A Day In Our Life - An Outing to Palmares

 

Left to Right - Joanne, Roxi, Callahan,
Shirley, Judy and Delaney

A Tour With the Ladies

On Friday we went on an outing with six local ladies from Atenas.  We went to Palmares - the 2nd largest city in the province of Alajuela (the province we live in) with a  population of 31,000.  We rode the bus and round trip for the two of us was $4 USD (or 2000 colons) We left at 8am and encountered lots of hills to get there, arriving in 45 minutes.  


The Colors Were So Vibrant

About three blocks from the bus stop we walked to the heart of Palmares - their Central Park.   The communities that we have visited in Costa Rica so far follow this same model - the central park is the pulse of the city with the Catholic Church normally across the street.  And it is interesting, the parks vary as well as the churches from town to town.  Some are more quaint than others, some very European looking and some look like they could be back in one our cities in the States.  We toured this church and especially loved the stained glass.

Back to School Anyone?

Visiting the Local High School

We met up with a New Yorker, who was volunteering as a Biology teacher in Palmares - she was our tour guide.  We visited her school, which is one of the most well-known and reputable high schools in Costa Rica with 1,600 students attending.  The schedule for the day is listed out on a white board.

"Distribution Store".....Oh My!

As we were walking around in the heart of downtown Palmares, we came upon this interesting sign in front of a store AND a slight smell coming from within.  Ah, at last a language I understand:  pictures!  That's my form of communicating when my Spanish is lacking, which is about 98% of the time!  Look closely at the sign - they will distribute:  pigs, chickens, cows, horses and roosters!  Now, I've heard of pet stores, but this is taking it a little too far!

Here a Chick....There a Chick.....
Everywhere a Chick Chick

My Kind of Picture Board

And the "slight smell" - you guessed it, these little chickies.  And just around the corner from the "Distribuidor" Store - a bakery!  Who's got an appetite, anyone?



What a Display Window....BUT,
could "no sales" be due to
location, location, location???

Does That Sign Say What I Think It Does?

Black Friday - 40% Off

Okay, now this is really taking it too far!  Black Friday in Costa Rica - really?  The sale is the day AFTER Thanksgiving - oh, wait, they don't celebrate Thanksgiving here!  I guess some marketing ploys cross all international lines - having a BIG sale is universal!



What a GREAT and FUN day we had with our new friends here in Costa Rica!   We are so fortunate and blessed to be living here.
 

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Pura Vida,
Judy and Roxi
"Sisters In Transition"




 

We Are Rocking & Rolling.....

"I Feel The Earth Move Under My Feet..."

                                                                                                         By Carole King

   

Major Earthquake

Well, I'm a little late reporting this (good thing I'm not a reporter), but did you hear about our earthquake here on September 5th?  It was a 7.6 magnitude and, let me tell you....it was the biggest one we've ever been in and so surreal.  Funny how you react - I immediately went onto Facebook to inquire if anyone local had "felt that"....  can't believe I did that!  Of course they felt it and it was big news for days. 
 

That morning about 8:30 I was doing laundry when I heard a very loud noise.  I thought a truck was passing by. Immediately, it got louder and I could see the floor shaking, the water in the pool lapping. I immediately called to Roxi and said, "I think we're having an earthquake" - I know, I know, it was a brilliant deduction on my part! Together, holding hands we walked outside into an open area (maybe not the smartest move) and just watched the earth roll and shake. We felt like two drunk sisters trying to walk a straight line, but there was no alcohol involved. It seemed like it went on forever, but it was really only about 40 to 50 seconds. All we know is that we don't want to experience that degree of rocking and rolling again - unless, of course, it is on the dance floor!

Fortunately, there was little damage done within the country.  I think that is because it registered something like 25 miles below the ground.  Just so you know, Costa Rica experiences upward to 3,000 or more earthquakes a year - mostly small ones.  Thanks for all the inquiries about our safety.

Our Car:  "Dora The Explorer"

For those that may not already know, the winning name for our Pathfinder is "Dora" from the children's TV show "Dora The Explorer". Thanks to Marc Lintner who submitted the winning name - we had over 60 names to chose from! 

We just loved what she stood for:  1) she's a sweet latino girl, 2) she loves adventure, and 3) her best friend is a squirrel named "Tico" (what Costa Ricans call themselves).  Such a great fit and Dora will protect us as we go on many adventures together!  Thanks for helping us name our car!

