Two Weeks Yesterday
Posted By Miss Jocelyn Tzahala on May 18, 2010 | Category: In The Life Of A Country Girl, Life in Costa Rica
Well, right now taking photos are sorta at a standstill since our camera is out of commission! Ergh. . . . . .
So I’m supposed to be posting updates about how things are going here. Hmm Let’s see, we’ve been here two weeks yesterday. Dad asked me today if this was what I expected everything to be like, and while I had pictured some things a little differently, it is pretty much what I expected. The way of life here is no more hard or uncultured than what I was raised in. Yes, it is different from my previous situation, but would be compared to a New-Yorker moving from the city to a small town in Texas and a traffic-jam that consists of three cars behind a tractor. For me it was the opposite since I was coming from the country and am now living in the city.
We’re learning Espanol from a young woman who’s also learning Ingles, but since we’re immersed in the culture and nearly everything is in Espanol there isn’t a lack of learning new words daily. The people here, called Ticos, are friendly, very clean, and won’t come into your house unless explicitly invited. The average family only consists of two children. We told a lady how many children we had and she said a prayer… having eight children here is like having a Duggar family.
You can find nearly all foods here, but because of location some food groups are more expensive, like dairy, meat, and nuts. Vegetables and fruits are very inexpensive… you can get bananas for about 7cents a piece and carrots (the size of two potatoes) for a similar price. Except for the cut back on how often or how much meat and dairy we eat it hasn’t been too much in change of diet. We are eating a lot more vegetables, but what is wrong with that? Just need a little ranch. hehe We haven’t had any ‘native’ food yet, but I was told to see about having ‘leche asada’ which means baked-milk. There are some strange fruits here I haven’t seen or heard of before. One was a little round yellow ball that tastes like a wet banana…. not appetizing. There are fruit trees all over, and the children brought some limes home from the park and we made limeade with them.
There is a lot of wildlife here, mainly creepy crawlies… there are tiny little ants that seem to be everywhere and if you don’t put food into a container they will find it and in a very short amount of time. They also have cutter ants, which are huge. I’ll have to get a photo when I can, but these are the type of ants that you will see a big piece of grass walking by itself. Eric found a millipede the other day, found a toad in the backyard, and then we had a gecko crawl into our room from the window (for some reason Ticos don’t use screens at all). There are also june or potato bugs that you will see often. When we arrived here there was a bird’s nest in the backyard under the awning with three baby birds in it. They flew away a few days ago, but it was fun to see the momma feed them and listen to them chirp. When they got out of the nest one birdie, ’scamper’ as he was dutifully named, fluttered around the backyard for awhile until he flew off too. Behind the house the neighbor owns horses they we can see when he is out walking or riding them.
Costa Rica, which means Rich Coast, is ranked as the greenest country in the world, and its biggest exports are coffee and bananas. It also has beautiful mountains, which we can see on all sides of us. If you look down the street the mountain towers over the city – it would seem. The weather has been nice, except for a few hours during the afternoon where it seems to get really hot. At that point I pray it will rain a little to cool things down.
Like with many situations and seasons, you can prepare all you want but you don’t really know what it’s going to be like until you get there. Thankful for a Father who holds the world in his hands and I am never out of his sight!
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17 Responses to “Two Weeks Yesterday”
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Shalom, welcome to A Pondering Heart. I hope you will be challenged by what you read here and it will cause you to search deeper and deeper into the Word of YAH. My name is Jocelyn Tzahala. I'm 19, Woman, Believer. I'm passionate and straight forward... take that into consideration. I am a young woman, living in Latin America, seeking to be 'set apart as YHVH is set-apart". I want my faith to resemble that Avraham because in him YHVH found a man who would trust in him with everything and act upon his Word. My hope is that my life may be a sweet fragrance unto YHVH the MOST HIGH! HalleluYAH! Read more
Your description of the wildlife sounds just like my house! Must be a universal attribute of the tropics. After almost 8 years living in Bombay, I’m still not bored with all the creatures I come across in my own back yard (and house!) that I never saw in the US. Geckos on the wall and gecko-style frogs sticking to the side of my sink are my fav, while the huge ants and copious millipedes aren’t. And while the small hooded cobra in my kitchen and the huge hooded cobra in my yard were beautiful, I could have lived without those experiences (or the resultant fear of crossing the house to the bathroom in the dark of night!! :-)
I did include a post about this on my blog, too – see the frog and cobra!
