We Swore We'd Never Buy an SUV

Never say never.  During a walking tour of downtown San Jose, we noticed a sparkling white Rav4 with the traditional  "Se Vende" sign written on the driver's side window.  Steve knocked on the window, and the driver rolled down the window.  Some subtle negotiating took place right there on the street, and, within minutes, my husband took the driver's business card.

The next day, the owner brought the car to school, where we had a mechanic check it out.  He gave us the thumbs up, The only catch was the funds, which we had to have wired from the States.  Word to the wise:  when you move abroad and are buying a car; bring cash!  We lost quite a bit in the transaction...both on the exchange rate and on the wire fees.  However, there is a lot of freedom in having a car: that's for sure!  And a big car will allow us to travel over some of the rugged, Costa Rican countryside.  

We have a housekeeper!  Yes, one of the luxuries of living in Costa Rica is that school teachers like us can afford household help.  Vir helps out a couple of hours on weekdays, cleaning and preparing a dinner.  I'm embarrassed to say I'm getting used to the convenience and the pampering of the situation.   

Vir called me at school today.  I had left her a note asking her to make peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for our lunch the next day.  "What else goes on the sandwich?" she asked.  "Peanut butter and jelly," I answered.  "But what kind of meat?  What else goes inside?"  "Nope, that's it..."  I continued explaining the process of spreading peanut butter on one side of a piece of bread and jelly on another piece to our perplexed housekeeper.  Thinking about it now, it does seem kind of weird!

Tonight, we drove our honkin' big car to the director's house for a terrific staff party.  Benji and Marina had a fiesta  playing spoons and dancing to "Thriller" with Mr. Mac's kids.  We grown-ups had a blast, too.  Steve obsessively competed in a "swing the ring onto the hook" game, with no success, but that didn't stop him from trying for at least a couple of solid hours.  Looks like we'll have to outfit the house with the contraption.

As I write this blog at 11 pm, there is a dog outside making a sound like a tragically wounded sea lion.   He will be joined by roosters and motorcycles revving their engines at approximately 4:30 tomorrow morning, when the light starts to creep into our windows.  I better get to sleep.