Been in Cost Rica a year and yeah.

Trip with Wife to her Country

I had just returned from a weekend in Mexico, where we visited a small mountain town a few hours east of Mexico City. My wife, Mayte, and I were there to attend the baptism of the son of one of her friends—and we weren’t just guests, we were the godparents.

The trip quickly turned into an adventure. We landed in Mexico City at 1 a.m., and the baptism was scheduled for about ten hours later. The problem? The church was at least seven hours away by bus. Because it took so long for our plane to taxi to the gate, we missed the last bus out of the city.

At around 3 a.m., we found ourselves standing on a dimly lit street outside the bus station, exhausted and trying to figure out what to do. We called Uber a few times, but each driver demanded more money than the last. Walking away wasn’t an option—we were the godparents, and we had the baby’s official baptism clothes with us.

Eventually, after some serious haggling, we struck a deal with a guy who had an old, beat-up car. For about $300, he agreed to drive us to a town near our destination. Somewhere along the way, I fell asleep in the back seat, only to wake up suddenly as our driver narrowly avoided a semi-truck that merged into our lane.

Against all odds, we arrived just in time for the baptism—exhausted, sleepless, and shaken, but there. It was chaotic, stressful, and unforgettable, and in the end, absolutely worth it.

After the Baptism was a hum-dinger of a party. The parents of the child rented out an event space in the country-side. Lots of food, cake, and two live bands, pinadas and more. I was flabbergasted how much they spent on the party. I stuffed myself and had a bunch of beers. The party had started quite early and lasted into the night so Mayte and I went back to the home we were staying at, took a nap, and then went back to the party. Just absolutely awesome night that we’ll never forget. 

I was the only American there. Someone during the wedding approached and talked about the 12yrs that he had lived in Dallas, but without papers, so he returned. He said, “When I saw you, I knew you weren’t Mexican.” Everyone there was metizo or Native American. This was a world different than my own but I felt very at home. Nobody treated me different. I wasn’t noteworthy or drew any attention. 

Big News

I’ve been married for almost 4 months now and on the 1 month anniversary of our wedding we found out that my wife is pregnant. I thought this day would never arrive. I always wanted to have children and consistently tried to foster/ build a relationship with a woman, but nothing ever worked out, partly my fault, I’ll admit. I’m so happy, we’re so happy. It’s a wonderful new chapter in our lives. 

Bad Bunny rolled into San Jose for two shows. Here’s few shots I took from my balcony. 

Baby born where?

Hopefully we can have the baby in the USA, in Sacramento, where I grew up. Plus, it would be a great time to spend with my Dad. As of right now this doesn’t look likely because my wife would need residency in order to legally have a baby in the US. We’re going through the paperwork for residency for her but it would include a medical exam that entails a full body x-ray that is not recommended for someone who is pregnant, which leaves us with the option of getting a tourist visa for her, but under the regulations of a tourist visa, one is not allowed to travel to the US with the purpose of giving birth, so it looks like we have the two remaining options: give birth here in Costa Rica or in Mexico.

New Year in Mexico

We went for New Year’s to Mayte’s small town in Mexico. Ayahualulco sits at about 8,000 feet above sea level. Yes, it was chilly, about 45 degrees. Her family were wonderful and the celebrations included fireworks, food, and some religious ceremonies. Plus, the was plenty of beer and some liquor. Some of her family I met for the first time and we bonded.

Un Temblor

On the way back, my wife and I were in Mexico City waking up in a hotel room in the center of the city a few blocks from The Zocolo, when all of a sudden an odd alarm goes off on both our telephones, like the Amber alert. It was bizarre and annoyed us. She looks at her phone. “It’s an alert for an earthquake.” But not earthquake, must be a drill. Then about 30 seconds later the whole building is shaking. Swaying. Very scary but I’ve been through this before and the buildings never collapse. It stops. Then we hear a commotion out in the hallway. I crack open the door and see the hotel’s guests hurriedly going down the stairs or waiting for the elevator. My wife and I don’t even think twice and get back in bed. A little later I look out the window and see lot’s of people out in the street. Some are barefoot and some looking like they just woke up. I’m glad me and the wife are on the same page for this type of situation. We don’t get riled up and lose our shit while most others do. 

Milton Friedman

I’ve always been an admirer of Milton Freidman. Here’s something that he said that I agree with.

There are four ways to spend money, ordered from the most careful to the most careless.

First: spending your own money on yourself. In this case, you tend to be very careful: you control what you spend it on and try to get the maximum value for every unit of money you spend. Example: buying food for yourself.

Second: spending your own money on others. For example, when you buy a gift or invite someone out to dinner. Although you try not to spend too much, you no longer pay as much attention to whether the other person is getting the greatest possible benefit. You don’t choose gifts with the same level of scrutiny that you apply to purchases for yourself. Example: buying a birthday present for someone.

Third: spending other people’s money on yourself. This happens, for example, when you use an expense account or manage someone else’s funds. In this case, you do try to get something good for yourself — eating well, choosing the best option — but you don’t worry much about finding the cheapest alternative. You tend to be less careful because the money is not coming out of your own pocket.
This also applies when spending other people’s money, such as government spending — that is, taxpayers’ money managed by the state. Example: using the company’s credit card for you own meal.

And finally, the fourth: spending other people’s money on other people. This is what happens when you act as an administrator of public or social funds. Even though you usually want to do a good job, you no longer have strong incentives to be especially careful: it’s not your money, and you’re not the one directly receiving the benefit. As a result, you pay less attention to both cost and value. Example: the government using taxpayer funds for social programs, like benefits for the homeless or foreign aid.

These, then, are the four ways of spending money, from the most prudent to the least careful.

This is an example why government is ineficient and needs to be as small as possible.

And to end this post, here’s a video I did with the drone about a small fishing town, Tárcoles, on the Pacific coast, about an hour and a half from San Jose: