here are told in terms of cardinal directions, landmarks (that might or might not still be there), and meters. For example: go straight east for 200 meters by the ICE to the church and go straight another 300 meters, it will be by the hardware store = go east for 2 blocks, then go by ICE on your way to the church (whichever way that is!!! You have to use your eyeballs.), then go straight 3 blocks and look for your destination by the hardware store. Any of those landmarks in the directions could be long gone with something else standing in their place. Note that 100 meters = 1 block. You have to keep asking if you are going in the right direction. Good thing is, Ticos are so friendly and will help. But be careful, sometimes they want to help too much and will say they know the way to please you when they actually don’t. Good rule of thumb: ask 3 times, and go with the most popular answer.

Regarding Pay. For a full-time job, is that 40 hours per week? I note you said something about employers trying to get you to work more for the salary agreed to or ignoring Holiday pay, etc. Is $1000 per month about the wage for a teacher? I know it varies depending on exact job and location.

Wages for teachers here vary wildly. Generally, $1000 a month is for 30 contact hours (actual time in class) in the Central Valley. The pay breaks down to about $8 an hour. This does not include lesson planning or grading – you are expected to do that on your own time. There are laws in place that require employers to treat employees fairly, but I have seen time and time again employers trying to skirt the law and take advantage. I won’t sugar coat it. It happens. It sucks. Everyone is trying to get ahead here. You have to love Costa Rica to live and teach here – this is not the place to get rich teaching. Come for the experience, not the money.

One of my pet gripes in Mexico was the constant noise everywhere and the insensitivity in the culture to those who want it quiet so one can sleep. Is noise a problem in the community where you live?

Noise… well, San Jose is a city, so don’t live there. Same goes for any downtown area of any of San Jose’s suburbs, like Heredia, Alajuela, San Pedro… I live in Belen and it is super quiet, but on the bus it takes that much longer to get to the city center where all the schools are. Solution: get a car or motorcycle (they are about twice as expensive in Costa Rica as in the US).

You also need to like dogs. Dogs are everywhere and although I don’t really pay attention to barking I can imagine someone who hates dogs and barking would freak out here. Birds, too. If you don’t like birds chirping, don’t bother coming here. (I actually heard someone complain about the birds chirping. This is Costa Rica. Costa Rica = wildlife!)

Something else I’ve noticed is that a lot of my neighbors enjoy singing at anytime of the day. I actually like that. I love most everything about the culture in Costa Rica.

My final 2 cents

Just remember – everyone’s different, so everyone has a different experience in Costa Rica. This is compounded due to the fact that  the law, order, and infrastructure are still developing.

A lot of Costa Rican students turn in very detailed, illustrated, and color-coded work. hmm graphic designers in training?

I would love to set up a job teaching English in Costa Rica before I move there – do you think it’s a possibility?

There are a ton of English teaching jobs in Costa Rica, but it’s best to already be in Costa Rica when you start looking for a job. A lot of businesses won’t even consider you if you are not in the country already. This is a smart move on their part because there are a lot of people who think they are going to love working in Costa Rica, they come down here, and then run at the first inconvenience. Some people run because it’s too “third world,” and others run because it’s too “developed.” Yeah, that’s called developing – you get a mix of working and non-working parts!

Remember: living and working in Costa Rica are very different from being on vacation in Costa Rica.

There are businesses that do hire out-of-country and they will often ask you to commit to a one-year contract. During that year you will most likely be working your butt off without much time for R&R.

If you want to teach English in Costa Rica and you are a native speaker with an undergraduate college degree, and a TEFL or TESOL certificate, you are 99% guaranteed a job somewhere in Costa Rica. You just need to be in the country in order to get a good job.

Where the heck do I go?!

Where should I look for an English teaching job in Costa Rica?

Before choosing a place to live (or work), you need to come to Costa Rica and do a little exploring.

