Early Rain

Folks,

It was back to work after the Easter break. Monday was a bank holiday, but the school was open, so we were paid double time. And as I hear the weather is improving in Ireland, it’s moving steadily towards rainy season here.

Here comes the rain again
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It feels like the rainy season is here a little early this year. It’s been a funny summer, not typical according to the Ticos in that the evenings always remained cold. But now the afternoons are often rainy. May is the traditional start to rainy season, but I feel it’s really been here for the past two weeks. The funny thing is that the temperature is also rising, and we’re back to using the fan at home at night. The earlier part of the rainy season isn’t bad. It’s just a short time of torrential rain most afternoons. It’s not until October and November that we hit the really constant rain.

It’s actually 4.20pm now, and it’s beautiful and sunny outside.

Back to work
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Having been off for the full Semana Santa we were back for a full schedule this week. We have a bank holiday for Mayday, but apart from that it’s without a break until the end of the semester on 30th June.

Security bars
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One of the first things you notice when you get to Costa Rica is that there are bars on every window, door and garden gate – on everything in fact. In the apartment we have a gate downstairs leading to the stairs. Then we have bars on our door and all our windows. I asked someone if things were really that dangerous, and was told that when every house has bars, you can’t be the only one without. Because then you’re the easy target. But I laughed this week when Josh and Lori, two of the newer teachers told me that they have bars around their small garden. So when they sit outside or do some work in the garden the locals stop to have a look in. They call it ‘The Gringo Zoo’.

Growing prosperity
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I read in the paper that there is a government agency that has investigated the living conditions in Costa Rica. There has been a growth in the amount of homes with consumer electronics over the past 16 years. Now 98% of homes have electricity (The second-highest in Latin America after Chile). 72% have either landline or mobile phones, and the ‘vast majority’ have a cooker and colour TV. Only 7.5% of houses have internet access.

The number of home with colour TV have tripled in the sixteen years, and washing machines and telephones have doubled.

A big concern, as it is in Ireland, is the increasing price of oil. Although petrol is quite a bit cheaper here at €0.76 per litre.

Neighbours in trouble
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There are three apartments in the building where we live. Two are stable in occupancy with ourselves in one, and Denis next door. The other apartment changes every few months, and will change again soon. Denis and Carlos our landlord are not happy with the American girls that have moved in. They have a lot of friends visiting regularly. Several of whom seem to have copies of the keys. Carlos has given them their notice, so they leave in May. But they had a party last night and it was all drama. Carlos and Denis out on the balcony in a shouting match with the girls and the party-goers. It was all very exciting!
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So that’s it for another week. We’re nearly into May. Where does the time go?

Pura Vida,

Éamon

Today’s headline in La Nación: Parties reclaim C6,436 million