Last Day at Work

Wow my last day at work. I am really going to miss all of the people I have met at Merck. What a wonderful group! Yesterday we went out to lunch and I can't remember when I have laughed so hard. It has been a great year. One more ending that is needed to start the new beginning. sigh.... endings are hard.

2 weeks 1 day and counting & Jake's on his way home!!

So I spent the morning packing and think we are gonna have to thin down what we are bringing. At first we said that we weren't going to bring anything, just whatever we could carry on the plane. Then I realized I would like to have the new king size bed I bought last year, it was expensive and we really sleep well on it. So the hunt for a shipping place began. We looked into a few options and talked to as many people as we could. We finally opted on a company that a friend of ours uses to ship cars and trucks to Costa Rica. The company is called Port to Port International. We went with them because for a reasonable rate we could ship a small amount of cargo to San Jose. They offered a 5x7x7 and a 10x7x7 space. You also can ship a haf or a whole container, but for the price we figured we could dump our old furniture and get new stuff in CR. So we now have reservations for that too. Our stuff has to be in New Castle, Delaware on April 7th. It will sail out on April 12th and with any luck will hit port in Limon on April 21st. From there they truck it up to San Jose and call us to pick it up. So we will be in Costa Rica several weeks before our stuff shows up. That seems ok to me right now because word has it the house has been fixed up and repainted and it is papaya and avacado. Light papaya and avacado but still I can't picture those colors with the red floor so I think I will get to do some decorating before the stuff comes.

We opted for the 5x7x7 space since we really were only going to bring the bed. Then I turned into Steve Martin in the Jerk! All I need is this bed, oh and this chair, and this lamp, and this ..... You get the picture. So now we have all these totes stacked in the office with marks on the floor and the wall to show how much space we have and I still have stuff I NEED to take with us. Looks like Mario will be sneaking more black garbage bags out of the house lol. (He cleaned out all the rest of the stuff I NEEDED that way when we put the house on the market)

On an even happier note, my son texted me to let me know they gave them leave early and he left Iraq this morning at 4AM. Great news because I will have a longer visit with him before we leave too.

It's getting closer all the time and a bit of adjustment

So I am driving home from work and Continental calls and lets me know that apparently the law changed in Costa Rica and now you need to pay an import tax on your pets. Crap I think, what's this gonna run? At a minimum $20 she tells me - hmmmm - a minimum? wonder what the maximum is. Any way that is the tax, but oh you need to hire a broker to get you through the process and that costs between $120 and $200 dollars. What??!! for a $20 tax? I ask her what if the dog's owner is a Costa Rican? (Luckily I thought ahead and Diego is now Mario's dog, I figured it would be easier to have a tico get him in than a gringa). She tells me it's the same for them.

OK adjustment to the budget time, I am trying my this is how we roll in Costa Rica mantra, it is what it is - relax. So not the end of the world, but not good news either. BTW, I also asked if anyone had any info on this great website - Association of Residents of Costa Rica.

On a more positive note we passed the U&O (Use & Occupancy) inspection so we are set!

We have tickets! so does Diego!!! We are leaving April 11th!

I took the plunge and bought the tickets today. Can't believe it! We sold almost all of our stuff at the yard sales this weekend and are almost done packing. We will have to do some last minute stuff right before we ship it but so far so good. Can't keep my heart from racing at this point. I am facilating from exhileration to pure terror. I am as prepared as I will ever be informationwise, but still I am thinking can I do this? I saw a video yesterday from Michael Alan and D'Angelo (travelcostarica.com) which described me to a tee and then told me these are the types of people who have a hard time making it in Costa Rica. Well I hope I can become less type A, more forgiving and more patient. At least I have Mario blocking for me and explaining his gringa's silly ways.

