Adoption Edicto: Publishing Our Intent
Well: we're getting much closer!
Only a year practically, from the date of when we and the girls were matched up last year!
There is a social worker visit/final family functioning evaluation due, assigned by the Nicoya Family Court, but we have NO idea when this will happen. It's been pending for at least 2 months. It takes something to get someone to come from Nicoya to where we live, and that is an item that could hold up the end of the process for many, many more weeks. It's one of maybe three items left for the adoption to be finalized here in Costa Rica.
Here is the Edicto (notice of public intent to adopt, published in the paper here):
Se avisa que en este Despacho bajo el expediente numero 09-000142-0869-FA, los senores Heidi Dawn y Richard Hamilton Chalmers, solicitan se apruebe la adopcion conjunta de las personas menores de edad Maria Celeste y Francini Ambas XXXX. Se concede a los interesados el plazo de cinco dias para formular oposiciones mediante escrito donde expondran los motivos de su disconformidad y se indicaran las pruebas en que fundamenta la misma.
JUZGADO DE FAMILIA DE NICOYA.- 16 Setiembre del ano 2009.- Lic.- Berta Lidieth Araya Porras.- Jueza. FROJASP.
So if anyone objects, they had 5 days to state it and why, in writing to the court, otherwise one of the last steps has been finalized this month! Fingers crossed for a very, very Merry Christmas present to our family of the adoption being finalized by Dec. 1 (my new magic date: my wish list to Santa Claus).Labels: Adoption, Chiquitas
Halloween: First for the Chiquitas
Celeste with friend and scary witch, Ciara and Francini.
Unsure here, never saw a jack o' lantern before....Note they now have the bronze and silver medals: our girls work fast after a nap.
Posing before Trick or Treating- a first Halloween and a first time doing the best activity on the best holiday ever (my opinion: I love Halloween).
Mami is a Nicaraguan Maiden.Girls are Olympic (winning) gymnasts. Thanks to our friend Sharon for sending them track suits as we had NOTHING for Halloween around the house...
Champions have to have placards for the judges to judge them...
Labels: Chiquitas, Family, Leisure
From the Balcony
Above: Pizote (white-nosed coatimundi) who frequents our yard a few times a day. The other day, we couldn't resist: we gave him some grapes. Dude had probably NEVER had uvas in his little life. He was hooked. He wouldn't leave. He climbed the banana tree to get closer to us on the balcony, hoping for more uvas. He stayed there about an hour. Uva-addicts are hardcore.
The girls are now enrolled in Del Mar Academy, a local private Montessori school. They are in the same program called Casa: for 3-6 year olds. Next year Celeste will be in first grade and Francini will stay in Casa another year or two. They love school! We love that they love it. We are now free during the days to work on the business etc... and since we reduced our office staff by 2/3rds late summer, this is a very good thing. So I guess we have joined the ranks of the "normal" families again, at least for awhile. JOBs, SCHOOL, and even, SCHEDULES.
It was a great, intense, rich time- having the girls with both of us full time since last November. We basically had almost an entire year to bond together as a family, before sending them off into the world. Celeste was readier than Francini, but overall, they are both adjusting well to school and to the big change.
And since the school is bilingual, they are speaking a ton of more English, a nice plus. We're also meeting the coolest families: both people who live here long term or permanently with children, or, families here for a year to live abroad with their kids in Costa Rica. The girls are mixing with Costa Ricans, Europeans, other Central or South Americans, and North Americans. It's a very diverse population, both the staff and the students/families.Labels: Animals, Chiquitas, Costa Rica Life
Frito in A Hammock
Frito likes to jump in hammocks when no one is there. Then, as you walk by (be you a 2 or 4 legged being), he leaps out at you to get you. Good fun! Rick just replaced our old raggedy hammock with this shocking purple one. I have to say, it color-coordinates well with Frito. Labels: Pets
Civil Rights and Costa Rica
Costa Rican poet Eulalia Bernard (r.) is the winnder of this year's Limón Roots Award.
