| Costa Rica Volunteers Blog

Police Issues Part II

September 21, 2006

Back again with more police talk. Today it’s about the way they take things into their own hands. I’ll give you two examples:
First. In Puerto Viejo de Talamanca there was a bar on the beach owned by a husband and wife who were known to be heavily involved in the sale of illegal drugs. The police were finally able to get the husband thrown in jail, but the wife remained in control of the bar and allegedly continued selling drugs.

Police Issues Part I

September 19, 2006

I’ve been wanting to create a post for a long time about the police here in Costa Rica. To begin with, I do understand, or have some idea, of how difficult it must be for them to do their jobs here. They have had the exact same amount of police officers for the last 20 years. That means there are the same amount of officers trying to serve the needs of over 2 million more people!

Back Home

September 18, 2006

I had such a nice time with my family while I was in San Francisco this last week. Pictured here is me with my new niece, Evelyn. Isn’t she adorable? She’s so tiny!

Worst Hangover Ever

September 11, 2006

Am I ever bummed out. I went out on Saturday night with friends I hadn’t seen in ages. I guess I let loose a bit too much. I woke up Sunday morning (two hours after going to bed, of course) puking like crazy. I spent the next 8 hours alternating between puking every 20 minutes and going back to bed. I was sure I’d at least wake up today feeling better. WRONG. At least I’m not puking anymore, but I sure am sick still.

New Computer

September 8, 2006

I’m excited to say that I got a new laptop yesterday. It’s an Apple MacBook. It’s sleek, small and white. For some reason the white ones were $150 cheaper than the black ones, so I opted for saving cash. And at no sacrifice. It’s adorable.

Evelyn and San Francisco

September 8, 2006

Thankfully, this is not a picture of Evelyn, my new niece. But there are some similarities. As you parents out there know, babies can be dangerous poop machines. John and Hai-Nhu just found that out this week, just days after they brought Evelyn home from the hospital. They had been warned not to stand directly in the line of fire, but learned first-hand that the warnings were valid when Evelyn projectile crapped on Hai-Nhu!

New Addition(s)

September 5, 2006

I’m excited to say that today I’m on my way to San Francisco to visit family and friends. My sister-in-law, Hai Nhu, just had a baby last week. Little Evelyn was born on August 23rd 2006 at 8:42AM weighing in at 8 pounds 5 ounces and measuring 20″. She was a bit jaundiced for some reason, but a few extra days in the hospital cleared that up.

Machu Picchu Restaurant

September 4, 2006

I hardly ever talk about restaurants. Not that we don’t have some that are pretty good. I guess I just haven’t been swept off my feet. But one I’ve been to a couple of times (different locations) is Machu Picchu, a chain of Peruvian restaurants here. The food has been very delicious and consistent. The service at the San Pedro location was great, as was the outside patio. The location off of Paseo Colon must be really old. It was certainly nothing fancy. And the service wasn’t that great. But the food does sure make up for it.

Join the Tribe!

September 1, 2006

Some friends of mine on the Caribbean side are looking for their “tribe.” They’ve found the land, a former organic fruit farm and now they need the people. They need people who know ¨permaculture¨ and potentially have construction and infrastructure skills and- or are incredible, creative, inspired teachers. They also hope to raise as much of their own food as possible, and are open to developing a number of cottage industries depending on individual skills and interests. The plan is to integrate some of the promising youth coming from challenged situations in the area.

Isla Tortuga