 

We've Been Busy

We have been busy and over the next several weeks I'll begin to post more frequently and share more pictures about what we are up to. 

 

I'm experimenting with shooting video's and will post some of those, too.  In the meantime, here's one picture that we just love - it was taken when we went on a road trip recently to Manuel Antonio - can you believe how beautiful this little cove is? 

 

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We continue to build our list of followers on our blog - we'd love to see you join if you haven't already.  Why not become a Facebook friend, too?  We post regular activities and pictures on Facebook, so just search "Judy Timson" and "friend me".   

 

We would LOVE to hear from you - post a comment below or send us an email.

 

Pura Vida,

Judy and Roxi (Sisters in Transition)

email:  jteci@yahoo.com

 

 



Are We Still Dreaming - Has Reality Set in?

"You've Got To Have a Dream, If You Want To Have a Dream Come True"

                                                                                     Dennis Waitley

 

 

Roxi (l) and Judy (r) attending
Stef's Birthday Party at Guanacaste

Hola from Atenas, Costa Rica!  The quote above states, if you don't have a dream or a desire to evoke change, it is unlikely that your dream will come true.  We have boasted on several occasions (we know, we know...shut up already) that we are living our DREAM.  You may ask, "but has reality set in yet?"  Well, yes and no.  Although we have had some surprises, especially around the cost of things, we are still pinching ourselves everyday on the wonder of what we have done.  Honeymoon stage or not, we will continue to keep you posted as our life unfolds. Dreams can come true if you dare to explore them!   

So....we'll share a couple of points about the reality of our move to Costa Rica.  Nothing too earth shattering, but people always want to know specifics, costs, feelings, etc.

 

Spanish 101 with Teacher Liz

Reality Check #1:  Learning Spanish Is Fun....But Not Easy!

Well, for me (Judy), my worst fear has come true - I am butchering the Spanish language - someone stop me!  Sis Roxi is doing much better and together we are gradually learning words and sentence structure during our weekly two hour class with Liz.  We also go to a Spanish conversation class once a week.  Can you survive without learning Spanish?  Probably, but think of all the experiences that one would miss out on because of the language barrier.  So struggle as we may, the reality is that we will be learning this language probably for the rest of our lives.  That's okay!  Learning is always good at any age!
  

We Have Wheels!

Reality Check #2: Freedom Comes at a Cost

After 8 weeks of taxi's and rides with friends, we are now the proud new owner of a 2001 Nissan Pathfinder - automatic, black, 4WD, and runs on gas at $5.00 a gallon (part of reality check).  Because of import duties and taxes, cars are very expensive here.  In the US, this vehicle would probably cost $6,000 - we paid $13,000 - ouch!  But we knew this beforehand, so we planned and budgeted for it.  Car insurance runs about $460 every six months for full coverage.  It drives smoothly and will be a safe vehicle for the roads of Costa Rica.  And I (Judy) just got my Costa Rican driver's license this past week.  Can you say road trip????  We've never named our cars, but hey, we're in Costa Rica, so there is a first for everything.  We opened it up to our Facebook friends to help name our Pathfinder.  So far over 40 names have been submitted.  Next blog, we'll share the winning name! 

 

Reality #3:  Personal Services - Yay or Nay

Judy's first haircut in Costa Rica

So, we won't kid you...we went thru lots of concerns and due diligence in making this move.  Finding a hairdresser that could cut our hair the way we were accustomed to was right up there on our list (can you ladies out there relate?).   Our friend Stef recommended her hairdresser, Roxanna (the name was a good indicator we were in good hands).  She cut it differently and much quicker and $16 later (for two haircuts) we exited as pleased customers - and it wasn't too painful!  We've also found other personal services to meet our needs (pharmacy, local doctor, banking services, mechanic, manicurist/pedicurist, attorney, and even someone to help us with interpretations).  We are in good hands here.

 

Many have asked that we share what we do in any given day.  Well, that can vary, however, here's some activities of ours over the last several weeks.

 

Solo Bus Trip to San Jose

We have experienced two bus trips into San Jose for eye appointments for Roxi (a friend showed us "how to do it and get there" in July and then we did it on our own last week) - easy and for $1.90 each way there was no stress in driving and you could relax and sightsee while enroute.  We are thinking we'll continue to go by bus (even though we have wheels now) because overall it is cheaper due to gas and maintenance and lessens the stress of driving in San Jose (which isn't that easy with no road signs).

Judy is a Legal
Costa Rican Driver - look out!