(Patricia Cinta) COSTA RICA: In symbolic opera theater, black artists finally take the stage
By Andrés Cala | 09.18.09
Christian Science Monitor LIMÓN, COSTA RICA – It was only 60 years ago, following Costa Rica’s only civil war in the past century, that the government repealed a law that in effect barred blacks from moving freely within the country. Lured mostly from Jamaica to the city of Limón on the Atlantic coast to build the railroad in the late 1800s, most Costa Rican-born blacks didn’t even have full citizenship or the right to vote until 1949. Indeed, even after these rights were recognized, latent racism has remained perhaps the biggest stain on Costa Rica’s democratic record.
But things are changing, albeit slowly. For the third straight year, the Limón Roots Festival, which recognizes black achievers. was hosted in the Melico Salazar Theater. The theater was built in the 1920s and is a symbol of the white-dominated ruling elite. It was taken over by the Ministry of Culture in the 1980s after it was gutted by a fire.
Costa Rican blacks filled the grand and formal theater and clapped to reggae, Honduran-African rhythms, and soca, in sharp contrast to the classical music and opera that usually fill these halls.
Poet Eulalia Bernard, dressed in an impeccable white gown and showing a relentless smile, was this year’s honoree. “This undoubtedly symbolizes the real inclusion of Afro descendents in Costa Rica,” she said, referring to the venue for the award ceremony. “But a lot more work is necessary from future generations. Both sides have to give in and realize there is no difference between us.”
The event was broadcast on the Internet and national TV. And although no government officials or national press were present during the award ceremony, the Costa Rican blacks who were present – from hairdressers to lawyers – agreed it was a proud moment, a step closer to mainstream recognition of blacks’ contributions to Costa Rica.
Labels: Costa Rica Life, News, Puerto Viejo
Nothing to Say Except We Ran Aground!
circa April 09. My cousin just sent me this as she took the photo. Their hair has grown out so much in just a few months. Taken outside a restaurant in San Juanillo, a small beach town 35 minutes north of us where we often go if we want to do some snorkeling. What a great day, even if we did run aground!
Labels: Chiquitas, Family
Food: Costa Rican Style and Otherwise
A couple of weeks ago I got a great idea for something fun to do with the girls. I actually don't play a lot with them, and of course, playing with them is good for them. But that's usually Rick's job. I do activities with them: arts n crafts, yoga, cooking, outings, errands, etc... but not a ton of play. I do read them lots of stories, especially at bedtime, but again, this is not PLAY.
My idea was inspired by hearing Celeste say for the umpteenth time she "likes restaurants." As in, "Mommy, I like go restaurant para dinner." Her spanglish version of hinting that a restaurant for dinner tonight would be welcome by her. She likes to go out a few times a week (judging by the frequency of these "questions") and we go out maybe, a few times a month. I try to make restaurant outings a special occasion versus a regular occurrence that's an entitlement. That just fits with our lifestyle and our budget right now!
My idea was: Let's PLAY restaurant! I was so excited by my idea that I started dancing and laughing, hiding from them in my room (our house is open so I had to go hide my excitement). I told them to get dressed up in their play dress-up clothes and that we were going to have a restaurant at Casa de Tres Verdes (what we call our house). Rick was out for a sunset surf and it was perfect to bust out some "let's pretend" moves on the girls.
I set the table with fine china, place mats, candle and a vase of flowers. They had a pitcher of juice with ice and glasses. Usually they eat off plastic and they do NOT get endless juice refills, if they are drinking juice.
Then, I gave them the menu and was dressed as a waitress and IN CHARACTER. They had an appetizer of Tunisian Eggplant, bread and butter that they could apply themselves, versus have it all done for them. They did this very well although I saw Francini (the 4 y/o) look initially perplexed at a butter dish, serving dish and appetizer plate. But hunger is a great motivator and they figured it out.
Then they ordered chicken with vegetables. For dessert (see below) it was either mixed cookies or honey cake, and grapes. They decided to order different ones and to share a bit. I enjoyed putting special garnishes on the plates for both dessert and the other dishes. I really got into the presentation of it all.
