Our First 3 Weeks

Time has flown by so fast!  We are learning how to drive around and get the things we need for our house and fridge, but each outing is an adventure.  We high five each other a lot in the car as we become better Tico drivers. 

Here is a list of surprises/new things we have encountered and loved:
1.  We have a dog.  It came with the property we rented.  It is a full grown 3 year old PIT BULL.  His name is Drako.  You can imagine our surprise.  It took us a few days to all get used to each other, but now he is part of our family.  He whines when we leave and cries when we return wanting us to scratch his ears and neck.  We usually do this through the fence because he will knock you down from excitement.  Check out the picture below of Bec with Drako. 

 

 

2.  To leave our house is quite an accomplishment.  We have set off the house alarm and car alarm on many days by accident.  You have to set the alarm, lock and close the front door, lock the front barred door, run out the patio/garage, close the gates there and lock them before the alarm goes off!  It's like a game show challenge every time!  More high fives when we do it without setting off the alarm!  We named our car "Christine" because she is very vocal and seems to work better when we talk to her.  The car blends in great with other Ticos because the previous owner hit a cow with it and there is a big dent in the front. 

 

3.  When you enter any parking lots, there are parking attendants that give you a plastic card.  You are supposed to keep it in your pocket when you shop so that if someone steals your car they will not have the card to exit with it.  I lost the card once and had to dig for it.  I have seen other cars pulled over looking for it so they can exit.

 

4.  It is COLD at our house.  The air temp gets into the low 60's at night and mid 70's during the day.  We live WAY up high on a mountain and love the climate.  There are few bugs, strong breezes, and high humidity.  We are always wearing long pants, sweats, sweaters, fleeces, etc...  We did not expect this kind of weather, but are fortunate that we brought many things that work as layers to keep us

warm.  We sleep with 3 blankets on the bed! 

 

5.  We eat all of our meals outside because the jungle is right there!  Here is a picture of our view from the table.  The most common color of our house is orange.  It is such a happy color and we love it.  We named our casa, "Casa

Naranja".  Orange is our new favorite color.  We even bought a giant orange couch for the living room with leopard spots!  By the way, we love our house and landlords.  We hang out with their family and have great talks, laughs, and food.  We are teaching each other Spanish and English.  They are close to our age and we couldn't ask for nicer people to help us get settled. 

6.  Andrea has misinterpreted some Spanish signs that ended up with funny stories.  First, she thought the name of our landlords were Mr. and Mrs. Buzon because that was the name on the mailbox.  It turns out that buzon is the actual word for mailbox!  One Sunday, Andrea and Mike were playing basketball against the landlords and yelled out "Go Team Rudolph"!  The landlords yelled back, "Go Team Moras".  Andrea said, "Team who?  You mean, team Buzon".  Everyone looked at her and said "Que?".  Then we all had a big laugh about that.  Andrea also took Rebecca with her on an errand to get take out pizza.  She drove to the first sign where she saw a picture of pizza advertised and went inside, totally ignoring the fact that everyone was dressed in costume.  When she asked for pizza to go in her broken Spanish the guy looked at her and asked why didn't she want to stay for the party.  She said she was tired and wanted the pizza for home.  He still looked confused so Andrea took a better look around the place and realized she was in some sort of party warehouse for birthday parties.  Then, she and Bec and the host had a big laugh together.  Bec still points out the building when we drive by and laughs about it!

 

7.  We love our new school.  It is a lot of work with each of us having many preps to prepare for, but we have very small classes.  Mike has 4 classes, including physics, 8th grade physical science, regular chemistry, and AP chemistry and he only has 36 students TOTAL!  Andrea has 5 classes with 7th grade life science, 9th grade general science, 10th grade biology honors, 11th grade Bio II, and an elective called Wildcat Park.  She has a total of 56 students overall.  Wildcat park is a section of the school's land that is undeveloped.  They have a built a greenhouse on it and want Andrea to raise plants and chickens this year with her students.  So fun!  We start school tomorrow, Aug 5th with students, so wish us luck.

 

8.  Bec has several new friends on our block.  Two of the girls live only a few houses down and are also 5 years old.  Another girl lives at the end of the street and is 6.  The language is a big barrier, but the girls still play.  Bec is anxious to learn Spanish and has her own Spanish teacher starting tomorrow.

 

9.  Our phone number works at our house when the internet is up.  It is a local call, so don't forget to call us.  We miss you all!  720-360-0508