I mentioned I got my Driver's License, but did I mention I drove into San Jose to get it - and only 3 days after getting our new car.  With the help of two friends who were also securing their license we made it just fine.  Quite a time-consuming process (3-1/2 hours) with lots of waiting, lots of paper stamping plus going to the bank to pay our $8 fee for the license, then back to the license building to show proof of payment.  Magic then happened...my picture was taken and I waited 3 minutes...then walked out with a Costa Rican Driver's License. 

We continue to explore our community (especially now with a car) and we are becoming more and more familiar with what it has to offer.  We love our small town here.  I think we've visited just about every major restaurant and three of the four grocery stores.  We look forward to planning some day trips for friends visiting - so exploring other communities outside of Atenas is on our radar screen.

Our Women's Bible Study Group

We continue to meet new people and make new friends.  We are involved in a Beth Moore Bible Study and we meet weekly on Tuesday's.  About 8-10 women are involved and we are enjoying the women and the message from the Study.

We've been to PriceSmart (similar to Costco) and are excited to see some similar products that we are familiar with - you can count on paying 50% or more than you did in the US.  I'll give a little comparison in my next blog on costs.  It was pretty funny to see our excitement at recognizing the hot dog stand at PriceSmart.  Yep, for about $4 you can get a hot dog and drink, compared to $1.50 in the US...but, hey, if you have a craving for a good hot dog, price doesn't matter, right?

Dog Sitting Lady & Tramp

As many of you know, our little Zoe (maltese) had to be put down last December.  We miss her!  It is so wonderful to see so many people with dogs here in Costa Rica and we have found a doggie fix without owning a dog.  Recently, we enjoyed dog sitting for our Indiana friend's dogs for three days.  They have a beautiful home, with a view and pool and we had a wonderful time.  We will be doing this again in October when they visit the States.  Their home is in the same area we are moving to - Vista Atenas.



Meeting with Lana, our new landlord -
learning all the details of our new home in Vista Atenas

Speaking of moving to Vista Atenas (our dream home), we do that on August 29th and our pallet of 12 boxes will be delivered on August 31st.  We are excited!  Our next blog will share more about living in our new home.

 

Rainy Season:  It's Coming
Down in Buckets!

The rainy season - good or bad?  We love it actually.  Although rain was something we were happy to walk away from in Oregon (how many months a year does it rain - would that be 12?) - we know the rainy season here is typically May thru December, but the difference is you see plenty of sun and some days it doesn't even rain!  We usually have sun for 6-8 hours each day before it might rain.  So we have plenty of time to enjoy the pool, the outside, run errands, etc.  To be safe, we always carry umbrellas with us when we go out.  In our two months here, we have awoken to, maybe, five days with an overcast sky.  And this blog post was completed due to it being an overcast day.  And when it rains here, it does it with volume and purpose!  The lightening and thunderstorms are spectacular....that is, until the power goes off.  Usually, the power is back on within an hour or so. They say September and October can be the worst in the rainy season - we will let you know how it goes over the next few months.

We've been "recruited" to serve on the 2013 Chili Cook-Off Committee - a fundraising effort scheduled February 10th that supports the local children's home here in Atenas.  We are honored to help out; we've already had our first committee meeting, with the next one August 30th.   We are going to be outreaching for donations to help support this great cause - we'll share more as time nears.  

Now, some of you must have some burning questions...feel free to post your comments, suggestions or questions on our blog - we love hearing from you! 

Join our Blog as a followers, just go up to the top right and click "Join This Site" .  

Until our next post, pura vida!

Your Cost Rica Sisters in Transition,
Judy and Roxi

PS - we are posting pictures and updates regularly on our Facebook Page (Judy Timson) so if you'd like to see more, just friend me.  And, if you want to communicate via email, just email us at jteci@yahoo.com

 

 





We Have Landed...AND....We Love It....

                                                                                               

"The Best Way to Predict the Future is to Create It"

                                                                                            Abraham Lincoln

We Have Arrived Safely With ALL our Suitcases!

Hola from Atenas, Costa Rica!  Roxi and I have arrived and we cannot believe we have been in this beautiful country for over three weeks.  As the saying above indicates, "the one way to predict the future is to create it" – and we are creating a whole new life internationally.  Not that our “old” life was bad, it wasn’t, but how exciting to have an opportunity to do what we are doing as “happening senior women”.  I like the “happening” part of our identifier….can’t quite believe we fall into that “senior” category yet.  Never!

