Yes, I am currently living and working in San Jose, Costa Rica. Thankfully, before arriving, I'd heard that San Jose was a less than desirable place to visit/stay. I say "thankfully" because imagine how disappointed I'd have been if I expected a beautiful, bustling city like the one I came from or an enchanting city, rich in culture like San Cristobal in Mexico. If you ever happen to spend time in San Jose it will probably be on accident, or if you were to fly into Costa Rica and were just passing through. I'm trying to think of some US cities to compare it to, but I really can't right now. I'll just say this- San Jose isn't HORRIBLE. It really isn't. I think Detroit is worse. Ha, no but I mean, it's fine. I think if I had to stay here long-term I might have more of an issue with it. I've also been having a great experience, so the fact that the city I live in is kind of lame isn't getting in the way. I'm also not going to be here much longer, so there's that too.
I live in San Pedro, a relatively safe and pleasant neighborhood in San Jose. My current apartment is literally sandwiched between two universities, so that's cool. There are also plenty of bars and restaurants around too. Everything we need is within walking distance, including the school where I teach. I have about a fifteen minute walk to work everyday, which is really nice, considering my commute for my last job was a thirty second elevator ride...sure it was convenient, but kind of too convenient; it's nice to take a walk in the morning.
Okay, so probably the weirdest and most hilarious part of San Jose is the fact that there are NO street signs. I'm serious. My address is literally "100 meters from ULatina, down the road and near the sign for the hairdresser on a private street". The first day I was here, I was looking around frantically for signs and thought I was missing something until my friend Jon filled me in. There are a few streets with names in downtown San Jose, but I think that's just so tourists can get around. The address for my school includes something about it being 200 meters from an old fig tree, but the old fig tree isn't even there anymore, so...
Also, it's kind of an adventure to walk around here. One minute you'll be walking on a side-walk and it just disappears and you're walking on gravel. The street gutters here are also kind of a hazard. There are just random square ditches for water to flow into on the road. If you're not looking you could easily fall into one of those or just the gutters themselves. Needless to say, I've learned to pay closer attention when I walk. Maybe that was a skill I needed to perfect. Maybe I was spoiled by side-walks and covered ditches in Chicago.
Oh, and my apartment! Yup! I have one now. Lucky for me and my friend Cameron, we were able to move into a lovely, furnished two-bedroom the DAY after our program ended, so as soon as I was done with class, it was "adios!" to Carmen and her bagged cheese and onto Cameron and her wonderful cooking abilities. Cameron negotiated a GREAT deal for us on the place, she talked the landlords down $120! The woman has negotiation skills I only dream of having. (And yes, I realize I went from Carmen to Cameron.)
San Jose might not be my ideal city, but I'm enjoying my little corner of it and plus, it's all a part of the experience and so far, so good.
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