They paid me at the end and were quite complimentary on the service, ambiance and food through out the evening. Good manners were not only present, they were exemplary. At one point, the chef came to their table to chat (I put on a moustache and dressed like a male chef) and this was probably the highlight of the evening, aside from being treated as special guests at a fine restaurant where they could eat anything off the menu they wanted.
Menu needs work for the next time we play. The next day, the girls played this game themselves, they had enjoyed it so much.
Mom's honey cake (see my mother's recipe below)
with mint and caramel sauce to add a little flair.
Mixed cookies... Celeste chose well.
Recommendation when playing "Restaurant": have everything prepared ahead of time and on your kitchen counter. They ate all leftovers and it made it easier. It was a lot of work dealing with different courses, all with their own plates and garnishes. I was feeling the pressure! It's no fun if you are actually both the cook and waitress at a fine dining establishment. I can attest to that. So at least, be the cook on a different night in reality, even if you do put on the moustache for a quick table side visit to your VIP guests.
Patacones (green plaintains, fried) with Rick's famous Pico de Gallo Salsa
We made these the other day, together, and this was not on the menu for "Restaurant". Recipes are below for the Patacones and the Salsa.
Lichi time: yummy fruit, pulpy and sweet: white on the inside. Outside is a thick, spiny skin you tear off. They grow on trees down here and it is the season, late summer, for them. Just putting this photo here because it's another food item you might not see in colder climates. But it is popular anywhere along the tropics.
Recipe for my mother's Honey Cake:
(great when you don't have many ingredients in the house, very simple, and does well with substitutions)
- 3 eggs
- 1 Cup Sugar (I used brown, but any kind is fine)
- 1 Cup Honey (I used the dark, unprocessed compressed sugar cane extract called "dulce" here, and heated it up with water to make one cup- as I didn't have honey, I think molasses would also work well instead of honey)
- 1/2 Cup vegetable oil
- 2 1/4 Cups all purpose flour (I used whole wheat because that's all I had)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/8 teaspoon ginger
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- **I added some allspice and some cinnamon as well
- 1/4 Cup chpped each of raisins and slivered blanched almonds (I doubled the raisins and didn't use nuts as I didn't have any)
- 1/4 Cup strong coffee (one time I didn't have this so I just added a little bit more dulce with a little water- but both ways turn out well)
- 3 tablespoons brandy (I used coconut rum, but any liquor you like: an orange liquor, coffee liquor- all would work fine here)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Use two loaf pans or a Bundt pan.
Beat eggs, adding sugar, then add in oil, honey, brandy, blending well. Sift together all dry ingredients and combine with liquid, adding the raisins. Add coffee last. Bake one hour at 350.
Patacones: Green Fried Plaintain Slices (Platanos Maduros or Patacones):
- as many green plaintains as you want (I made a batch using 5 large ones and it was quite a bit of work!)
- salt
- oil
- mallet
Slice plaintains in 1/4 inch rounds or a little on the bias, and soak them in water with salt to leach a little of the starchy, unripe bitterness out. 20 minutes.
Fry them in a pan with just enough oil to cover them when bubbling. Take them out when just lightly gold colored.
Pound carefully with a mallet (like for meat) to open them up slightly. Re-fry them until darker brown (like caramel colored or a little lighter). Blot out oil and salt. Serve as a side dish or with salsa to replace crackers or tortilla chips.
*Note: if your plaintains are ripe, versus green, just fry them in a slightly oiled fry pan with maybe some salt. They will come out sweet and the sugars caramelize a bit. We eat these fried plaintains (Platanos) as a side dish for any meal: breakfast, lunch or dinner. They taste a lot like bananas when they're ripe. They cook super fast, get sticky with the sugars caramelizing, require no soaking or double frying to taste good.
