The old Costa Rica National Stadium is gone for good
Apparently not only the Costa Rica athletes are working hard back in Beijing Olympic Games: The National Olympic Committee of Costa Rica (CON) has confirmed that on Thursday they finished up negotiations to receive help from the Chinese government to create and developed sports medicine clinic plans to exchange efforts to train athletes and coaches.
The help was requested by the president of the CON Mr. Roberto Verdecia and the idea of a sports clinic in Costa Rica has been projected by the CON since this pat June. The project was supported by the National Counsel of Sports and the Caja Costarricense del Seguro Social (CCSS), entity in charge of health issues in Costa Rica. The idea was proposed on a meeting between Mr. Verdecia and the deputy head of the General Administration of Sports Mr. Feng Jianzhong, who agreed to provide all the requested help.
The government of China has been helping Costa Rica developments for a while now, including the reconstruction and remodeling of the Costa Rica National Stadium in San Jose. The sports clinic will be an addition to the current support the Chinese nation is providing to Costa Rica athletes, encouraging young people to practice sports and find better ways to live andbe successful.
The good thing about these projects is not only the wonderful upgrades made to the stadium and the very necessary addition to the clinic, but the fact that China is caring for the status of sports figures and athletes in Costa Rica. The country itself has been so grateful with the Chinese nation that plans of building a little “China town” in San Jose is being developed by San Jose’s mayor Johnny Araya to pay tribute to all the given help China has provided.
When looking for a property in Costa Rica, I am sure you all are aware of the things you need to consider “building wise”, yet Costa Rica has a wide variety of locations and although it is a small country, the diversity of advantages and disadvantages from one location to the other can make a huge difference: Access to commercial locations, safety, type of area, access to main cities, culture and much more.
The more secluded areas in Costa Rica may be the most peaceful and beautiful ones, yet that same seclusion can translate into big expenses in gasoline and car repair, not mentioning that the farther the location, the more security you will need both against wild animals and perpetrators. The available real estate listings in Costa Rica may not include this type of information, so make sure you ask the realtor before hand.
Lovely home for repairs: Say what!
If what you have in mind is a big property or hacienda like home, consider the cost of maintenance. In Costa Rica, weather can be a relentless enemy: rain, humidity, heat, dust and any kind of natural disasters such as earthquakes and storms will deteriorate your property. Proper maintenance may be pricey on big properties, especially if the location is too far away from main cities.
Cost of property in the main cities of Costa Rica can be pretty similar to beach homes. Costa Rica has a very neutral price range when it comes to real estate; main differences are seen depending on the location and the size of the property. If you are planning on living in the city, check for quality of services (electricity, water, telephone lines, etc). Telecommunications are very good in Costa Rica, yet some places do not have access or the coverage is a bit poor.
In cities such as San Jose or Heredia, there are very nice neighborhoods, but also some dangerous towns may be close to those neighborhood, ask questions about the surrounding towns and do not be afraid to investigate by yourself just in case; Costa Rica realtors will explain most of this information to you, but it is good to get second opinions as well.
We have great news for the economy in Costa Rica. According to a very recent release, the very well online store Amazon.com will begin operations in Costa Rica by November of this year. In Costa Rica there are several North American and European companies established, providing employment to thousands of people every year. All these enterprises decided to established part of their business here because of the easy access to well develop locations, the technology and because in Costa Rica education is so good there is no finding well trained employees.
A lot of international companies have their call centers in Costa Rica, mostly in Heredia, San Jose and Cartago. Some of the most important companies such as HP, IBM and Alienware have provided services for all over the world from their Costa Rica offices for more than 10 years. This proves that Costa Rica is ready to be of the technological advantages of the first world and will increase the economic status of the country providing good jobs for young professionals.
Amazon will hire about 300 employees in Costa Rica to take care of their Amazon Support Services area by next November. Amazon.com is one of the most important and fastest growing online shops in the world; just this past trimester the website generated over $4 billion dollars in sales. The official name of their call center will actually Amazon Costa Rica Support Services and will begin operations at a Free Zone in Heredia. Job applications can send through their website right now.