I do not recommend setting something up before coming to Costa Rica – I know too many people who have done that and been extremely unsatisfied for various reasons. It is best to first come to Costa Rica, find a place you would like to live, learn about the various businesses hiring English teachers, and THEN get a job. I give this same advice to people who are moving here and are not even looking for a job. Each little town in Costa Rica is very unique with its own set of advantages and disadvantages that can be detrimental to your happiness depending on your own wants and needs.

Most of the English teaching jobs in Costa Rica can be found in the Central Valley. Currently, there is high demand in Heredia, a nice suburb of San Jose. A lot of universities are located in Heredia, so it has a great college-town vibe and vibrant town center. It’s also a safe town to live in with nice, respectable people. I recommend Heredia as a good place to start searching for a job or a place to live, but don’t sign any contracts before you test drive!

Other options in the Central Valley: San Jose (if you want the downtown city living experience), La Sabana if you can afford it (west of downtown San Jose – tons of $$ nice condos), San Pedro (east of San Jose, colder), Tibas, San Antonio de Belen, Santa Ana…

If you want to teach English on the beach in Costa Rica, be prepared to volunteer your time.

How do I find a good job teaching English in Costa Rica?

Requirements:

• be a native English speaker
• an undergraduate degree (any field)
• a TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certificate
• be currently living in Costa Rica

Start by looking online for job postings and reviews of English institutes and universities: craigslist.com, the popular ESL forums, GoOverseas.com.

Google and contact some of the institutes and universities in Costa Rica. Ask them if there are any available jobs and if not, send them a resume so they have it on hand when one does become available. Turnover rate for English teachers in Costa Rica is very high.

Most importantly, talk to the local expats and English teachers. They are a wealth of information and can give you the lowdown on all the various businesses hiring English teachers.

This day brought some interesting storm clouds - a welcome break from the usual flat grey sky of the rainy season.

I want to move to Costa Rica in September…

WHOA back up!

I came to Costa Rica for the first time in September and had a blast. Rain? No big deal. Yeah, I was on VACATION.

Living and working through the rainy season is a bitch. It’s not that bad after nine months of gorgeous weather, but to deal with it first and not have the dry season memories to hold on to, you will certainly hate it. Why?

1. You have to double or triple an already long commute time because there are vehicle accidents and natural impediments like landslides, floods, new potholes, and sinkholes. Plus, people in Costa Rica have something in common with the rest of the world – they don’t know how to drive in the rain.
2. You are still expected to show up to work looking professional after you just braved the tropical monsoon. If you are taking a bus or walking – that includes having mud splashed all over you or if you are lucky you are just soaked to the bone.
3. Plus, you won’t be taking many vacations during September or October because the closest dry beach is a daytrip through one of the most dangerous highways in Costa Rica – Braulio Carrillo parkway. Even if you find the time to go, you will probably be so exhausted from fighting the rain, traffic, and people during the previous week, that you will just want to stay at home and relax.

My advice? Do not move to Costa Rica in September or October. Wait until at least November. There are already a lot of adjustments to be made and you don’t need to make it harder on yourself by moving in the middle of the rainy season.

Another reason to hold off on moving in September is that there are not many businesses that hire during the last few months of the year.

Schools in Costa Rica have their big vacation break during December and January and the school year starts up again at the end of January. This is also true of other types of businesses, too, including language institutions – not many people hire right before or during the rainy season due to decreases in customers and also not wanting to pay aguinaldo (year-end bonus) to new hires.

Your best chance of being hired is at the beginning of the year, in early January. Second best chance is throughout the year up until about August.

To sum up

I recommend saving up some money to live on for a few months and coming to Costa Rica to look for a job instead of trying to find something beforehand. To do this comfortably, bring about $1000 for each month that you plan on being unemployed. That should cover food, shelter, transportation, and some extra traveling $$.

Do not move to Costa Rica in September or October. Plan on living in the Central Valley for the best job opportunities.

Have a question? Shoot me an email and I’ll feature it in the next Costa Rica FAQ.

