March is shaping up to be one of the busiest and most interesting months for lovers of the arts and entertainment in Costa Rica. At the same time the Festival Internacional de las Artes unfolds around San Jose, the Arts Festival in Jaco will be taking place, and the Envision Festival gets underway in Bahia Ballena, the second International Design Festival will begin exhibiting at the former customs building (la antigua Aduana). From March 1^st to 3^rd, la antigua Aduana will be transformed into a giant space dedicated to the aesthetics and visual elegance across a variety of media.

The first International Design Festival was an astounding success for everyone involved. Renowned artists such as Max-o-Matic, Paula Scher and Joshua Davis (one of the first adopters of Adobe Flash and Shockwave to create striking artwork) not only exhibited at the festival, but also participated in lively workshops with attendees who were passionate about modern design. More than 1500 people visited the first festival, including 300 who came from abroad. The second iteration of the International Design Festival promises to attract even more attendants and artists.

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A change of scenery is all some might need to get writing going so I embarked on a five hour drive from my house to find out more about this most peculiar workshop.

With unpaved roads, surfboards, yoga mats and a relaxed warm air seeping into every corner, Nosara is not a place one would consider as a prime literary destination, but one man thinks differently. Clive Matson is on the fourth year on his literary workshop in Nosara and I sat down with the accomplished writer to have a little chat about his ongoing project; it includes getting to know the beautiful nature of Nosara, interacting with great people and a quite successful Open Literary Night, which I was a part of.

His stride is gently paced and relaxed as he walks up to the table; we are under the shade of a mango tree, the view to our right is the powerful Pelada beach, perfect for a relaxed afternoon and to our left, the winding jungle path to the Nosara B&B Retreat, where Clive has created this literary endeavor. So, I asked, why Costa Rica? Why Nosara? And, most importantly, why literature?

CR Star Clive looks to the sky, shrugging his brows and smiling; why Costa Rica? For him, the answer is quite simple:

I have found that it is great to get out of your own culture. I’ve made workshops in Italy, Scotland and within the U.S., and I began to see that just getting away made sense. If you think of places like Europe or within the U.S., they might work, but one knows that Europe is the cradle of Western Civilization and the U.S. still has a certain familiarity, no matter where you go. But Costa Rica is different, it’s cheaper for a start (he grins successfully), and it’s tropical, it’s Latino and that’s great, it’s just a different vibe. When you’re writing and the Howler monkeys welcome you with their guttural sound, you know you’re somewhere special.

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Living in Costa Rica during the rainy season provides very specific challenges for those who are not prepared. This guide aims to provide some solutions to common problems faced by newcomers in their first rainy season in Costa Rica.

Santa Teresa, Costa Rica, February 7th 2012 – This may seem a bit out of place; reading an article about the rainy season while we are in the midst of a particularly hot Dry Season here on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, but Rainy Season is just around the corner, and being prepared is half the battle.

Rainy Season is aptly named due to the fact that from mid May through to the end of October, for the majority of days, it is very wet. Living in a somewhat isolated area such as Santa Teresa, on the Nicoya Peninsula, the extreme amounts of rain cause some pretty serious issues. Landslides are frequent, bridges wash out with every big storm that blows through, and power outages are the norm. Dealing with all of this can at times be quite daunting, but there are a few things you can do to make sure that your survival is guaranteed.

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Moving to another country can be one of the most rewarding experiences in one’s lifetime, but it could also become one of the most frustrating and stressful if not done correctly.  Potential residents have a lot to learn, and thus proper information and guidance in their chosen country is essential.  Organizations like the Association of Residents of Costa Rica (ARCR) that are dedicated to offering essential services to newcomers are often a good starting point for foreigners.  Here’s why:

Costa Rica has deservedly become a very inviting land for foreigners who either seek retirement or a new life.  Most foreigners have traditionally come from Western industrialized nations, but in recent decades the landscape of foreign residents has changed, with many immigrants arriving from other countries.  Globalization and the strengthening of ties between our country and nations such as China and the Netherlands are other reasons why immigration patterns are changing.

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Expats have a lot to say! And they aren’t afraid to write it down.

It seems that lot of people who have moved to Costa Rica are frustrated writers who want to share what they have to say. Blogs abound, posts to bulletin boards are sometimes prolific and informative, and long letters to friends and family are common. Some people write informative pieces, others simply record the every day events of living in a different culture, while still others toil in the quietness of their own minds and computers, chronicling everything from their own early memories to flights of fantasy – stories that no one will ever see.