Costa Rica economy has changed a lot in the past years, giving more opportunities for people providing well paid jobs and collaborating with the social necessities of development and education. This new opportunity arrives just in time when in Costa Rica cost of living has increased too much and good opportunities are necessary.
In Costa Rica, real estate is a legal term like in many other countries. It refers to any type of property that involves land and/or buildings or in a fixed in location. Every country has its own real estate laws. Costa Ricafor example has a very well marked differentiation between local real estate business and foreigner acquisitions. In previous articles I referred to the common requirements for a foreigner to purchase Costa Rica properties.
The real estate market around the world includes a variety of legal formalities that may be similar, but depending on the jurisdiction and the local laws, some formalities may change. In Costa Rica, real estate agents do not need a license to operate, but the transfer of property requires a lawyer to be processed. Also the easiest way to purchase real estate in Costa Rica is through an enterprise or company that includes a Costa Rica citizen as an associate; although there are other ways that will make the process easier depending on the property you wish to purchase.
The Latin American market for properties is considerably cheaper than it is in the United Estates or Europe, also tropical locations are considered an impressive investment since the value of property rises quite often. Costa Rica has the advantage of having lovely beach properties as well as rainforest areas and mountain side land, which opens up the variety of listings offered in real estate.
One good thing that is going on in Costa Rica is the improvements that will be made in transportation and roads, this will increase the value of some locations and open up the market to secluded areas in Costa Rica, expanding the choices of properties every where in the country. Real estate in Costa Rica has also begun to include apartment buildings in downtown areas that include luxury properties and amazing views.
A lot of people that come to relocate to Costa Rica are not only retirees looking for a place to rest and enjoy life. I have also noticed that a lot of youngsters come here looking for work opportunities to gain experience and in some cases, immigrants from other Latin-American countries come to Costa Rica to look for better living.
In the case of immigrants from neighbor countries, most of them end up working in low pay jobs: cleaning houses, babysitting, as construction workers and such. It is very hard for them to get a job in Costa Rica besides those, mostly because of the background they come from: Most of the countries that surround Costa Rica are in war, or a known to be very violent, so employers do hesitate on hiring them. Yet if they prove to be knowledgeable and have good recommendations they do get a chance. Costa Rica has opportunities for every one but they do take good care of their people.
Don’t be afraid to get your hands dirty
It is also very common to see immigrants from Europe and USA teaching languages: English, French, German and Italian are the top languages taught in Costa Rica. English is however very well spoken and high percentage of inhabitants is at least bilingual. That is actually one of the perks of buying property in Costa Rica: there will always be someone that speaks English nearby. French and English are taught in high school, there are also some schools that teach three languages to kids which they will fully speak by the time they graduate. Education in Costa Rica is taken very seriously and you notice this as soon as you sit and chat with a local.
Now, although there are several call centers in Costa Rica, you need to have labor permission to apply for a job there, so make sure you have all your documentation organized. In Costa Rica listings for jobs are found on the newspaper or online so you shouldn’t have trouble searching for a job. For young people who just want to gain experience or earn college credits, a lot of companies in Costa Rica will hire foreigners as interns for a few months, all you need to do is contact them.
In Costa Rica, real estate agents can al so help you with the requirements necessary to work in the country,they will not be able to find you a job per se, but will make sure you are fully aware on how it works, the documents you need and such. Do not be afraid to ask.
Today we are experiencing the beginning of one of the most expected sports events of this year: The Beijing Olympics. The best Athletes from all over the world will compete for the most important sports honors in the next few days and Costa Rica has send its most impressive performers to show and prove their skills.