We have had many pleasant experiences and associations already.  The people of Costa Rica are so kind, warm and helpful.  In spite of not knowing the language except for a few basic greetings, they bend over backwards to help us communicate.  We will be starting to learn Spanish beginning July 18 – two hours per week with lots of homework.  Our teacher comes highly recommended and starts with the basics – guess she knows how we gringos can butcher the language, so starting with the basics will be good.  She charges $30 for a two-hour session for both of us – we’ll see how it goes.

The House of our DREAMS - Got It!!!!

Here's our DREAM Home
in Vista Atenas!!!

Many of you have asked about our living arrangements and whether we found that DREAM house in Atenas yet.  We did!!!!  Our realtor, Isabelle Jones, from Go Dutch Realty helped us snag this lovely home - we looked at eight rental properties and this one had our name on it!  Unfortunately, we cannot move in until August 31 because it is rented until then.  However, the owner (from Arizona), agreed to rent it to us long-term.  The funny thing is that I saw this home many times over the last several months and was salivating over it, but knew it was out of our price range and was only available as a short-term rental.  Low and behold, timing was just right and she decided to rent it long-term with a one-year contract.  Aren't those "sisters in transition" lucky?   It is a furnished two-bedroom, two bath home with a guest house and private pool.  Did I mention a view, too?  And gated?  Although the monthly rent may seem high (and it is) at $1,600,  we think it will be well worth it - we are only $100 over our budget for our home.  Will we live in this home longer than a year?  We hope so!  This expense is obviously our highest expense, just as anyone's mortgage or home rental is typically.    More home pics.

From the Living Room Looking Out

And Look At What is Outside!!!

But...Where Are We Living Now?

Our Apartment (bottom level)
 in Hacienda Atenas

We needed an apartment for two months...and one was available with our name on it (of course)!  We are staying at  Casita Mango, about two miles from the center of Atenas - and paying $850/month.  The owners, Pete and Stef live on the premises in their own beautiful home and share their lovely pool with us.  See more on this property.

What Have We Been Up To?

Well, believe it or not, we have accomplished quite a bit in a very short period of time.  We have submitted all our paperwork to ARCR (Association of Residents of Costa Rica) to help guide us thru the process to establish residency.  They’ve been most helpful and the paperwork is now in the hands of Immigration.  We are told you could be approved within 1 month, 2 months, 6 months, 1 year or longer.  We’re hoping it’ll be less than that, of course!  Once we are approved we will be able to secure local public medical insurance (Caja) for about $50/each per month.  One interesting task on the day we turned in our papers for residency, our attorney took us to the police station to get fingerprinted, which is a requirement before getting your residency approved.  But, we had to have four photo's of each of us (similar to passport pictures) to submit to the police.   Well, right outside the police station, before being frisked, we stepped over to a side wall where a true entrepeneur was at work, snapping pictures and printing them right then and there for just $8 - did I say this was a mug shot?   Oh, that can't be right....anyway, $8 later we had our four pictures in hand ready to enter the police station.   This police station - which seemed to date back to the 50’s in looks and operation had a very small room with about 8 clerks tackling the recording of your information.  After 30 minutes of logging in information by hand, asking questions, looking at our passports, looking at our paperwork, looking at the computer, and discussing in spanish with their peers, we were done - oh, did I mention how much "stamping" goes on here in Costa Rica?  Every piece of paper has to be stamped, then re-stamped and maybe another stamp for good measure. 



Ex-Pats Sharing Lunch After Church
(Roxi's on the left)

We opened bank accounts.  We’ve got a post office box.  We have a cell phone (for use in Costa Rica only).  We have gone to church – once a month they have bilingual church – as well as to “English” church on Wednesday nights.  We've been to the US Embassy already (to get Roxi's social security paperwork for residency purposes). We attended a two-day seminar in San Jose sponsored by ARCR on living in Costa Rica.  Although good, we could not wait to get back to our home in Atenas and away from the rush, rush of San Jose!

Sea Bass at Guanacaste Restaurant

We explored three grocery stores so far (and yes, purchased from each).  We've been out to several restaurants, too - our favorite is called Guanacaste, an open air, outdoor setting  - they absolutely have the best grilled sea bass for $8....and yes, that is where we will be taking all our visitors who come to Costa Rica!  
 

Yours truly (Judy) relaxing!

