Happy Holidays from Costa Rica!

Happy Holiday 2018 from Costa Rica from Devon on Vimeo

What do you do all day? - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

I want you to get the feel of the day.  

I want to point out to you again point out, that living here, you can be as busy as you want to be, or not (for all of you worriers). It's all up to you. If you can't find something to do, then you aren't trying very hard!! LOL

Last Saturday -- the plan was to walk to our friend's house for breakfast - it would be our first time walking to their house as they live a distance away (that's pretty much all we had on the agenda). A couple of other friends were going to stop by in the afternoon to drop off some Vitamin C. 

I'd also like to reiterate, once again, how friendly the local people are! On our walk we met a neighbor -- he even joined in on a conversation with us when our Spanish is limited and the neighbor (whom we had never even met before) spoke no English!! You can still survive!  

At our friend's home we had a very nice breakfast of homemade crepes and since they are growing their own coffee we joined in on some coffee prep and learned more about what it takes to actually end up with a fine cup of coffee. They are both very knowledgeable. 

I am still getting used to coffee so mine has more milk in it 

If you are interested in a healthy lifestyle, Costa Rica is a great place to be. We have been fermenting our Kombucha but we've been a wee bit stuck, so we get a little instruction about scoby division. Kombucha is the beverage the ancient Chinese called the “Immortal Health Elixir?” It’s been around for more than 2,000 years and has a rich anecdotal history of health benefits like preventing and fighting cancer, arthritis, and other degenerative diseases. 

We also have 2 Brazilian Aloe Vera plants which have excellent medicinal value.  We've been told that we can now start making our own medicinal aloe mixture. It has been said that aloe plus honey may be a successful cure and preventative for cancer and other afflictions. You should do your own research but here is a link 

Finally, we ended up at our other friends house and got to see his amazing aloe plants - they are such beautiful plants and he has over 100 - all grown from just 5 small plants.

We had a yummy raw vegan dinner and of course some wine and good conversation.

2 of the 3 cooks

And... as it turns out Sat was the Festival de la Luz and we got to see the fireworks from their spectacular view.

photo source and more information Tico Times 

La Negrita” , The ​Black ​Virgin ​of Costa Rica! - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

A  few weeks ago the "brothers" were back in town. My brother, Russell, was in CR for one month to attend the EF International Language Spanish Immersion School in Tamarindo, Costa Rica. After class he came down to Grecia to spend some time with us. Lavanson's brother Charles, who lives in Jaco Costa Rica, also came up to Grecia so we could all hang out together.

We were all sitting around one afternoon, (we also had a rental car in our possession) and someone said "let's go somewhere" so we up and drove to Cartago. 

We started the trip about 1pm in the afternoon, which really wasn't such a good idea, because it takes about 1 hr 30 mins to get there, which meant that we weren't going to avoid the rush hour traffic on the way home AND we would be driving home after dark. In Costa Rica most expats try their best to be off the road when it gets dark, especially if you are not used to driving here. This is because most roads and even the auto pista (the Costa Rica version of a freeway) are nothing like the roads and freeways in the states and because "doing so can be rather challenging. Quite often, it is pitch-black, there are no markings on the road, no guardrails, and no signs directing you to your destination. In the rainy season this can be even more dangerous. Depending on where you go, there might be no road surface, no bridges, or wide open precipices to fall into." This is not a hard and fast rule, but something to consider. 

Anyway, off we went. 

Cartago is about 16 miles east of the capital, San José. It is at an elevation of about some 4,707 ft, at the base of the Irazú Volcano. Cartago is the capital of Cartago province, and was the capital of Costa Rica from 1574 to 1824.

Our first stop was to the ruins.

The ruins of the Santiago Apóstol church in Cartago's central park, known as "Plaza Mayor".

me

Several churches have existed on this site since 1575. 

Russell

I'm thinking the church was NEVER meant to be. 😏

The first building was damaged in 1630 by an earthquake, and was demolished in 1656, when a new one began to be built, which was finished and consecrated in 1662. This second structure had two chapels, one used for praying and the other one for funerals, and both were safeguarded by the local townspeople. In 1718 the then old and deteriorated church was heavily damaged by another earthquake, leading to repairs. In 1756 another earthquake damaged the church, forcing further repairs. It was finally destroyed on September 2, 1841, by the San Antolín earthquake. In 1870 the last attempt to rebuild the church was started. The new parish was built and designed with a Romanesque style, the only one found in Costa Rica. The construction was halted for thirty years, and was restarted again in 1903 or 1904, before being completely canceled in 1910, after the Santa Mónica earthquake. So, they are not ruins in the strictest sense, since the church was never actually completed. 

