Reflections on our new life in Costa Rica

Today I'm going to cover several things at once and get you all caught up.

Grab a cup of coffee or a glass of wine for this one

First - We now have a cat. A kitten. He came to us on July 5th. We had our housekeeper take him away to give to a family that wanted him but about a week later he was back.

I took him to the vet to have him checked out to make sure he was Ok and got him his first vaccination, de-worming, nails clipped and flea and tick prevention. Total cost $24.

Turns out he is a male about 4 months old. He is in good health.

We didn't really want a cat since I already have 2 dogs but there are a lot of strays here and rather than have him mistreated or dumped along the side of the road we have let him stay. He does not come in the house (unless he sneaks under the screen) LOL He loves playing in the hills and in the coffee fields. We have a large patio so he hangs out there most of the time (napping on one of our many chairs). At night he goes up on the ledge under the roofing over the patio (I guess he feels safer up high)

Very smart cat.

We named him Luis - actually one of our friends from California came up with the name. Beginning with the letter "L" to go with Lily & Lola and because we live in San Luis de Grecia. Lavanson is an L and my middle name is Lynn. So quite appropriate.

People have said that a cat chooses you and that they are your angel. So....for now....We have a cat.

our little angel "Luis"

Second - Some of you may remember me buying lots of stuff (makeup etc) to bring to Costa Rica before I left SF. Many of you were perplexed and thought it was sort of odd because I should just buy things here. Well, I am so happy that I did -- because prices are crazy here for luxury items. I looked at a pair of Tom's (just a plain black pair) and they were $65 and up. I think @ Whole Foods the cost was about $58.

If you want to really save money here you have to adjust how you live. You cannot live the same way you did in the states. However, rent is so cheap that it is still worth while living here. My rent is $266/month (my 1/3) Rent in the U.S was $2,400 - you do the math!

Before I came, I bought lots of makeup - lipstick, etc but the one thing I did not bring was nail polish. Mostly because I heard that it would dry out and I figured "how much could it cost?" Really?

When I decided I wanted to paint my nails I went out and bought some polish at the Central Market. It wasn't too much. I bought a small polish remover and polish for about $4.

Costa Rica nail polish in teeny bottles

the remover is in small bottles (the images are much smaller than they appear!) The remover is not strong so you use up most of the bottle trying to remove your polish.

The polish was dreadful It chipped and peeled and just looked awful. It never went on smoothly from the start. Yesterday we were at the Auto Mercado (a grocery store which caters to expats) and I decided I was going to get myself a bottle of REAL polish with a brand name that I recognized.

So I bought 2 bottles of Sally Hansen (that is not a high priced brand)

The smaller bottle was $7 and the regular size bottle was $12.50.  That is about twice the price that it costs in the states. The Revlon polish was $14

also pure maple syrup is $30. My Genoa salami is $6 a pack (about 8 slices) REAL cheese is crazy expensive like $15 or something. Yesterday I bought 3 packs and got charged for 4 - with the nail polish and other items my bill was $105
fruits & veggies are SUPER cheap but you gotta eat like a local or you will go broke!

Of course there are many, many pluses - Our view is to die for and the weather is perfect among other things so we still love it here! 

Third - We finally bought a gas grill. Price was $275 assembled. (I think that was a pretty good price) We brought it home in the back seat of a taxi.  The gas can with gas was $75! (ouch)  - but you have to buy the can then take it to your local pulperia (neighborhood store) for gas refills. 

To break in the grill we decided to invite a few friends over. Especially since we NEVER had a gas grill and did not know exactly how to use it.

Our short party video is attached below

Our 1st Party feat the cat that acts like a dog from Devon on Vimeo.

Video link above

Oh and Lastly - We took the bus to Alajuela (22 miles away) yesterday so I could get my hair done by my new Sisterlocks Consultant. Her name is Dr Carmen Hutchinson-Miller and she was awesome!!! Did a great job and took about 2 1/2 hrs (normal) The price was $40. I pay $100 back in the states. Cost of the bus was $1.20 ea way and takes about 30 mins.  Some of you may remember I was searching for someone to do my hair before I left.

NATURAL HAIR RULES!!!

after my lock retightening

Dr Miller and me

I won this one hahaha

How to piss off your black friends AND get yourself unfriended on Facebook

photo source

I have something I need to get off my chest. I've read too many Facebook posts, blog posts, etc written by black people who say they are pretty fed up with white people who insist on using the phrase "ALL LIVES MATTER" as a replacement for the phrase "BLACK LIVES MATTER" 

(Case in point Bernie Sanders and Gov O'Malley recently @ the Netroots Conference)

In a way this is could be a good thing because it exposes and roots out some of the racists and others who feel the need to insert white priviledge into EVERY conversation! Of course a lot of their thinking is...well actually...they aren't thinking. It's part of the culture and unfortunately it's ingrained. It is now, and always will be, only about "them". (but that's for another post)

Maybe we can not make them understand, however on the other hand, it is also sad, because some of these people who proudly use the phrase "all lives matter" are really sincerely trying to help.

What makes people so uncomfortable with "black lives matter?"

 Please allow me explain this one last time.

You have probably already heard this:

Race brings on individual issues for each minority group. Saying "all lives matter" causes erasure of the differing disparities each group faces. Saying "all lives matter" is nothing more than you centering and inserting yourself within a very emotional and personal situation without any empathy or respect.

Saying "all lives matter" is unnecessary:

Why?

Because telling us that all lives matter is redundant. We know that already. But, just know, police violence and brutality disproportionately affects black people. Justice is not applied equally, laws are not applied equally and neither is our outrage.

Please stand in solidarity with us. But standing with us does not mean telling us how we should feel about our community's marginalization. Standing with us means being with us in solidarity without being upset that this is for OUR PEOPLE -- and wanting recognition for yours in this very specific context.

Now Let me say it another way:

Imagine that you're sitting down to dinner with your family, and while everyone else gets a serving of the meal, you don't get any. So you say "I should get my fair share." And as a direct response to this, your dad corrects you, saying, "everyone should get their fair share." Now, that's a wonderful sentiment -- indeed, everyone should, and that was kinda your point in the first place: that you should be a part of everyone, and you should get your fair share also. However, dad's smart-ass comment just dismissed you and didn't solve the problem that you still haven't gotten any!

The problem is that the statement "I should get my fair share" had an implicit "too" at the end: "I should get my fair share, too, just like everyone else." But your dad's response treated your statement as though you meant "only I should get my fair share", which clearly was not your intention. As a result, his statement that "everyone should get their fair share," while true, only served to ignore the problem you were trying to point out.

Just like asking dad for your fair share, the phrase "black lives matter" also has an implicit "too" at the end: it's saying that black lives should also matter.
thank you to post source

"WE ARE IN A STATE OF EMERGENCY!!" #BLM

And now that you know that it is an insult and offensive to black people

STOP using it! It won't hurt you and it will help you keep your black friends.