We swim about 4 to 5 times each week - someone's gotta do it!  We’ve  been exploring the downtown area to become familiar with our new community.   We have been caught twice in a huge downpour – once without umbrellas!  Roxi has read four books already.  We’ve been to Kay’s here in Atenas twice; she’s from the States and her  restaurant is a gathering place for ex-pats.  They have a lending library with 1000 books!  And we thought we'd run out of books - we’ll have reading for years to come, thanks to Kay's.

Roxi with our friends Judy & Don
(showing us the ropes)

Look at those colors!!!

We’ve explored two different feira’s (farmer’s market) – our very own in Atenas and one in Grecia, about 20 miles from Atenas.  Fresh fruits, veggies & flowers!

People Connections

Wow, we have already met a ton of people in Atenas - mostly ex-pats at this point.  Just like in the United States, people are recognizing us as “the sisters” (in transition, of course).  Our friends, Don & Judy introduced Atenas to us and we are not disappointed; they have been so helpful in paving the way for us in settling in here in Costa Rica.  We hope we can pay it forward for others as so many have done for us!

Lunch in Grecia with Shirley and Mary
(those ice tea drinks were to die for)

Thru church, we’ve met others, too.  Shirley and Mary took us under their wing for an outing to Grecia last week.  We were anxious to see Grecia as we had read so much about the community….but to get there you must cross “scary bridge” – yes, that is what everyone calls it.  Although I don’t have a picture, it is a small, wobbly bridge that really is a little "scary" to cross over -  and you don’t want to look down – it’s a long way to the bottom of the ravine with massive flowing water.  We are going to Sarchi on Friday with 10 women (look out Sarchi) for a little painting class (look out art teacher), then lunch, then maybe a look-see at their rocking chair factory - they have the best rocking chairs here. 

Lunch in Alajuela with Pete & Stef

Pete and Stef, our new landlords at the apartment, have been wonderful in helping us network and connect in the community.  Stef is trying to "recruit" Roxi and me to help with their big Chili Cook-Off fundraiser in February.  Accountant Roxi and Fundraiser Judy will likely step up!!!  Right now we are looking for a vehicle.  I test drove one about a week ago but it was over our budget.  We are either catching rides into town with Pete, Stef, friends or a taxi.  Taxi from our apartment into town is about $5 and we get Walter or Adolfo - both speak English to help us gringos.

A Few Observations

• It’s more expensive here in some respects than what we thought.  Going out to lunch or dinner, for example, could run $15-20 for two (meal and drinks).  Kinda like back home.  Can be less depending on where you go. 
• Groceries in the store tend to be higher than what we anticipated, but feel that we can lower our costs once we get settled into our home and get in a routine.
• Farmer’s Market is fabulous and offers great fruits, vegetables, flowers, etc., and very reasonably priced.  For example, a small pineapple was 60 cents.  Bag of 7 chili peppers was about $1.  A bag of small red onions was around 60 cents.  There are many items we haven’t a clue what they are, what they taste like, how to cook them – we’ll learn!
• A large majority of vehicles are diesel and it is $6/gallon, but regular gas is a little cheaper.
• There are tolls to be paid when on some of the “main” highways here in Costa Rica.  For example, for us to go to San Jose (about 35 minutes away) we go thru three tolls - for a total of about $2 each way. 
• One way Taxi trip into San Jose is about $60 (yes, you read that right), but you could take a bus for only about $1 or so. 
• From the San Jose Airport to Atenas, a taxi is about $40 to $45....this will be how our visitors will get to us.

Do We Really Love It Here?

Outside our Apartment
(sharing the land together)

We absolutely love it here so far, in spite of our little creature "friends".  Here's our one complaint - we hate when night falls because the beauty of Costa Rica cannot be seen (but the sweet sounds from birds still can).  Night falls here around 6pm each night, 365 days a year.  Hard to get use too...but we are managing!  We rise early each morning to enjoy the the beauty as the day unfolds.  Everyday we say "we can't believe we did this" and continue to feel fortunate that we could.

Hey readers - I have been posting several pictures (a little more regularly than my blog post) on my Facebook page.  If you'd like to "friend me" (Judy Timson), then you can see more pics and comments on our daily life.  I will try and post a little more frequently on our blog (so it won't be too long like this one), but you know, we are so busy living the pura vida life - who has time to sit in front of a computer - ha!

Please join our blog as a follower (upper right-hand corner) and feel free to forward these blog posts outward.  We love your comments and appreciate your support.   

