How to Catch Fish and Shrimp with your Bare Hands

This past weekend in Silencio, a small local town where my in-laws live, it was a beautiful clear sunny morning on Saturday so we decided to take the kids to splash around in the river.  There happened to be an excavator digging a trench to re-direct the river because it was beginning to erode one of the banks near the road.  We went for a swim with the kids and watched as the huge machine did its work.  When we were just about ready to go the excavator headed upstream and at that moment dug out the temporary dam it had made and the river instantly changed course.  Well, talk about being in the right place at the right time.  A large section of about 200 feet of the river dried up and created small pools everywhere with river shrimp and fish splashing around.  I grabbed a bag from the car and we got all the shrimp and few large fish we could find; literally fishing with our hands! After bringing the catch back to the house we cleaned it up and prepared some fresh fish for lunch and saved the shrimp for lunch the next day. 

The fish was really tasty and river shrimp are like craw fish, but taste like lobster here!  Fun experience for us and the kids; as it is not every day you get to fish with your hands!

Raising a Family in Costa Rica

The idea of raising your family in a different country and culture can be overwhelming to some parents.  However, with a bi-lingual private school in the Costa Ballena area it is becoming a real possibility for many young families.  Previously it was only an option to raise a family in a larger city like San Jose that had English speaking schools, amenities, and international communities.  The beach towns were considered rural and had only small public schools and only taught in Spanish.  People would think you were crazy to go live in the jungle to raise your children.  Now that is all changing and especially in the Southern Zone and Costa Ballena.

We have a young daughter in pre-school here and another one that will be joining soon enough and consider it an opportunity, not a challenge to raise our family here.  The community in the Dominical Area is multi-cultural and has people from all over the globe living here, so it is a microcosm of the World in one little corner of paradise.  Also the incredible flora and fauna are a part of our everyday life and give the children a true appreciation for the environment and ecosystems in which we live.  Not to mention all the outdoor activities there are to enjoy as a family.

Private Eco-Friendly School

The Escuela Verde is an eco-friendly private school located just South of Uvita and has recently been accredited by the Costa Rica government.  Currently the curriculum goes up through 4th grade and the school plans to expand in the coming years.  Their philosophy is to teach through experience in order to inspire the children to reach their maximum potential.  This is achieved by exploration their surroundings, participating in the community, conserving the environment, learning to make individual decisions, and help build self esteem.  After kindergarten half of the day is taught in Spanish and half in English.  We are hoping the school becomes an option for high school when the time comes, but if not there are bi-lingual high schools in San Isidro about 45 minutes from Dominical.

We look forward to the coming years and watching our kids grow in a small town environment, while learning more than just what is taught in the classroom.  So if you are considering raising your family in Costa Rica as an alternative to the norm, know it is a viable possibility.  If you have questions about our experiences please feel free to contact me at Dominical Property.