Today it is a tourist destination, used as a public park, with occasional masses and was declared a "Historic Relic" on August 25, 1982.

Russell, Lavanson Charles

Next on to the Retro Cafe for a bite to eat.

Finally, making our way to the basilica. 

La Negrita, Costa Rica’s most sacred Holy Relic​ ​also known as the Black Madonna, the Black Virgin or the Black Stone, it is a small, black rock which appears to emanate the image of the Virgin Mary​ and is ​known for its healing powers, it draws an annual pilgrimage ​on ​August 2 ​to ​one of the most famous church’s in Central America, The Basilica of Los Angeles​. ​ All Costa Rican’s celebrate this unique holiday​ and ​ thousands of Costa Ricans make the journey to celebrate ​La Negrita​ ​the Patron Saint​ including the president of Costa Rica.

Legend has it that in Costa Rica, the Black Madonna statue was discovered by a Costa Rican girl in 1635, who was looking for firewood. Upon finding the statue, shaped like a doll, on top of a stone, she brought it home and when she awoke the next morning it was gone. Returning to the stone, there was statue. This, according to legend happened three times. In some telling, the little girl told the residing priest, Father Baltazar de Grado, and the same thing happened to the priest as well. Since then the legends have grown, and persisted.

La Negrita became the Patron Saint of Costa Rica in the year 1824 and was visited by the late Pope John Paul II in 1983.​ ​Because of this event that they called a ‘miracle’, a church was built around the boulder where the little Juana first found La Negrita.​ ​The stone statue she found it is now kept in a backroom in the basilica and is revered as a sacred relic and Holy symbol of inspiration for all Tico’s, and visited daily throughout the year by locals and visitors alike.

It became the Patron Saint of Costa Rica in the year 1824 and was visited by the late Pope John Paul II in 1983.

We made it to the church but when we looked up, we noticed how late it was getting (now around 5pm). No way to make it home now before dark. A light rain had begun to fall and the streets of Cartago were already showing signs of rush hour.  So we decided to come back another time to see La Negrita. We headed for the gas station and then began the long journey home. We missed our exit on 3 occasions and arrived home around 8pm (total distance 44 miles). 

Definitely worth going but next time...we go early!!

Here's our video below

Day Trip to Cartago, Costa Rica from Devon on Vimeo.

Sisterlocks in Costa Rica

​My friend Kia returned from the states with her crew and spent several days in Limon doing some Sisterlocks training there.

Kia says "I was on a real mission to Costa Rica to answer the call of the Afrocarribean women. #S.O.S means Save Our Sisterlocks and that's exactly what I did. Sistahs around the world need assistance with keeping their natural hair. As a natural hair stylist I felt the need to help. It really made me feel like I am living my purpose."

Then they came to Grecia and particpated in our interview series @ La Terraza Guesthouse B&B.

But..they weren't done yet...Onward to the impromtu Re-Tie party at my house!!

Thanks to Kia, LaRetta & Linda 

helping to promote & expand Sisterlocks in Costa Rica!! 

We really need it!

Sisterlocks in Costa Rica from Devon on Vimeo.

Pancakes and Flower Power - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

I'm so happy that we have new neighbors that moved on our ridge a couple of months ago. AND, they are from the Bay Area. As a matter of fact they lived fairly close to where I lived for about 10 yrs. 

With many of the expats here, usually the biggest commonality is that we come from the US, but in this case it is even better because in addition to being from the same country, we are from the same local area and they live close enough for us to walk to their house (very important since we have no car). 

Anyway, yesterday they walked over to our house (which was an easy (?) 40 minute walk (for them) - we have not tried it yet) and we decided to go up to Isabel's (the restaurant where we have our Friday happy hour) and have breakfast. 

The place was full because there is another group of expats who go there for Sunday breakfast after their church service.

At any rate  -- we loved the breakfast!! The pancakes were the best I've had in Costa Rica and Isabel serves US style bacon (for any of you who still eat bacon). Costa Rican bacon (tocineta) is not the same, not sure why, and nothing against the local food, which we eat most of the time --

 but sometimes it's just nice to have food you are used to and also get to speak English 😁

enjoying a caramel latte @ Isabel's

After breakfast, we went back to their house (in the rental car my brother drove down from Tamarindo) and Kate gave us a tour of their garden. Gardens are quite the thing here since so many of us have lots of yard and beautiful views.