Anyway some info:

1. We are flying Continental. I have read many good things about shipping the do through them and that's why we are using them. So far they have been friendly and helpful and I am very happy.
2. Since I am an American I need a round trip ticket. You cannot enter Costa Rica without a ticket to leave the country within 90 days of your arrival. Mario does not need a round trip ticket and we are doubtful he could get a visa to come back with me in 90 days. Having said that, apparently it is more expensive to purchase a one way ticket than a round trip so he also has a round trip ticket.
3. Diego at 25 pounds will not fit into the small carrier you can use to have him in the plane with us. I think maybe a toy dog might, it's really tiny. It may be better anyway because I figure he would whine the whole way if he knows I can hear him. If he doesn't see me he probably will sleep.I bought the crate for him a few weeks ago and we have been using it in the house so he is used to it. You need to have something absorbent on the bottom so I put his bed in it. You need to call a second number to book the flight for a dog travelling as cargo (in the bottom of the plane). You can cancel your flight within 24 hours if they can't get your dog on the same plane as you. I had no problems booking us all on the same flight.
4. Diego needed to have a rabies shot at least a month prior to leaving. They originally said it could not be more than a year old, but the guy at Continental told me the 3 year shot is fine now. CHECK FOR YOURSELF if you plan to do this. I got Diego his shot 2 months ago so we are fine. Ten days before we leave he will need some other shots and a certificate of health. The info can be found on Costa Rica Consulate Pet Policy.
5. Our flight is non-stop. I opted for this so I can rest easy about not losing Diego when we switch planes. Unfortunately we need to bring him to Quickpak to send him which is on the Domestic flight level so yeah I am freaking that he may not be put on the same plane. This is going to be the first - breathe deep - loss of control and trusting that everything will be ok.
6. You need to provide a telephone number and address in Costa Rica where they can contact you. I decided to have my phone turned off after we get there so that in case of an emergency I can be contacted. I gave Mario's name for the receiving end since he is a Costa Rican and I thought maybe customs would be easier.

So that's the poop on what we have done so far. I plan to try on Tuesday for the single status and police report paperwork again. This time with the county. We are also getting the U&O inspection which is the last hurdle on the house. I think we are really going!

COSTA RICA we are coming!!!

WOOOO HOOOO the deal is a done deal!! After we make the last few fix-ups to the house we are set! Looking to buy tickets for an April 11th flight. I can't believe we are really going!

I sent an email to the Costa Rican consulate in New York to try to figure out what paperwork I need. They responded in 1 day, faster than the county seat in Doylestown lol. They said:

Regarding your concern, besides the divorce papers will be necessary a certificate from the city hall establishing you are single or performing a sworn declaration before a notary public. Then your documents must be certified by the notary, by the County Clerk and by the Department of State of where the document was issued (see enclosed). Once you have the documents duly certified you can send the documents by the post office duly certified with an additional prepaid envelope with your return address.

That's what will constitute and affidavit of single status.  So I sent an email to Doylestown (the county seat) seeing if they can do this certificate because I am reasonably sure that if my little town of Morrisville has a City Hall they will look at me like I have 3 heads if I ask for this certificate. If I don't hear back from Doylestown I will go the Notary route. Hopefully I will be working from home on Friday and can get some of this done then. Once I have all of the paperwork (Original birth certificate, Affidavit of single status, Police record, Valid passport, Divorce decree) I have to send it off to the appropriate Departments of State to be certified. The NJ documents should be fairly easy since they go to Trenton. I am going to see if I can go there and do it. PA documents have to go to Harrisburg so I am thinking Fed Ex. Then everything goes to New York. Since we have only about 3 weeks to go I have to get this done quickly!

Wow we are really going - still not quite sinking in.

Almost there!

The home inspection report came in and the buyer did not ask for anything unreasonable - woo hooo!! We are almost done fixing what he asked for. We are waiting on the FHA Report and his approval. Fingers crossed - this actually may go through!

We are looking for more info on the paperwork I need for Costa Rica. I need an affidavit of single status and have no idea what that is. I am emailing the consulate. Hopefully I get a response.

I just found out this really cool thing! Apparently I have a web feed associated with this blog so feel free to subscribe!

Inspections are in!

The inspection results are in and they are not too bad. I think we can fix most of what is on the list. If this is acceptable to our buyers we are one step closer! If not back to the drawing board. Next step - figure out the paperwork I need to get translated and stamped so we can get married when we get there!