Five Days In-Country

So, we have been in Costa Rica for five days now. Since we have arrived we have been living in a one-story, one bedroom, one bath home in the middle of coffee growing country. We are half-way down a mountain side and completely surrounded by coffee plants for as far as we can see. There are nine or ten other houses in sight as we look around the valley from our 7' by 10' balcony. It's beautiful when the Sun is shining, absolutely beautiful.But right now it is raining. It has rained every afternoon and night since we arrived. It is Costa Rica's rainy season. The mornings and early afternoons are often rain free and pleasant( 80 degrees). But every afternoon or evening it rains, and our house has neither air conditioning or a heater, so it is often damp in the house (few of the houses in this area of Costa Rica have A/C or heat). As a result I have a cold. It's a typical northern cold: sore throat, congestion, achey and painy. I thought I left all that behind.

Tina,on the other hand is very healthy and taking good care of me.

We have been spending a good amount of time with our landlords: a couple from North Carolina who live in the house next door. They have lived here for six years and are very content. They have been introducing us to the area and other Gringos who live here (not a derogatory term here). We have been spending as much time as possible talking to such gringos and learning as much as possible about how to adjust and survive. That is pretty much what we plan on doing for the next three months: exploring different areas of the country for climate and suitability to our liking, and learning from other gringos, and Ticos and Ticas, how to make the most of what the country has to offer. In three months we are required to leave the country temporarily before we can renew our visa and re-enter. At that time we plan to retreat to Florida, visit my brother, Bill, and plan the next three months. We figure that six months of exploring this country should be sufficient for us to decide if living here is for us.

The major issues we must decide are:

Can we feel comfortable here,in such a very different culture?
Can we develop a sense of belonging?
Can we afford to retire here given our resources?
Can we develop a workable plan for spending adequate time with our families while living in CR.

These are some of the things Tina and I will be assessing as we go through the next six months. We will share as much of it as possible with you. Stay tuned.