Judy and Roxi
Costa Rica Sisters in Transition
Judy's email:  jteci@yahoo.com
Roxi's email:  roxidixon@yahoo.com

Aaaaaannnnnnddddd.....There Off!

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"Courage is the Power to Let Go of the Familiar"

 

Now What? Everything is sold, stored or packed so it must be true, we really are moving to Costa Rica. Even though we've been telling friends and family for over a year, I think some of them didn't really take it seriously until both our homes sold, then their heads raised up with the question, "do you really know what you are doing?"  We hope so.  Our life is packed into twelve boxes and has been shipped and should arrive in Atenas in 6 to 8 weeks. We're taking the rest of our life on the airplane with us - four very large overweight  suitcases - which we will be paying extra. We've encountered lots of additional costs and at this point we are just laughing and saying "it's only money". Others that have gone before us can probably relate - when push comes to shove you spend to get it done.

 

One pallet...12 boxes....20x20x20 - our new life!

 

Well, here we are on the eve of our departure....we can hardly believe it. Just this morning Roxi said, "when we move to Costa Rica" and I interrupted her and said "you mean tomorrow" - then we just laughed.   The timeline has always been months, then weeks, then days - now it is tomorrow!  She went on to say she was going to remove her watch once we arrived since we will be living the dream with a new culture, a new timeline and a new life! Isn't that what retired people do? Take their watches off and just let time be what it will be!

We have really had a blast in the last two months - we have been on our "Farewell Tour" to say goodbye to friends and family.  In Idaho we traveled to Potlatch, Plummer, Middleton, Meridian, Boise, Garden City and Emmett.  In Washington we traveled to Seattle and Kennewick.  In Oregon we traveled to Sunriver, Bend and all over the Portland metropolitan area.  And now we are in Atlanta where we have seen friends for four days.  Sorry to have missed some of you, but you know where we live - come visit!  We had the time of our life on this Tour and are so blessed to have connected with so many of you out there. Thank you for your love, support, and prayers around what we are doing. We feel it! 

 

 

After weeks and months of working off a "to do" list, tomorrow we will begin a new "to do" list for our life in Costa Rica. First on the list: find a home! Many people have thought we already have a home - no, not yet! On Wednesday (day after arrival) we are meeting with a realtor that will show us rental properties. We don't ever plan on buying a home, just renting a furnished home - and there are plenty of those in Costa Rica, including our new home base: Atenas.

 

On Thursday we meet with a legal representative from ARCR (Association of Residents of Costa Rica) to begin our residency process. Part of the residency process is preparing multiple documents that must be notarized and apostilled. This ARCR organization helps people to work thru the process - plus a mere $1,500 each and two to twelve months later you will be a resident (fingers crossed). One of the benefits of residency is that you can secure insurance within the country which between public and private insurance, runs about $150/month. It also allows you to not have to exit the country every 90 days. There are other perks, too, but those are key ones.

 

Upon arrival we will spend five nights in Atenas at Poco Cielo Resort ("just a little piece of heaven")  - click the name to see our "temporary" home. We are hoping we'll find a rental property within that timeframe, but if not, we may very likely just rent an apartment until we can find a home to our liking. 

 

I promise to write more as life unfolds for us in Costa Rica.  The "Sisters in Transition" are about to be "Living the Dream"!

 

Pura Vida,

Judy and Roxi

 

Moving to Paradise Isn't for Sissies

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"The Art of Living Lies in a Fine Mingling of Letting Go and Holding On"

                                                                                                      

This quote rang true for us - to experience our new adventure and truly create our new life in Costa Rica that we dreamt about, we decided it was essential to "let go and hold on".  We knew this would be a wild ride with many twists and turns, but would this lead us to our retirement destination?

Yes, but doing so....and preparing for a life in Paradise....is not for sissies or the faint of heart!!!!  Sisters, yes - sissies, no.  Anyone that has made a major life change like this can attest to the stress and work involved in finishing up your life as you knew it and preparing for a new life in another country.  Although we are both retired now we have felt like we've had a full-time job for several months now - the pay has been awful, but the pay-off will be worth it! 

How does one let go of so many possessions, so many treasures, so much stuff and so much junk?  Have a moving sale, of course.  Between our moving sale, Craig's List and consignment stores, most stuff went out the door and many of our treasures went to friends, relatives or neighbors.  Basically, what we made on this, our last-ever garage/moving sale, will help support the costs of establishing residency in Costa Rica.  Below is our before and after pictures of our moving sale.  We survived!