Rick's Pico de Gallo Salsa:
(If you like this kind of salsa, double the amount you would normally start with as it keeps well for a couple of days and is eaten up really fast, faster than you might imagine)
- tomatoes, cubed (1:1 ratio cucumber but 2:1 ratio to everything else)
- peeled cucumber, cubed
- diced white onions (1/2 to 1/3 amount in comparison to tomatoes
- optional: red or green pepper, slightly smaller amount than that of the onion ratio
- chopped cilantro, lots! As much as you want!
- lemon or lime juice- probably 3-4 lemons for a small batch and 6 or so for a larger batch, to taste
- sometimes he adds a little light olive oil or canola oil, maybe a teaspoon or tablespoon depending upon the amount
- salt, to taste
- pepper to taste
- occasionally a heaping or two tablespoon of salsa verde or a spicy habenero salsa to add heat
- cayenne pepper to taste
- chopped avocado is great for avocado enthusiasts, Rick is not one so we never add this.
*Enjoy with anything: tortilla chips, tacos, burritos, part of your salad topping and you don't need a dressing, with Patacones, a huge dollop in mashed avocado for guacamole..., as a side dip/spread with Middle Eastern food, etc...Labels: Chiquitas, Costa Rica Life, Food/Recipes, Leisure
Wild Animals of Costa Rica: I Wouldn't Say No to for a Pet
Wild Animals (of Costa Rica)
I wouldn't Say No to for Pets:
Actually, these guys might be hard to have as pets. They seem to be so gentle, I'd worry about them getting attacked by the local squirrels in our garden! The two-toed one above, is a little baby we met at the Puerto Viejo Animal Refuge. The three-toed one above, Juanita, we also met there. When Rick and I visited CR for the first time on our honeymoon in August 2001, we stayed at a little hotel called the Mono Azul (Blue Monkey) in Manuel Antonio. They had two resident sloths (juveniles) they'd rescued. We got to babysit them. I was in heaven. One even slept with us one night in the room, his name was Buddy. Very gentle animals. They are slow moving, but actually can be quite fast if they decide they need to be. Especially in trees, and they're arboreal. They have super long claws and the only way you'd get hurt having one is if they try to climb you.
White Nosed Coatimundi (Pizote)
These animals are in the bear family(like raccoons) and unlike raccoons, are awake during the day. They have huge claws and are quite intelligent. I joke that they train us, vs. we train them. If we didn't have a dog, we'd probably have a pizote adopting us. But dogs and pizotes are very territorial and tend to not get along well. Pizotes are my favorite Costa Rican mammal and I think that they are smarter than dogs. They make eye contact when they come around begging for food (or enter your house uninvited) and when you look into their eyes, you can tell there's a lot going on in their little heads.
When we first moved here, I had one that would climb the tree outside the bedroom window to call to me in the morning because he wanted treats. Although they can be quite cautious of people, I'd say for the most part it doesn't take much for them to "tame" you!
Spotted Skunk
I've read these little guys make excellent pets. They are smaller than the hog nosed, stripe down the back ones most of us are familiar with. These spotted skunks are about 1/3 or 1/4 of that size and very common where we live in CR. I had a baby one for about a week a couple of years ago. It was found by our friend's gardener and we theorized the mother may have abandoned him. He couldn't have been more than a few weeks old. I fed him milk and kept him warm. He was precious and a slightly skunky smell, but not in a bad way. Just more like a strong musk. Anyway, apparently spotted skunks are very smart, acrobatic, and great pets in human households. You can get them de-odorized (remove their glands) but I would only do that if the animal could never live in the wild again. As it is their only defense. They are related to weasels. We have had several come into our house since we've been living in CR. They are funny to watch and I really, really would love to have one stay.... Unfortunately, the cute little baby I nursed died after a week and that's why we think the mother knew something and abandoned him... RIP little one.