Her hubby is a coffee expert (they are also growing coffee on their land and roasting it themselves) He made espresso for us and we chatted on their patio for a while.

We had a beautiful Sunday!!

Kate picked some of her gorgeous hydrangeas and gave them to me to take home along with some yucca.

(I actually had enough for 3 separate flower arrangements) 

Thanks Kate because the hydrangeas in our yard are pretty pitiful - I must say!!

If you live in the cooler regions of Costa Rica you will see plenty of hydrangea flowers (Hydrangea macrophylla).

Originally from Japan, (the Spanish name is Hortencia). Hydrangea is common in the highlands of Costa Rica (we are at 4,200 ft). The shrubs are everywhere around our neighborhood with their large inflorescences of blue, pink or white flowers with coarse green leaves. If you look closely at the center of each flower, you will notice miniature flowers with petals, stamens and pistils. What looks like large showy petals of each flower are actually calyces (the sepals of a flower collectively, forming the outer floral envelope that protects the developing flower)

The root is considered a useful botanical tonic for the kidneys and bladder. However, the buds and young leaves are toxic.

In Costa Rica, hydrangea blossoms are most commonly blue, but interestingly enough, the blossoms change color depending on the soil. In acidic soils, the flowers are blue. In alkaline soils, they’re pink. White flowers indicate the soil is neutral. 

Pancakes & Flower Power from Devon on Vimeo.

New Off Road Project

"The Real Costa Rica" 

I am working on an exciting new CR off road project which is a joint venture for a series that I am co-producing. I don't have a release date yet, but as soon we complete it and my partner gives me the "OK" we will have it available to share. 

Lots of interviews, videos and helpful info 

So Stay Tuned. 

I think you will enjoy it

Blooms at Barons - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

On Tuesday we had our monthly womens meeting in Atenas at the beautiful Barons Resort. 

Atenas is the capital city of the canton of Atenas in the province of Alajuela in Costa Rica. 

I think in miles Atenas is only about 12 miles from Grecia but as is quite the norm in Costa Rica you follow a rather circuitous route to get there which doubles the mileage. A beautiful drive nonetheless. 

I have some video and more info to share with you re the resort.

It wins my stamp of approval!!!

I highly recommend it for folks looking for a beautiful place to stay in the Central Valley!!

If you have questions you can contact them directly at +506 7202 7156 and 

from the US 213-973-1173 

You can check out the resort below

Another Beautiful Resort in the CR Central Valley from Devon on Vimeo.

Go to Africa - Get a New Name (Part 2 of 3) - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

For those of you who have never traveled to Africa, it is quite the experience. If you are African American and you have your DNA traced you will probably have the urge to visit your ancestral home.

Fortunately for me, my (African) DNA results were not spread out all over the place (until I got these last 2 tests back that is - more on that later) So in the beginning, I devoted myself to traveling to Guinea Bissau.

Today with so much turmoil going on in the US, there is a Back to Africa Movement going on. With Ghana's Year of the Return 2019, Ghana invites African Americans to return to Ghana (where some 15 million Africans passed into slavery). A new wave of African Americans are escaping the incessant racism and prejudice in the United States. I am finding more and more sites and youtubes about people who have decided to relocate back to the motherland.


"You might not have electricity, but you won't get killed by the police either."

Door of No Return - Goree Island Senegal West Africa

Today it could be called the "door of return" as many African Americans return to the motherland. 

Although we are currently happy with our life here in Costa Rica, I encourage folks to travel to Africa if they have a chance.  I immediately felt a sense of belonging. It's a truly fascinating continent.

While I was in Africa, I even got a new name.

Where did my name come from?

For African Americans, more than likely it came from a name that was given to your ancestors in slavery hundreds of years ago. When people argue that we need to get over slavery… that it didn’t happen to us or anyone that we know… few consider the impact it still has on us today. That among the many ways we still carry the burden of our ancestors, the most obvious is what we call ourselves.

“What is in a name?

Existing slave ship manifests for the Atlantic slave trade record numbers, gender, approximate age of slaves, and occasionally “nation” (tribal identity). Very rarely, do plantation slave lists reveal a name that appears to be an African name. This is why it was impossible for me to search back before 1865. 

African cultures have various ways of naming a child, ranging from the Akan naming system based on days of the week to the Egyptian more cosmic one.

"pounding grain" - Whenever there is a naming ceremony grain is brought to pound - it is the first act of the naming ceremony (after the animal has been sacrificed)

I was very honored when the village of Quebo, Guinea Bissau bestowed upon me a new African name. 