For this reason, I’ve been taking all my photos with a point and shoot. I do not have a fancy SLR. My point and shoot fits nicely into my pocket or in it’s tiny case, hanging around my neck. And for this reason, I was surprised when the multi-talented duo, Andrea and John from Inspiring Travelers, nominated me to participate in the HostelBookers 7 Super Shots meme.

While being happily forced to look through the thousands of photos on my hard drive, I realized that the real challenge was not in finding photos, but in narrowing down which photos I would choose. I decided to pick photos that I have not previously published and this is what I came up with. I’m really proud of them and had a blast with the memories they brought up!

A photo that… takes my breath away

White-water rafting class 4 and 5 rapids on the Pacuare River, Costa Rica. That's me on the back right of the raft, about to disappear under that rapid!

I chose this photo over thousands of stunning sunsets and misty volcanic mountainscapes because this is a photo of me one second before I literally had my breath taken away. I would show that photo which is next in the series, but all you can see is water, no raft! Let’s just say that rafting the Pacuare River in the middle of the rainy season, with a raft-full of first-timers, was not the brightest idea. We flipped that sucker and had to be rescued twice. …ahhh good times…

A photo that… makes me laugh or smile

Don't you just want to cuddle with the cute baby sloth?!

Baby sloths! How can you not smile at these adorable creatures?! I shot this at the Jaguar Rescue Center in Puerto Viejo. You can also see tons of baby sloths at the Sloth Sanctuary, north of Puerto Viejo.

A photo that… makes me dream

Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica

My absolute favorite spot to take naps is on the beach in the middle of the day. I nestle into the sand and create a perfect sand mattress while the sun warms my skin and the ocean waves lull me into the most relaxing deep sleep. I shot the above photo after waking up from one of these perfect naps one day in Playa Hermosa.

A photo that… makes me think

South Caribbean, Costa Rica

The sun is setting and the boats are resting for the day. Calm waters, still air, thunderstorm in the distance. Here on the Caribbean coast, you feel like you are standing on the edge of the world.

A photo that… makes my mouth water

Best tamales in the world, right here, in this photo, mmmm

Tamales! After three years of trying various tamales, I still believe that Julio’s family makes the absolute best tamales in the world. This photo shows the tamales after the last step – they are ready to eat! I love this because it looks kind of gross, the little packages floating in green slime, but they aren’t gross – they are one of the most delicious things I’ve ever eaten in my entire life.

A photo that… tells a story

Costa Rican Horse Parade

There is a festival in Costa Rica every weekend. A lot of these festivals boast horse parades as one of the highlights. I have come to love horse parades! A horse parade is a day full of horses, cowboys and cowgirls, dancing in the streets, meat on a stick, and beer.

A photo that… I am most proud of (aka my worthy of National Geographic shot)

Crabby McCrabberson in Puerto Viejo

Well, I do love this little crab and all the colors on his shell and in the sand. If I saw him in a magazine, I’d cut him out and hang him on my wall

For more Hostelbookers 7 super shots, check out #7supershots on Twitter. I nominate the following fellow bloggers to play along next:

Erin from La Tortuga Viajera

Laurence from Finding the Universe

Barry and Kim from 10 Degrees Above

Jess and Jamie from Adventures with Cloud People

Megan from On My Way RTW

Which photo is your favorite? Do you feel liked I missed something you’d like to see?

What is this? Is it some type of fungus? Cabbage? Cabbage fungus? I’m so confused.

It’s about 1 foot in diameter and 2 feet tall. It doesn’t stink. The surface is tough, not soft. That’s all I got. If you know, or have a guess, please leave a comment and help me figure this out!

What is it?! You can see the stringy internal structure inside the hole up towards the top, just to the right of the center. Besides those skeletal stringy things, it is hollow inside.

Check out the wrinkly top view!

Going to the bank can take half a day, driving 5 km down the road might take 15 minutes or an hour or two depending on the time of day, the government might start handing out thousands of $700 speeding tickets, your employer might short you a paycheck, you could get robbed at knifepoint just walking down the street, there might not be any running water one Monday forcing you to skip a much needed shower before work unless you are storing water and wash yourself from a bucket. I could go on. And on.