As we prepare to return to the US, I am mourning the loss of some of the fruits which I’ve grown quite attached to that I never saw in the US. The variety of foods that can grow in this climate leave me breathless (but not hungry!) sometimes…
Praise YHWH for such a marvelous creation full of such variety!!!
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Sounds like a lovely way to immerse your self in a new culture. Learning the language, trying all the foods.
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Que bonito suena todo.
My mother told when I married and moved out to Spain “when in Rome, do as the Romans do.” Little did I understand this at the time but it was a sound piece of advice.
If you want I can send some Spanish food recipes for large families that could make your mothers life a lot easier. Beans, rice dishes etc. I actually live in Catalunya on the coast and here we eat tomato bread at most meals. Healthier than margarine.
The description was wonderful. I hope you are settling in as well as it sounds you are. How about telling us your family daily routine. This is something that always interests me.
Bueno, hasta la vista. Bendiciones.
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Aww, it sounds lovely there! Yay for eating more veggies.
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What a great description Miss Jocelyn! I bet it was a bit of a culture shock :) I don’t know if I could do the “city thing”. I was born in the city, but raised in the country. I did try going back to the city when I was fresh out of high school, but I am a country girl at heart lol.
I am glad you are all getting settled in and acclimated to the new surroundings :) Many prayers and hugs to you all.
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Thanks for the update! :) I’m still praying for you all.
~Jen
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God bless you! Sounds like you’ve found the home He has given you. We want to leave as well, being the New-Yorkers you described, yearning for country life. We’re destined for Idaho, as we’ve prayed over it for a long time, and believe God’s leading us there. Just trusting in Him for the proper time.
I know some Puerto Ricans here, who describe their past country similar to the way you describe yours– no surprise, right? I look forward to reading more posts about your new life in Latin America!
Blessings,
Grace Marie
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I have enjoyed reading of your family’s journey. Lord’s blessing and direction to your family
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Valerie said “Praise YHWH for such a marvelous creation full of such variety!!!”
INDEED! And thanks Miss Jocelyn for sharing the view with us.
When I was 12 (raised in central PA) my parents took us to Mexico for 2 weeks. It was a real eye opener. All of a sudden I felt so humbled. For me I quickly realized the world does not revolve around me. Glory be to YHVH!
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Costa Rica! I didn’t know that’s where you moved… my sister and her husband have friends there and have traveled there on many occasions… though frankly, my sister’s descriptions of the “wildlife” where they stayed (which was on the edge of the jungle on their honeymoon) had me jumping out of my skin. Checking the bed for scorpions and tarantulas before turning in for the night is not my idea of a fun honeymoon! …Glad you’re in the city! ; )
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Thanks for sharing a little peek into your life in your new home!
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Great post! :-) Glad you are settling in well… {{hugs}}
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Thanks for sharing. I’ve always desired to live in a different country ( maybe one day I will..) So it is nice to peek into other cultures. Love!
His,
Shani
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My siblings have visited some friends in CR several times! They love it and I so badly want to join them! Tico food is awesome!! My sister has learned how to fix it for us and we love it! Have you tried their Lizano sauce yet? Yum! It is delicious on rice and beans, eggs, etc.
May God bless you!
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Lol! Sounds a lot like the Philippines…but large families are common there. Do you have fire ants over there? The beetles, lizards, snakes and whatever-else-have-you never bothered me (the beetles were actually my fave. Totally cool) but the fire ants….ohmygoodness.
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Miss Jocelyn Tzahala's Reply:
May 19th, 2010 at 9:34 pm
No, I don’t think they have fire ants here.
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Thanks for updating. Glad that you’ve been enjoying it.
I think Costa Rica is very similar to South America too. Those tiny little ants are everywhere here. If you say “sugar” they are coming “where?! where?!”. We declared war but I am loosing. I am just one, they are millions lol
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