Nenegale Djalo

During the ceremony my name: Nenegale Djalo  was "bequethed" to me - by the Head Imam of all of Quebo; Usmani Seidi - He stated that from that day forth I would have the name, Nenegale Djalo, the daughter of Alhaji Aruno Rachid Djalo!

Fatamata Djalo - only living sister (both parents) of Nenegale

BTW - In California, you have the right to change your name by “usage”. It will be necessary to eventually get a decree from the courts in order to change it on your drivers license, social security card and other official documents, but there’s no reason to wait until you can afford all of that. source

Currently, there are around 200 million people in the Americas identifying themselves as of African descent, according to the United Nations. Millions more live in other parts of the world, outside of the African continent, and in most cases they experience racism and discrimination.

To promote the respect for and protection of their human rights, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 2015–2024 as the “The International Decade for the People of African Descent”, to be marked annually on 25 March.

Come back for part 3 - Who am I? How these DNA tests got me all confused!

The DNA results are in (part one of three) - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

This is a bit off subject
but...
How many of you have had your DNA tested?

I have done 3 tests to date ( I had 2 tests done about a month ago) but let's start at the beginning and compare. 

(For those who have not been following me since 2011)

The first one was done back in June 2010 by African Ancestry. They have the largest database for tracing African ancestry of any of the other tests out there. I began tracing my ancestry by using the online version of Ancestry.com, however, if you are African American you probably know that for us, it's very difficult to go back farther than 1865. Before then, most of our ancestors were property.

I wanted to cut to the chase and find out just where in Africa I came from. 

I ordered the maternal test kit (I have no access to information on my biological father) at the time the cost was $299.  OUCH!! A pretty hefty price but I had decided it was worth it because I wanted the information.

I waited impatiently for the results, which took 10 long weeks. This was back in the day before results were delivered online via email (from what I was told recently, African Ancestry still mails the results).

When I received the results I was very surprised to learn that my matrilineal ancestry was
100% Fulani from a tiny country in West Africa, called Guinea Bissau.

"where's that?"

is the usual response I would get whenever I mentioned my results. Turns out that Guinea Bissau (in 2010) was the 4th poorest country in the world! A country with scant few doctors, children in need of food, medicine and education and an almost non existent infra structure. A country where life expectancy is somewhere in the early 40's. The population of about 1.8 million were under military control and the US Embassy had suspended operation in June 1998. On March 2, 2009, President Vieira was assassinated by what preliminary reports indicated to be a group of soldiers avenging the death of the head of joint chiefs of staff. The only information and videos I could find were about coups and assassinations. 

Pretty grim and I was sad and disappointed to learn of my ancestry, partly because I had planned to visit whatever country that I was from. 

And then everything changed...I ended up starting a project called "It Takes a Village" and teamed up with a young hip hop artist, Hasan Salaam from NJ. 

Coincidence?

I think not

Click LINK - Take a look

if the link to the video below does not work please click the link above to view. Thanks 

Video Link

This is the type of hip hop story you won't see covered by the main stream media. Music is my weapon. Every single one of us has the power to change the world in some way. You don't have to be rich or famous. This project is a testament to that. Hasan Salaam x FLOW x Cobiana x Big Up GB x Baloberos x Impossible Music Sessions x It Takes A Village. Brian King Shivani Ahlowalia, Devon Austin, Austin Dacey, Raj Flow, Hasan Salaam, Willie Coleman Jr

If you would like to hear more about my DNA results (plus the 3 test comparison)

Comeback for part 2  - I get a new African name!!

A Snip, Snip Here... - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

Luis & Leo basking in the sun!

Veterinary Costs in Costa Rica

I always like to keep you up to date on how much it costs for services in Costa Rica.

We currently have TWO cats, Luis & Leo. Both of them adopted us. They are both males and they are strictly outside cats. However, we do feed them, provide beds for them and care for their health and for the most part it is like having 2 (inside cats) except that they live outside. To that end, I feel a responsibility to make sure they have their shots and also to make sure they don't produce any offspring or do that whole fighting, yowling, spraying thing!

However, I was surprised myself when we took Leo in yesterday for "neutering". I made the appointment in Spanish. We dropped him off at 9:00am and picked him up at 4pm.

The bill was 15,000mil colones 

15,000CRC =25.6567USD

oh and we got a bag of cat food for 1,000mil colones =1.71977USD

I knew it would be less expensive than in the states (which I understand can run up to $200) we had already had Luis fixed but I was really surprised when I saw the bill. It sort of scared me at first because I thought I had made a mistake in my Spanish and he didn't get the right procedure - however the bill plainly says "castracion" so... there ya go! (btw- our other vet was a bit more but I can't recall now) 

Anyway. these prices make it a lot easier to help the stray cat population stay healthy and keeps the population down.

