2/9/6

Yesterday was very exciting. I got an email from ARCR giving me the papers I need from the Costa Rican government to stay in the country while I wait for my residency application to be approved. I went to ARCR on the 19^th of January thinking I would be okay from that date. I entered the country on the 15^th of November and had 3 months to stay without papers, but, I found out I don’t get my papers until Interpol has cleared my record. I was worried I might have to leave for 3 days to remain legal. ARCR said it usually takes one month, so 3 weeks was very good and I breathed a sigh of relief. I went into Judas to have the papers printed up from the email, one for me and one for Linda. We really feel like Ticos now.

We are having shutters mounted on our windows today. Everyone assures us that it is necessary to discourage the few dishonest people who live in the neighbourhood if we go away for a few days at a time. Everything is going well.

My friends arrived from Canada on Monday, and while they were here he bought a small boat to use to build a cabin on his lot on Damas Island, near Quepos. Yesterday I put it on my roof racks and we took it down for him. Nice to see our friends from Quepos, but it was a long trip. There and

in one day. The roads were better than expected, and the return trip took only 2 ½ hr.