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Published: December 22nd 2007
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We have had an incredibly busy month since our last blog post. Here are the highlights:
- Kyle and Sam successfully completed their final exams, scoring in the 90s for almost all of their subjects. Most importantly, Sam passed his Spanish exam thanks to many hours of studying. They are now on break for 2 months, starting their new year of school in the first week of February. As a reward for all their hard work, they each got to use some of their money to purchase pets for their rooms - Kyle chose a little parakeet that he has named Hermosita and Sam selected a turtle who is currently nameless (just as Sam was for the first 4 days of his life!).
- We had a nice 4-day trip to Miami at the beginning of December in which we got to 1) see Nancy's parents who flew down from cold and snowy Minnesota, 2) lounge around at the hotel pool and jacuzzi, 3) pick up some wonderful donations for the children at the clinic that our family/friends/classmates in Minnesota sent down, 4) go to a big American shopping mall to see Santa and watch 2 first-run
movies, and 5) drive on smooth, clearly lined, and well-lit roads (ahhh, the things we come to appreciate...). The trip also enabled us to "re-set the clock" on our 90-day visas - we will hopefully be able to submit the necessary paperwork after the first of the year that will eliminate the need to do this again.
- Nancy and Steve kept things humming at the clinic as we prepared for the big influx of college volunteers that always happens during winter break. We had groups from Ohio State, University of Illinois, and UCLA this month. The energy and extra sets of hands they bring are fantastic and the kids love playing and interacting with them. Nancy particularly enjoys the opportunity to give the students a first-hand look at what a primary-care doctor does and to answer their questions about med school and life as a physician back in the States (about half to two-thirds are pre-med or considering health-related careers after college). And we get to marvel at their youthful stamina as they go out clubbing in San Jose until the wee hours and then show up the next morning ready to work (though a bit bleary-eyed).
Steve, Kyle, and Steve's mom (visiting from California - see below) even joined them when they attended a night-time playoff soccer match between Costa Rica's 2 big rival club teams.
- It has been quite interesting watching Costa Rica prepare for the holidays. Other than the obvious lack of snow, many things feel the same - holiday music playing in the stores (though hearing "I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas" does seem a bit out of place), lights on city streets, Christmas trees for sale, Santa at the mall. A few differences do stand out. First, everyone in Costa Rica receives - by law - a 13th month salary in December; it is called an aguinaldo. Even domestic workers such as housekeepers and gardeners must be paid an aguinaldo by the homeowners. This obviously spurs a huge burst in consumer spending; it was also interesting to see ads from banks and finance companies for cash-advance loans ("Don't Wait! Get Your Aguinaldo Today!").
Another difference is the unabashed display of Christian religious symbols in public spaces and facilities. Nativity scenes - called "portals" - are everywhere, including in front of government buildings. Not unexpected in a country that
is so predominantly Catholic, but obviously very different from the US.
The final unique feature is the annual Christmas lottery. There is such a demand for tickets that the ticket sellers - many of whom are literally standing on the side of the road - often charge more than the face value price of the ticket. The winning numbers are the front page headline in the next morning's paper.
- The big highlight has been the arrival of Steve's parents. His mom came to town on the 8th; his dad landed on the 12th - they are both staying until the 29th. In separate posts we will have details and photos of our trips to the Monteverde Cloud Forest and the Pacific beach town of Dominical as well as the Fiesta de Navidad we had at the clinic where we gave out about 200 pairs of new shoes - thanks largely to cash donations raised by Steve's mom from friends and family in California. We also had a great surprise when Steve's brother and girlfriend managed to escape New York City to come down and celebrate Christmas with us (and spend some time alone at the beach).
So, stay tuned for more stuff very soon.
In the meantime, we hope you and your respective families have a very Feliz Navidad y Prospero Año Nuevo!
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Aileen Kious
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Hi to all
Will email you on Wednesday to tell you about our Xmas. Have fun Hugs for the boys. Glad you could make it Jeff. Thanks Linda for your email. I think of you all all the time.The pictures and commentary make your trip so real and as if I was almost there. Enjoy, GG Aileen