In Costa Rica, we are all dealing with problems stemming from a country that has developed and is still developing too fast.

Dealing with the possibility of having my day turned around and plans changed at the last minute means I have to be flexible or I will go insane. This is part of learning pura vida. Relax, life happens. Have patience. I’ve never been in a culture before in which people can sit still, stuck in traffic for over an hour, and not get angry. In Costa Rica, people are perfectly calm in a situation that would enrage a typical person from the States into a violent outburst.

I love it.

I think a lot of it has to do with learning how to live in the moment. Living in the city, there is not much time to obsess over the past or the future because all of my attention is focused on what is happening right now. Dealing with all this crap has been a blessing – I’m now a much calmer and happier person. Some people turn to meditation, I turn to driving in Costa Rica’s Central Valley. lol.

Now I wonder how long am I going to love this thing that most gringos hate?

Poco a poco.

Between frequent cheap holidays to Costa Rica beaches, I managed to squeeze out an article for International Living magazine. It was published recently and since then I have been inundated with emails asking questions about living in Costa Rica, teaching English in Costa Rica, etc.

Short answer: Yes, there are snakes in Costa Rica.

Long answer: That is coming in a series of posts on living and teaching English in Costa Rica. I feel like answering all the questions in a public forum is the smartest way to handle the inundation of emails since many of them contain similar questions. So stay tuned, and subscribe to the feed if you have not done so already so that you do not miss any important posts!

Here is the article about teaching English in Costa Rica that I wrote for International Living:

A hot springs resort near Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica

Teaching English in Costa Rica

I’m floating in a natural hot spring under a black velvet sky sparkling with a million sundry stars, savoring the luxurious feeling of the rich revitalizing minerals as they wash over my body, relaxing and invigorating my mind, body and soul. I can feel the occasional deep earthly vibration from Arenal Volcano’s rumbly tummy. I think to myself, “Is this real? This is perfect. This is living.” And then it gets better.

The next morning I step outside on to the terrace to enjoy my morning cup of Costa Rican coffee while wild blue morpho butterflies float and flutter around the garden, dancing between tropical birds and iridescent hummingbirds that are buzzing around an array of exquisite flowers. As I enjoy a delicious plate of fresh cut papaya, pineapple, and mango, I hear some monkeys playing in the nearby trees and look up to see baby howler monkeys swinging from branch to branch in a lively game of chase while their parents watch from close by.

Just then, a fearless pizote saunters up to me to investigate my breakfast plate, hoping for a handout, but it’s already gone and time for me to return to my home in the city. As I drive back to the Central Valley, I promise to return to Arenal’s hot springs soon, but not too soon. First, I need to continue my goal of visiting new places in Costa Rica every other weekend.

Blue morpho butterflies pause long enough for me to snap a photo!

Costa Rica is the land of biodiversity and microclimates and it’s possible to drive 15 minutes in any direction and experience completely different weather and landscape. White sand beaches, black sand beaches, deserts, volcanoes, national parks, rivers, waterfalls, jungles – it’s wild! Even in the Central Valley, you are never too far away from secluded nature. It’s easy to find yourself surrounded by lush green jungle, a kaleidoscope of flowers, and a menagerie of animals. You can even have this in your backyard if you wish. For me, this is a huge part of the magic of Costa Rica and the main reason I chose to live and work here.

A second factor in choosing Costa Rica as my international home was the proximity to the United States, my previous home. Trips back home to the southeast to see friends and family are easy, short, and relatively inexpensive.

In order to live in Costa Rica and afford this type of lifestyle, I teach English at a local university, 30 hours per week.

I have no prior experience teaching English, but had no problems finding a job here in Costa Rica and even found a company that sponsored my TESOL certification. Most companies require certification to teach English in Costa Rica and some will even offer a work visa. Although some companies make exceptions, a foreigner is legally not allowed to work in Costa Rica without a work visa. Without a work visa, most foreigners are required to leave the country for 72 hours every 90 days in order to renew the tourist visa. The law is different depending on what country you are from.