In Costa Rica, athletes have been very successful in previous Olympic Games, and nothing less is expected from the group that is participating this year. A total of 8 athletes are right now waiting for their competitions that will take place during the next couple of weeks. All the competitors come from different parts of Costa Rica. These are the athletes and the schedule their competitions will be on:
Kristopher Moitland: Black belt for Tae kwon do. Competition will be held on August 21st at 7:00 pm
Henri Raabe: Cycling Road. He will be the first Tico to participate this year: Competition will be held August 8th (today) at 9:00 pm
Federico Ramirez: Cycling Mountain bike. Competition will be on August 23rd at 1:00 am.
Nery Brenes: Athletics 400m Men. Race will be on August 17th at 7:00 pm.
Allan Segura: Athletics 20km walk Men. Race will be held on August 15th at 7:00 pm.
Gabriela Traña: Athletics Marathon Women. Race is scheduled on August 16th at 4:30 am.
Mario Montoya: Swimming 200m freestyle Men. Competition will be on August 10th at 4:30 am
Marianela Quesada: Swimming 100m freestyle Women. Competition will be held on August 13th at 4:30 am.
All the schedules above are given in Costa Rica time. These athletes have participated for Costa Rica in many world championships and have returned to Costa Ricawith good scores, medals and trophies; they traveled with their coaches and some with their family as well. As you can see Costa Rica treasures are not only in real estate or the beautiful beaches ad rainforests: people are quite valuable too. Good luck for all the athletes in the Beijing Olympics 2008.
As you probably already know, there are only two airports in Costa Rica: Juan Santamaria in Alajuela and Daniel Oduber in Guanacaste. The Daniel Oduber airport was built only a few years ago to comply with the high increase in incoming visitors to the area and to help with the huge load of work the Alajuela airport was receiving. Since a big percentage of visitors were actually coming to Guanacaste, it was a great addition.
The Guanacaste Chamber of Tourism (CATURGUA) is estimating an average of 530,000 tourists will be expected to arrive in Costa Rica via Liberia’s DanielOduberInternationalAirport by 2010. There has been quite an increase in arrivals between 2001 and last December, when the number of visitors showed a big 574% increase rate. Although the numbers of these projections will call for urgent expansion plans, yet estimated changes won’t be occurring until 2010.
According to The National Concessions Council an international public bidding packet, No. 01-2007 was published for this project. This bidding packet establishes public infrastructure concession terms for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the new DanielOduberAirport. Guanacaste can expect big changes, yet it will have to wait a little bit to see them happen.
In Costa Rica, Guanacaste is one of the most chosen destinations for tourism, mostly because of the beautiful, pristine beaches and natural reservations: volcanoes, forests and amazing sites. Also Costa Rica real estate market includes many properties in the Guanacaste area, vacation villas, hotels and residential properties are always at the top of the list. Costa Rica has been promoting their ecotourism everywhere and people like me, that have moved to the country looking for a better, healthier and more peaceful lifestyle are also encouraging others to do the same. Soon, Costa Rica will need to make even more changes to comply with the high demand.
After a while “in training to be a Tico” I have come to realize that, when you have a house in Costa Rica, there are certain items that you are almost required to have to be a real Costa Rica homeowner, or least prove that you are living the Tico lifestyle. It is part of the necessities of the area, small details that are not included in any Costa Rica real estate guide or listing, small thing you didn’t think you would need until the time came for you to find it out.
The first thing you find out is that in Costa Rica, mosquitoes come out in evening and when they come out they are hungry and you are fresh blood. Bug repellent might be kind of awkward, but there are also ambiance repellents, make sure you get some of both.
While you are at it, in the supermarket they also have the two main ingredients for a regular Costa Rica meal: rice and beans; you will need these especially if you like to invite your friends over, they will always expect these two legumes to be part of the meal. To cook any Costa Rica traditional meal you will need Salsa Lizano, it is a cheap home made sauce found anywhere, quite tasty if I may add. Fruits and vegetables are bought at La Feria as I explained in previous posts, so you will need your own shopping cart to run this errand.
While in the US, we are more used to wearing slippers at home, let’s remember that Costa Rica tropical weather is warm, for this matter Ticos wear flip flops, yet they call them chinelas. Costa Rica homes do have lots of windows, but if your home doesn’t have air conditioning you will need to get fans for every room.
