Hi all,
My family and some family friends will be starting a year abroad in CR in July 2012. None of us have been there, though my husband and I are going on a scouting trip in February. We are becoming a bit overwhelmed with the details, mostly around where to live! Ideally, we'd like to settle in one place (Central Valley, but within an hour of the beach) for 8-10 months, then head to the beach to wrap up our trip.
I've been looking at Palmares, Atenas, Grecia, and Alajuela. Our primary needs are; two family sized homes close together with high speed internet, access to Spanish language schools or instruction, close proximity (within 15 min.) to quality medical care where we can see various types of doctors, and safety (we will have 5 young children between us). Ideally, all these things would be within walking distance, so we would not need to purchase a car. Other than the internet needs so we can work virtually, we have no problems living simply - we expect it!
Should I knock any of the above towns off my list? Any of them particularly good for our needs? I should add that we are not looking to join a large expat community. Though we would appreciate meeting some other Americans so we don't feel so isolated, it will only be a year and we really want to immerse ourselves in the culture and language - our goal is to come home conversational in Spanish!
I hope we aren't being unrealistic - please tell me if we are!
Thanks,
Karen