Leo

Just thought I would share that with you.

Oktoberfest San Ramon Costa Rica - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

A Little History of the Oktoberfest

But the definition of “the world's most important beer festival” does not do justice to the indisputable reputation of the Oktoberfest.

Oktoberfest is the world's largest Volksfest (or "peoples' festival" in German, is a large event in Germany which usually combines a beer festival or wine festival and a traveling fun fair). Held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germanny. It is a 16 - to 18-day folk festival running from mid or late September to the first weekend in October, with more than six million people from around the world attending the event every year. 

Historic Background - Crown Prince Ludwig, later to become King Ludwig I, was married to Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen on 12th October 1810. The citizens of Munich were invited to attend the festivities held on the fields in front of the city gates to celebrate the happy royal event. 

Have I ever been to an Oktoberfest celebration? Nope! Never cared about it at all and really not that fond of German food or beer, so why bother? 

Well... because we're in Costa Rica and part of the fun is trying new things plus we enjoy going to Hacienda Vivace. So, when our new neighbors (who moved here about a month ago from the Bay Area) said they were going and offered to give us a ride, we took them up on it.

I'm really happy that we went. We had a great time. The place was packed. The music was awesome as was the food (prepared by our host Andy - who is a chef). They even had a vegetarian selection which was made with homemade rye bread. Lavanson and all the other vegetarians, were raving about it. 

Check out the video below - also I wanted you all to see Andy & Nancy's beautiful home (Hacienda Vivace) a little more close up. I've done videos of events at the house before but this time I wanted to give you a better idea of just how big and stunning, it really is.

Oktoberfest, San Ramon Costa Rica 2018 from Devon on Vimeo.

The Week in Review - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

Another busy week in paradise!

Saturday

Sunday 

Jazz in San Ramon

 Monday

Tuesday

Bought 2 more pieces of pottery

Wednesday

Thursday

I have eaten some delicious sausage at one of our expat friend's home. When I asked them where they got it, they said they have it made in Grecia. I asked them where and they told me that they take their own fennel seeds and chili flakes (not available in Costa Rica) and take them to a Carnicería (meat store) in Grecia and have it made (it is pork w/20% fat) the butcher provides the casing. So, after I "borrowed" some fennel seeds and chili flakes I went into town and located the store. Isidro is the owner. He makes it for 3,000 colones ($5.18 US) per kilo (1 kilo = 2.2 lbs) So I ordered 2 kilos yesterday and it will be ready for pick up today. I will let you know how it comes out.

Oh, we had a visitor this week from Atlanta. Her name is Kia. She attended the Sisterlocks Annual meeting with me and also went with us to The Sunday Salon Jazz Series. She is a Sisterlocks Consultant and cosmetologist, so she also cut my hair for me. 

Kat Yoga With Kia

Let the Sunshine In - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

This is the 2nd post today - but I posted this on Facebook and thought I would repost here for my followers who are not on Facebook. 

Somewhere hanging over the coffee field...Way up high...🎶

I was thinking how there seem to be a million different sounds that are "strange" to our U.S ears both in and outside of our house here in CR. 

I was even counting the different sounds the other day 🤔

Anyway on this particular day the sounds were coming from somewhere in the coffee fields. I couldn't see anyone, just heard the chopping sounds. When we first figured out that it was in the mango trees in particular I started researching what they might be doing. Read all this info about how to prune the trees for optimal growth and production and then... found out the other day from our gardener that - nope- in this case they didn't really care much about the production of the mangoes at all . 

It was all about the coffee!! 

During the rainier months of Sept and October it can get pretty dark around here and can be overcast so they cut the limbs to let the sunshine in so the coffee can grow. 

I had fun watching the smooth machete work anyway.

Here's a little video if you care to check them out.

Under the MangoTree from Devon on Vimeo.

We have Peru Dates - Our Life in Costa Rica Yr #3

We bought our tickets to Lima Today!!!!!

and...

I posted the dates and updated information about the trip on the Jammin website blog.

Please go to the site and click BLOG on the menu. You will always find the most detailed up to date information there as I will continue to post updates. 

Also if you are interested in participating now, or in the future, please head over to the Member's site,  join and set up a profile - you can also sign up for a monthly newsletter there as well.

JAMMIN•JAMMIN•JAMMIN

Round trip Non-Stop $425. Yes Sir!!!