When it comes to having guests, there are certain items that in Costa Rica are well known: Imperial beer, Guaro Cacique and Tapa de Dulce, these are regular beverages of the area, be careful with the Guaro, since it is basically industrially distilled moonshine. As per snacks, there are many delicious items: pejibayes, deviled eggs and home made dipping souces are always part of the deal, yet my favorite one is the Yuca, which you can make deep fried or just boiled, either way, it is one of Costa Rica’s most tasty meals. In Costa Rica, home owners always take care of their yards and the land is very rich, so if you have any fruit trees take good care of them, because whatever grows on them, you will consume. And don’t forget the Chorreador, although you will find coffee makers anywhere, Costa Rica coffee tastes better if it is made in a chorreador.
If you are planning to relocate to Costa Rica, there certain things you should keep in mind: inflation rate, useful laws, education and common subjects that will come up once you move in. Costa Rica properties are usually the most important matter I refer to in my articles, yet there are some other things that need to be considered:
In Costa Rica, economy grew nearly 5% in 2006 after experiencing four years of slow economic growth, yet it still has the fourth place among Latin American inflation rate.
The government in Costa Rica offers tax exemptions for those who are willing to invest in the country.
Electronics, pharmaceuticals, financial outsourcing, software development, and ecotourism are the prime industries in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica coffee beans are one of the most important gourmet beans in the world.
Costa Rica is an active member of the United Nations and the Organization of American States.
There is huge race diversity in Costa Rica: population includes 94% white (including) castizo, 3% black, 1% amerindian, 1% chinese and 1% other.
The literacy rate in Costa Rica is of 96% and public education is guaranteed in the constitution. Primary school is mandatory.
Costa Rica government is democratic and there are claims that the country has had more than 115 years of uninterrupted democracy.
Costa Rica has not had an army or anything similar since their civil war in 1948.
The main language in Costa Rica is Spanish, yet there are some indigenous dialects spoken in small secluded areas; In Limon it is common the listen a Jamaican dialect called Patois and also a big percentage of the population speaks English. Finally due to the high immigration rates from all over the world it is usual to find people speaking mandarin, Italian, French or German.
As you can see, Costa Rica is not the regular Latin American country, I was definitely not aware I was moving into such a rich culture, with high standards of education and hard working people myself.
If you have heard about Costa Rica, you know that it is known no only because of the natural beauties, rainforests and beaches, but also because in Costa Rica peace is one of the most important treasures of the country. They constantly thrive to keep violence away and one of their methods is not having an army at all. The last time Costa Rica had an army was in 1948 when the last civil war took place, after that battle army was permanently removed until this date.
A few years ago the current president of Costa Rica won the Nobel Prize for Peace, because of his strong efforts to keep violence and fighting away from Central America. Children are often brought up to believe in peace and keep Costa Rica life as simple as possible. It may be harder nowadays, yet there are still many efforts being made to keep it as peaceful as possible.
At this moment, Costa Rica is joining Brazil signing into law a ban on child abuse by parents and guardians. This law is looking to eradicate violence as a punishment and clearly states that they want to change the “Rights of children and adolescents for discipline without corporal punishment and humiliation”. This law has been part of the U.S code of conduct for years now, yet in Latin America it has not been instated until now. With this law, the Costa Rica government plans to teach parents to discipline their children by setting up examples, getting to know them, negotiate and avoid using physical and humiliating punishment.
According to a study conducted by IDESPO 2003, in Costa Rica homes, 65.3% of parents beat, kick and pinch and 74.2% yell and verbally abuse their children. This comes from generations and generations and it is part of Latin American traditions. Also, these changes are part of the struggle people in Costa Rica are making to diminish violent behavior among youngsters, since it has been quite clear that crime rate and violence related issues have been increasing in the past few years and Costa Rica homes, families and mostly children deserve to have a society without violence.
