Late December 1972, our family of four said goodbye to friends and family and left Michigan. First stop was San Jose, Costa Rica where we would spend eight months studying Spanish.

Friends met us at the airport, and took us to the place we would call home. You can see it in the photo below. We lived on the second floor. Those railroad tracks in the foreground were in regular use, and they were at the end of the switching yard, which meant there was plenty of traffic.
We soon became used to the rumble and shaking that became a regular part of our life. We even slept through a night-time earthquake that had the entire language school buzzing the next morning.

During the rainy season that rain can be a very heavy down pour — heaver than we ever get here in Michigan. Sometimes they have another kind of rain. They say “it’s raining cat hairs.” And it is the tiniest drops you can imagine. They almost hang in they air, and when they fall on your arm it really feels like cat hairs falling gently on you.

The people are wonderful! They are friendly and as warm and comfortable as the perfect climate.

The nation has no standing army. The only sign of armed conflict is a bullet pocked building that stands as a memorial to their independence.

Learn more at:
http://www.visitcostarica.com/

and:
http://www.infocostarica.com/