Shopping

It’s been many months since we’ve arrived in Costa Rica, but I have always wanted to write a little about shopping here in San Jose. On our second day here, our neighbor took us to Hipermas (Mas means more and, so you can sort of get the idea) which is owned by Wal-mart and is a lot like what you find in the US, only it’s more expensive!! It was a little discouraging at first, to see the prices that seemed higher than we remembered from our two trips here. We went to the farmer’s market from the very beginning, and that helped a lot because prices there are quite reasonable. But the market closet to us is pretty small, and I was thrilled when one of my friends with a car took me to the bigger market, which is a 25 minute walk from here. I love going to that market where I can get pineapple for less than a dollar, beautiful tomatoes for $.40 a pound and 4 kilos (more than 8 pounds) of mangoes for $2 (in season, which unfortunately is almost over). One week it was shocking that the tomatoes shot up to $1/pound due to some rainy weather. Fortunately they dropped back down. We usually go to both markets – the whole family goes on Saturday morning (because they have imported apples at a reasonable price, and a playground), and I go by myself on Sunday and take the bus home.

We had a few other adjustments to our shopping – finding just the right store for just the right products. We joined PriceSmart (owned by Costco) for meat and bulk items, and I regularly hit 4 other grocery stores, plus the market across the street for things we need. It took us a while to figure out that fresh milk across the street was just about the same price as anywhere else, and cheaper than the skim milk we started with that came in boxes with a shelf life. And they are open from 6 am until 7 pm every day except Sunday, when they close at 12 noon. Usually I walk home with my groceries (except for PriceSmart where we get a cab), so I go to the stores frequently.

The other shopping experience I remember vividly was the first time we went to the mall, several weeks after we arrived. It was on Saturday of the weekend that they celebrate Children’s Day, so it was a zoo (like Christmas time in the US), but the mall just as nice as many I’ve seen in the US. And the huge book store had Polly Pockets, all the school and office supplies you could want, and Clinique. Most of which was much higher priced than the same item in the US (about 50% higher), but at least it’s available if you really want something, which was a little freeing at that point in our life here. I still struggle with where to buy some things (contact solution is not sold at the grocery store!), but for the most part I have figured out where to get what we need.

Now that we are adjusted to where to buy things, and what recipes work best with the things we have available, I know it will be a shock to go back to the US. It seems like everyone we talk to mentions how much prices have risen, and we certainly noticed it even back in December in the US. Of course, prices are rising a lot here, too, but since we don’t buy gas too much and the prices at the farmer’s markets are still reasonable, I don’t think we feel it quite as much. One thing I know – I will miss buying as many red peppers as I like all year long!!!

But I won't miss things like having the water go out. If you are reading this today (Sunday), please pray for the restoration of water - it has been out for 4 days! I'll try to do another post on that topic later.

4th of July – US Independence Day and Cow Parade

Thankfully we had the day off from school for the 4th of July, so we could go to the US celebration at the cerveceria (beer and beverage bottling plant, where they have nice facilities). The picnic has been celebrated for 46 years, initially as a party at the embassador’s house, but over the years grew too large for that site. This year was the first year that they charged a fee, but it was small and included all activities and food.
We went with our friends, the Vaughn family, and took two buses to get there. We met them downtown after the first bus, which was great because it gave us a chance to look at a few cows. I haven’t had a chance to mention them yet, but there has been an art festival in downtown San Jose since March called a Cow Parade. There are over a hundred cows on display (some of them will be auctioned off), and they were quite interesting to see. Apparently it is an international idea, and I’m glad we got to experience it here in San Jose (it has made downtown a lot more festive).
After meeting the Vaughns, we headed to the next bus stop to catch a bus to the west side of town, out by the airport. The party went from 8 am to 12 noon, which might seem strange to you in the US, but when the storm clouds rolled in at noon, it was clear that the planners knew what they were doing. The first thing we did was get a BAGEL! It was the first real bagel I’ve had in a year. They also had cappuccino, hot dogs, cotton candy, popcorn, beer, Pepsi, etc. There were bands, kids activities, clowns and square dancing in addition to the food. We had a great time.
You can view the photos here: http://lafamiliamacy.shutterfly.com/action/?a=8CbM3DNm0bMrq&notag=1