Habemus Casa!

Folks,

We’re really sick of hotel living at this stage. But the great news is that we have today got an apartment and will be moving into it next Sunday!

Hotel living
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We’re in La Amistad hotel since moving back from Manuel Antonio. It’s ok, but after a while you really need your own place. In particular, a kitchen. The joy of being able to buy something in the very well-stocked supermarkets and cooking it. Rather than always resorting to the very limited restaurant scene.

Meeting with Shane & Sophia
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Last Sunday, we met up with Shane from somewhere near Drogheda, and his English friend Sophia. It was brilliant to talk to people who’ve done all this already. They recommended finding a job first, and then choosing an area for an apartment that suits. Sophia also had information on language schools, an English language theatre group and a writers group. We arranged to meet up with Shane and his work colleagues in the suburb of Heredia on Thursday. It was a VERY drunken night that ended up with Jack singing ‘Downtown’ at a local karaoke.

Addresses
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One of the strangest aspects of Costa Rica is that they don’t really do addresses, although the downtown area is organised on a grid system, with Avenidas north to south, and Calles east to west. There is an Avenida Central and a Calle central, and the odd and even numbers then go off in different directions. But addresses never use these numbers. They give directions from the nearest landmark! This hotel, for example, is on the junction of Avenida 11 and Calle 15. But the address is “From Calderón Guardia Hospital 100m west”. And 100m doesn’t necessarily mean 100 metres. It means one block, regardless of size! For this reason, foreigners (or gringos as we’re called, although that should only apply to Americans) usually hire out “Apartados” or post office boxes.

Work
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I sent my CV out to a number of language schools, and have an interview in one in Heredia tomorrow. Although they’re not taking full-time staff on I’m told by Shane and his colleagues that they wouldn’t be interviewing me if they didn’t have something in mind. So fingers crossed!

Our apartment
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We’re so tired of hotel living that we decided to look for an apartment in Heredia even though we haven’t work yet. Even if it’s just for the first few months. We spent a thoroughly disheartening day wandering around and looking in papers and on supermarket noticeboards. On the way home I bought the English language Tico Times, and found an ad for a furnished apartment in Heredia, with phone (like gold-dust here, a long story for another time), internet connection, washing machine, TV and cable. We went there today and it’s fine. It beats the hotel hands down and it will do for now. So we’re really delighted and moving in on Sunday 1 May.

We’re off now to meet the other Irish guy, Fionn tonight. Fingers crossed or pray to your God for my interview tomorrow.

Keep in touch.

Until next week!

Adios,

Éamon & Jack