This is only one room - there were 5 full rooms of items

It's Over - Closing Day!

There is definitely an overwhelming feeling of relief that this portion of our workload is over.  But there is still much to do to get things completely ready for this move.  Endurance, please, endurance!  I know the Olympics are coming up this summer and we both feel like we've been in training - is there a category for "International Moving"????  We might be the front-runners - go Roxi and Judy, you can do it!

Letting go of your stuff and things gave us a freedom we didn't expect.  Of course, we are holding onto some of our treasures that will remain in storage in Oregon, but for the most part, everything sold.  Can you imagine dwindling your life down to 12 boxes (20x20x20) for your new life?  That is exactly what we are doing.  I expect there will be some serious negotiations going on between Roxi and me and I'll have to cut back on shoes and purses and jewelry and candles and.....you get the picture!  You begin to really assess and prioritize what's going to be important to you in your new homeland:  swimsuits, shorts, tank tops and sandals....plus a few personal effects and kitchen stuff.

We've begun our COUNTDOWN to departure - 38 Days!  So, what have we been up to since my house closed on April 27th?  You know Willie Nelson's song, "On the Road Again"?  Well, that is what we are doing - hitting the road and traveling throughout Oregon, Washington and Idaho to visit family and friends before leaving the country.  A cousin named this road trip our "Farewell Tour".  Already three trips are under our belt - the hospitality has been great.  Actually, if the truth be told, you could also call this "Farewell Tour" our "Champagne Trail".  Just about every stop has included a toast to our adventure.  Thanks to all of you.

Between road trips and departure date comes final packing for shipping our contents - yes, those 12 boxes - to Costa Rica.  It ain't cheap!  It will cost approximately $2,300 to ship those contents - it'll be one pallet and will go inside a container and be shipped by cargo.  It will take anywhere from 4 weeks to 8 weeks before delivery occurs and then it goes thru customs and will be delivered to us in Atenas.  In addition to these 12 boxes, we'll also be packing 4 large suitcases that will go with us on the airplane - basically everything we determine most important to us until those 12 boxes arrive!

We'll have two full weeks in Portland to visit friends and family before departing to Atlanta on June 15 for one last final road trip (although it will be by air).  Then, on Tuesday, June 19th, we depart for Costa Rica. 

If there is an adventure in your life coming up...."let go and hold on" - you never know what lies ahead for people in transition!  Stay tuned...more to come!

Pura Vida,
Judy and Roxi 

Our New Homeland: Atenas, Costa Rica

"Live the Life You Have Imagined"

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We have finally rounded the corner on some very important decisions - where will we live in Costa Rica.  It took time, research and countless conversations.  I wanted the ocean.  Roxi wanted the mountains.  We both wanted great climates.  We both wanted a small community feel.  We knew we should be near qaulity healthcare facilities, but would that mean we'd need to live in or at least closeby to the hub of healthcare in San Jose (capital of Costa Rica).  We thought, yes, initially, but in time we discovered that wasn't necessarily the case.

Where will our new home be, you might ask?  We are planning on moving to Atenas - a smaller community about 35 minutes west of San Jose (and the airport) AND about 45 minutes to the beach!!!  We loved everything we read and heard about Atenas.  Here's a little more info on our new homeland (or click the link "Atenas" above):

• Atenas is located in Central Valley in the province of Alajuela - population 5,000 (17,000 in outer suburbs) - it's about 2300 feet above sea level.
• National Geographic named Atenas the "best climate in the world" - notice, it is the world, not just Costa Rica!  Average temperatures range between 77 to 86 degrees.
• AARP selected Atenas as one of their "10 Best Destinations for Retirement" - it must be since we "R" them (retired) and moving there!  We hear about 150 other ex-pats have settled in this fine community, as well.
• You can have a view of mountains and a valley if you choose - in some places they say you can even see the ocean.
• Coffee plantations!!!  Need I say more!

Coffee Plantation Tour in Costa Rica (Roxi)

We thought we may end up in one of the communities surrounding San Jose, but when push came to shove, four of the communities we had identified (Santa Ana, Heredia, Escazu and Alujuela) just weren't calling our name.  We visited all four communities (plus San Jose) when we were there in August and although they were lovely communities in their own right, we were seeking something smaller, more localized, so that we could experience the local culture in a more meaningful way.  And, plus, we were looking to get away from the "rush, rush, rush" of these larger communities/cities.  And by living in a smaller community, it will allow us to own a car - we were not sure we would do this when we started this process, but owning a car does give us more independence and freedom to travel the country - although bus and taxi service is excellent.  Now, learning to drive here the way the locals do is another story!  That will be my job upon arrival.