Kinkajou
This is a common raccoon. Raccoons are amazing! They're so smart and OMG, don't you think they have the best faces? They would actually be difficult pets to have (and I have it on good word that is the case) because: 1) they're nocturnal and 2) they are too smart and curious for your own good, or that of the household as a whole. However, I wouldn't turn down a baby raccoon if it fell in my lap. One could hope one would be able to teach some manners... We've had them break into where we store our pets' food a few years ago down here in CR. They ransacked the place and it looked like a fraternity party gone bad. With lots of muddy little footprints everywhere showing the trail of destruction. This was AFTER we had removed the food when they were breaking in nightly. I was left with the conclusion that they were very annoyed that they'd been denied their snacks.
Painted Turtle
We've found a few of these beautiful guys over the years, living down here. They're pretty neat animals. Low maintenance, I'd think. But it's not tempting enough to keep them as pets when you realize how happy they would be just outside the front door.... It's one thing living in a city. But we don't. So it's just too cruel to keep them for more than a day's visit.
Green or Gilded Iguana
There are a few different types of iguanas here in CR. This one is a Gilded iguana and you don't see them too often. He was just walking down our road and interestingly enough, we were able to observe him closely for quite some time. I took a ton of photos and our cat, Frito, watched him awhile too. Usually the iguanas run away as soon as they see you. It was weird. I'm thinking the Gilded ones are a bit more assertive. There are also the brilliant green ones. Either one, I'd take as a pet! Below, is a photo of a chubby green iguana named Sophie. I met her last year in the US and was smitten!
Coulda, woulda, shoulda..... I know a few people who've had these guys as pets here. They're fun, playful, psychedelic colored, easy to tame, and revert to the wild when they're old enough to do so. We could have had one a couple of years ago and I was SO tempted... the mother had died and the babies were orphaned. Friends of ours took in one baby and named him Cookie. Cookie lived with them for months and then eventually made his own way out in the wild bosque/forest. We declined to take one of the babies because we'd just gotten a new kitten and were preparing to travel for a couple of months. I was worried it would be too much. Se la vi......
We get these in our yard at night. They make a ton of noise scrounging in our compost pile. Also, I see them on the roads sometimes. They are supposedly really fun, sweet little mammals. To me, they look like little piglets in armor!
Wild Costa Rican Animals I Want as Pets,
but Which are Impractical:
- Porcupine: Impractical because of the quills. Gives new meaning to horsing around and wrestling with your pet
Nugget got quilled our first year of living in CR. I wish I took a photo. Poor thing. Right in the face! Fortunately for her she didn't get any in her eyes or inside her mouth. And Rick pulled the quills out fast. The porcupines here don't have double barbs. Another silver lining I guess. Nugget wouldn't go out at night for about a week afterwards.
Howler Monkey: Way too high maintenance!
Above, is a baby howler (who is now almost an adult) I found about 4 years ago and brought to a local refuge. She'd fallen to the ground after her mother got electrocuted (while she was on the mother's back) touching electrical lines. Some children found her and gave her to me to take to the Refuge. Her name is Bella. Very sweet. But way too high maintenance! Also, above, Rick is with Chiqui Chiqui, another resident of the Puerto Viejo Animal Refuge we visited this past May.
Boa Constrictor: Impractical because it would hunt our cats and I would need to provide it live animals. I prefer to buy pet food dried, in a sack.
This boa constrictor (see July '07 blog post) came into our house on two different occasions before we relocated her to a green zone/refuge. Very interesting to be on a tactile basis with a snake you find in your house. I thought she was incredibly mellow to allow me to hold her. Pretty irridescent skin too.
- Margay: Impractical because it would hunt our other cats
This is a Margay we met while vacationing in Puerto Viejo, CR at an animal sanctuary. Gorgeous, spectacular animal, and so clearly NOT a house cat! He tried to play with Rick a few times and Rick was a bit cautious. Cat woulda kicked his butt!
All kidding aside, I'm absolutely not a fan of exotic animals as pets, particularly the exotic animal industry which caters to people who often get these animals on a whim. There is a lot of abuse and suffering that goes with the industry and therefore it's best to not have wild animals as pets unless you're rehabilitating them and/or they cannot go back to the wild for some reason.
Labels: Animals, Costa Rica Life, Pets
Heidi
Ricardo
Allison