The average monthly salary for an English teacher in Costa Rica is $1000. This doesn’t sound like much compared to a normal wage in the States, but it is 2.5 times the normal Costa Rican salary of $400 per month. $1000 a month gets me a nice place to live, groceries, transportation money, and a budget for frequent trips to the beach, hot springs, or other areas of the country. For my next trip, I’m hoping to go to the Osa Peninsula to explore Corcovado National Park and to swim with the dolphins!

Guineos

Not to be confused with male guinea pigs…

Guinea pig. Photo: marc e marc

Guineos are super unripe bananas used in a variety of sauces to complement and thicken the flavor, thicken the consistency, and add a healthy helping of vitamins and minerals. Guineos taste great and depending on which Tico you talk to, they can be good for your heart, nervous system, bones, digestive system, blood, as a sedative or even a mood enhancer. So they’re good for everything except the skin? Shoot, I’ve always thought bananas are a super food, so I don’t see why all of that can’t be true.

Preparing guineos for a sauce is an adventure all on its own, which is why I chose to create a separate post dedicated entirely to this crazy ingredient.

When you work with the guineo, you have to peel the skin and it secretes a substance so sticky that it permeates all plastics and becomes an indestructible sticky stain. Kiss your sanity goodbye for the next few days as you try various things to rid your cutting board, bowls, and fingers of the tacky gray gook.

The juice from the guineo leaking all over my knife :/

Cross section of a guineo. Look how it's trying to drip sticky on me!!!

But guess what?! There are steps to take to avoid the worst of this sticky mess.

Step 1. Cut the tips off of each end of the guineo. Put a paper towel or some sort of disposable, biodegradable buffer between the cutting board and the guineo. You do not want the tips leaking super glue all over the place.

Step 2. Soak them in a bowl (preferably metal) of salt water for 15 minutes to an hour.

You can see the sticky film leaking out of the guineo and floating to the top of the salt water.

Step 3. Take them out of the salt water and peel them over the salt water. You will find that they are a lot less messy to peel and sooo much easier to work with after their salt water bath.

After peeling, drop the whole guineo into the sauce for cooking. It will maintain its shape, but soften up and absorb the delicious flavors from the sauce.

I use about 3 guineos per 2 raw cups of beans.

Tip: Clean up any stray stickiness with salt and vinegar. There will be some mess, it’s inevitable.

I’ve been breaking up with the boy, moving (three times), and starting a new job. BUSY. I’ve been too busy and emotionally exhausted, but now I’m settled, feeling good, and back online.

I could blog all about the breakup, but I think that’s TMI. I’m not going to blab about personal negative things in my life just to get more hits from the drama factor. I might write about it later, after all the negative feelings go away. My goal is to keep this blog positive (ok, with the occasional rant). The relationship is over. I’m still in Costa Rica – I love it here!

I will be writing about my moving experiences. I am now very familiar with several different areas in the Central Valley in terms of living advantages / disadvantages. I had to move around a few times before I found my perfect situation. I’m now extremely happy with my new home and so is Mocha!

New job. I’ll be writing about that, too. I decided to try my hand at teaching English in Costa Rica for 3 reasons: 1. for a new experience, 2. to see what all the hype was about, and 3. to meet some new people.

That’s my quick update. Here’s a photo of another beautiful sunset, this time it’s from the balcony of my new home in Costa Rica

Steve Jobs was a leader in combining art and technology. Among a bazillion other awesome things, he designed the first computer with aesthetically pleasing typography and introduced the first personal computer with a graphical user interface.

His creative genius has made my life and my job more fun and enjoyable on a daily basis.

If you haven’t seen Steve Job’s 2005 Stanford Commencement Address, take the time to check it out, it’s very inspirational. He didn’t just talk the talk, he walked it.

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become.” -Steve Jobs

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc

RIP Steve Jobs.