We've elected to rent a furnished home in Atenas - we don't plan on ever purchasing a home in Costa Rica, although they say it isn't hard to do.  For now, renting is our preference and we're hoping to secure a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom home with, get this, a private pool.  Pinch us, this can soon be our reality!  We'll post pictures of our new place once we've settled in - sometime in June!

How will we learn Spanish - the native language?  Well, both Roxi and I specialize in butchering the English language and we are so excited to do the same with the Spanish language!  We both feel it is a priority to learn the language and originally we thought we'd do a full-immersion and go to school while living with a Costa Rican family.  On paper and in conversation that sounded good.  But when we made a decision to live in a smaller community, it made more sense to have our own place to begin with and just go to school to learn the language - we'll see how that works for us.  The Tico's (Costa Rican natives) absolutely love when you try to speak Spanish.  We'll see how much they love us once we start butchering their language! 

We are so excited for our new life and adventures!  Now, if we can just get thru our major moving sale, house closing, paperwork to establish residency in Costa Rica, making shipping arrangements on what limited stuff we are taking, then we can move forward to live the Pura Vida life (good life)!

The Sisters in Transition are Livin' The Dream!

Judy and Roxi
Email:  jteci@yahoo.com

Our Dream is Now Our Reality

"Don't Be Afraid of the Space Between
Your Dreams and Reality -
If you Can Dream it, You Can Make it Happen!"

In Costa Rica in August 2011 - Roxi (l) and Judy (r)

Exciting times ahead - a new life, a new culture, a new language!  The "Sisters in Transition" are getting their groove together - we are moving to Costa Rica!  Are we too old for this?  Absolutely not!  Are we a little nervous?  Who wouldn't be.  Have we done our homework on making a major move like this? Yes, and we continue to do so.  Will there still be surprises along the way?  Undoubtedly - we hope so!  Has there been any red flags or major concerns?  Yes, but manageable ones.  A venture like this was not taken lightly and just 10 short months ago it started with a conversation on an airplane to Mexico drinking a Bloody Mary.

Most of you know that Roxi is the older sister even though people always ask "who's the oldest" when they first meet us - and you can imagine how that might irritate the younger sister a little, until I started thinking, "maybe they think she looks as young as me" - ha!  Anyway, I grin and bear it and we actually adore each other and of course, I always respect my elders (ah, now I feel much better).  Roxi's been retired for 3 years now.  And I had at least 5-8 years before I thought I could even consider retiring.  But wait, I'm retired now!  What happened?  Well, remember that Bloody Mary - it all began there and within 3-4 weeks of serious discussion, initial research, and crunching numbers, Roxi, my accountant sister said "we can do this". 

So began our due dilligence in understanding everything we could on moving internationally and how to begin the process.  We attended a 3-day Conference in August 2011 in San Jose, Costa Rica on "Retiring and Living in Costa Rica" sponsored by International Living - it was great - over 200 people in attendance!  We'll share more thru our blog on various things getting us to this point, but for now, both our homes have sold and we are on a serious timeline now with my house closing the end of April.  Looks like our move will be in the June 2012 timeframe - July at the latest.  So much to do, but a friend in Playa Hermosa, Costa Rica, has assured me "it will all get done".  I hope she's right!

Are we moving because it is cheaper and more affordable and it is the only way I could have retired at this age?  Yes.  Is it the only reason?  No.  For sure we knew we could live internationally on a much lower income and that big, main concern for all - healthcare - comes in at about $150/month per person in Costa Rica versus the excessive monthly insurance costs here in the States.  But, the real reason for this decision was we wanted more time together while enjoying a better quality of life - allowing us to travel, encounter new adventures, experience less stress, live in a warmer climate, enjoy the beauty that streams throughout the country of Costa Rica, and live the "Pure Vida" life (good life) that is communicated on a daily basis.

So, our journey begins.  We hope to give you a bird's eye view of our adventure, our experiences, our challenges, and our joys.  We hope you enjoy AND please sign up for this BLOG and invite your friends, family, co-workers, to join too.  We look forward to sharing our "Sisters in Transition" new lifestyle with others!


Pura Vida,
Judy and Roxi