Beat it Nerd!

Two months down and still loving life here.  Tomorrow Ryan and I will be moving into a new apartment: click here to see it!  Also, I will be starting my first job working at Pura Vida Hostel tomorrow as well .  It's kind of ironic that I am about to officially be an illegal worker in Costa Rica (as is every foreigner) and those are the very people my refugees used to compete for jobs with in the U.S.  It doesn't pay great but it'll get me by month to month for now and give me plenty of time to find something else and plan my next steps.  Ryan and I were reunited today after 4 days of separation while he was in San Jose dropping and picking up friends and I was hanging on the beach in Jaco.  It was a successful trip for him though as we now have a local cell number which I will get out to you all soon.

I said I was going to post about security and that it would be an awesome entry so here is my attempt at both:  "BEAT. IT. NERD"  This is one of the many phrases I have had to endure Ryan overusing.  As much as I try to keep his worthless babble out of my vernacular this one has made it into my "common sayings" list and is extremely effective down here.  You can say "beat it nerd" to stray dogs, bugs, drug dealers, prozzies (my made up awesome word for prostitutes that's taken this country by storm), unwanted Europeans, and old people.  I've learned that between this phrase, being as tall as the average local, and slightly fit, the majority of Central Americans do not mess with me.  I read in a travel book the other day that Costa Rica has significantly lower crime rates than any other Central American country and this is despite it increasing by over two-thirds since 1998.  Homicide here is almost non-existent and while you do hear of other petty crimes all you really have to worry about is theft.  Sure I was punched in the arm by some crazy Colombian guy three weeks ago as I ran through the city, but Costa Rica is different.  Yes, I have also fallen victim to the town thief a few times (though I attribute this to my own forgetfulness more than anything else), and yes I did witness a girl have all of her valuables stolen out of her hostel room (though she more or less deserved it for not locking things up), but overall safety has been the least of my worries.  I heard before I left that Costa Rica was "The Switzerland of Costa Rica."  Now, I traveled with a Swiss girl for a few days and I don't think one can quite take it that far, but you'd be hard pressed to find many safer places in The States.  Guard your things, stay away from places you don't belong, and you'll find my new home a very safe place to be.

With friends like these, who needs security?

Pictures of waterfalls, ziplining, rope swinging, and more coming soon!  As always, thanks for reading!

-BP