Writing is a solitary endeavor. Many of those participating often find a need to get out and associate with others who share their passion and, as a consequence, several small writer’s groups have come in to being. Informal gatherings are held in restaurants, private homes, and other places,where people can ask questions, receive support, and share their work. But even then a certain degree of frustration remains because many would like to go beyond just talking about what they are doing and yearn to see their labors-of-love exposed to a wider audience. And therein lies the problem; how to make that happen?

Blogs gain a certain audience, to be sure.

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This message was brought to the attention of The Costa Rica Star by the Costa Rica Living Yahoo Group. If you are not a member of this Yahoo Group considering joining it, you can network and engage with people from all over the world who live, retire, and work here in Costa Rica. You can see the original copy of the below message on this website here. This message is directed at US citizens and though The Costa Rica Star caters to all nations of the world seeking English news about Costa Rica, it is important to disseminate this notice for our American friends and readers.

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The New Year greeted Costa Ricans with a few unwelcome surprises.

The first of these was in the way of an increase of the tolls located on the highway that runs from San Jose to Caldera. According to the official press release given by Autopistas del Sol this adjustment was based on the devaluation that the American Dollar suffered during the last few weeks.

As of January first the stations in Escazú, San Rafael, Siquiares, Atenas and Pozón will charge drivers an extra ¢10 to pass through them. Drivers going through the Escazú station will now have to pay ¢300 instead of the ¢290 they had been paying before, while the station located in Pozón will now charge ¢590 and not ¢580. In total, any car driving through the four stations will pay an amount of ¢1.830 as opposed to the ¢1.740 they were being charged before the end of the year.

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It’s hard to think of Costa Rica, a Latin American developing nation, as a country with a falling birthrate and an aging population. That’s exactly what the National Institute of Statistics and Census (known as INEC by its Spanish acronym) has indicated according to its preliminary census numbers released just days before Christmas 2011.

From 1984 to 2000, the population growth of Costa Rica averaged 2.8 percent on an annual basis, which translated into a birthrate of 19.9 (children per thousand inhabitants). In the first decade of the 21st century, the birthrate dropped to 15.5, which indicates a slowdown in the population growth rate to just 1.1 percent. Demographers associate this percentage with the fertility rate of a nation, and it is a worrisome trend.

Costa Rican ladies outnumber men by almost 9,000, or 2 percent, a statistic consistent with other countries in the region, yet they aren’t having babies in the same numbers as in the past.

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National de facto news daily La Nación has published its annual list of the most newsworthy personalities and entities which consistently graced its pages with either positive or controversial developments in 2011. The following is a quick rundown of the people and entities mentioned and the category they made news in:

National Affairs

The global financial crisis left its most serious mark in Costa Rica by delivering a hard blow to the Caja Costarricense de Seguro Social, the country’s public health and social welfare system. In the past, the Caja has experienced some financial hardships, but never quite like in 2011. The crisis lead to many protests, strikes and serious questions about how one of Costa Rica’s most cherished public institutions should be managed.

Just when it seemed like the civil engineers at MOPT had figured out a way to nip the pesky La Platina problem on the bridge over the Virilla River, news reports emerged about serious deficiencies, thereby delaying the long-awaited day when the issue will finally come to an end.

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While most industries in Costa Rica come to a virtual halt during the holidays, Christmas is the busiest time of the year for inter-province bus operators. According to a report published on daily newspaper La Prensa Libre and broadcast by its sister Radio America AM station, bus lines are stepping up their operational pace in an effort to meet the demands of hundreds of thousands of holiday travelers.

At the Empresarios Unidos main bus terminal in San José, there are typically 50 buses waiting to take riders to the Occidental region and the main beach in Puntarenas, but that number has been increased 70 since Friday, December 23rd. Buses bound for Puntarenas will be departing every 5 minutes during holiday daytime hours, according to administrator Roy Vargas.

At the modern Caribeños bus terminal near the ULACIT campus in Barrio Tournón, an increment of nearly 50 percent in ridership was observed on December 24th. The holidays will not have a diminishing effect on the frequency of inter-province bus service; in fact, buses will be departing at an increased rate from now through the early days of January.

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