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Getting Ready for Monteverde Friends School

WEATHER

Temperatures range from 50° F (7° C is record low) with strong wind and mist, to 80° F and sunny (rarely over 30° C).

Rainy season lasts from May to December, as a rule. The rainiest months are September and October.

ESSENTIAL THINGS TO BRING

*Dress in layers: Bring jackets, sweaters (a cardigan and a pullover at least) or sweatshirts, and a windbreaker. Also bring warm sleepwear and lots of socks (long socks for inside rubber boots are good). Climate varies every 50 meters up or down in Monteverde — there are many microclimates and you will change layers often in just a short distance. Jeans are nice to have, but will take a long time to dry in rainy season (the humidity is usually greater than 85%). Bring several sturdy, light-weight pants. Dress at school is informal but neat.

*Polartec/fleece is recommended, as they are lightweight and dry quickly. Whites often mildew in rainy season, as do backpacks, raincoats, etc.

*Raingear is available in Santa Elena, and heavy, durable rubber boots are cheap. Bring a rain jacket and possibly rain pants. Waterproof ponchos and motorcycle wetsuits are available at reasonable prices, but if you have Goretex, bring it. It’s lighter, more durable in wind, and dries faster. A rain cover for a backpack is also useful. These can be purchased at most camping stores.

*Footwear: Sneakers, hiking boots, “Tevas,” and “Crocs” are popular. Sandals are great in dry weather. Many people carry light shoes, moccasins, or slippers to wear indoors as “Shoes off here” are common at many front doors. Most shoes sold here are European sizing (28–46, no widths, low arches).

*Packs for daily use: knapsacks to hold jackets, change of shoes, heavy poncho, flashlight, your lunch, books, whatever food you might carry. It is also handy to have a book bag or other recyclable shopping bag and a largish pack for hiking trips, etc. Some packs are available here; quality and price vary.

*Casual clothing is the norm in Monteverde: Most people involved with the school wear jeans or khakis with t-shirts or sweaters. You might like to bring a pair of slacks and sport-or fancy print shirt (men); a fancy summer dress for a rare occasion (women). Ticos (especially professionals) often dress more formally (slacks and dresses daily), but ties are rare outside of San Jose.

*Flashlights, especially rechargeable, or bring several sets of rechargeable batteries with charger. Regular batteries and flashlights are available here. There are few streetlights — well, few streets, too — and the power goes out often in wind and lightning storms.

*A jump drive for a USB port to store files and transfer from one computer to another. They are available here, but expensive. Ask for these at any computer store in the U.S.

*Cash to get you through your time here. U.S dollars can be used here in most places. The ATM is unreliable here for foreign cards so it is best to be prepared with cash in hand.

NICE THINGS TO HAVE
Non-essential but popular things to bring which are hard to get here

*Musical instruments and electronics (think about the humidity before you pack your Strad or Strat), camera, Ipod or tape/CD player and your favorite CDs. Blank cassettes are available. Film is available, but is much more expensive. Electrical apparatuses are taxed highly but the usual East Asian brands can be found if you don’t wish to carry more luggage.

*Sleeping bag. Bring polyfill, since moisture damages down, light to medium weight. You can use it over your bed or on camping trips.

*Camping gear. A lot is available to borrow from those who use it, but if you can bring your own, you can count on it. Especially useful are small tents for beach trips, if you like to camp. Snorkels, swim masks, flippers can be great.

*Outdoor protection. If you have favorites, bring some bug repellent, rain and sun hats or caps, and strong sunscreen. But all are available here.

*Prescription medicines and other special health articles you may prefer; bring the prescription signed by the MD too, just in case. Many prescription medicines are available at the pharmacy here, without a prescription, but some are hard to get. Tampons are expensive here and sometimes hard to get. OB tampons are not available here. Vitamins are limited. Bring extra contact lens solution.

*Books, such as your favorite Spanish-English Dictionary, a basic or specialty cookbook. The Monteverde School Library has an excellent collection of books, fiction and non-fiction in English, with some Spanish thrown in. Paperbacks are available for trade in a few stores; however, the selection is limited. Those of us seeking English reading material also share and trade what we have.

*Your favorite DVDs to watch if you are bringing a laptop to watch them on. There are three rental stores in Santa Elena, and there is a woman near the school who lends out DVDs. You may want to bring your favorite educational videos or DVDs for school as these will be hard to find here.

*US postage stamps to send mail with people traveling to the States or Canada (much faster than Cortel, the national postal system). Get self-adhesive ones; the others stick together in the humidity.

*Special art supplies: Colored pencils, watercolors, oil paints, and yarn are available here, but with a limited selection.

*Specialty foods: Some other foods that are desired and missed here are: pecans, slivered almonds, Campbell’s Soup, granola bars, Annie’s Mac and Cheese, favorite salad dressings. Curry and other specialty spices are not common here. Bring your favorite spices! There is a full range of pastas and even pesto, with a variety of vegetarian and macrobiotic options. Loose tea is typically not available here, although tea in bags is plentiful.

*Computer (laptop) and portable printer, modem, etc. Monteverde is extremely hard on other kinds of high-tech devices because of the dust, bugs, and humidity. The school’s equipment is improving, but in demand. If you bring a computer, bring a surge protector for use in your house. Lightning is a frequent occurrence here and a powerful strike could seriously damage your equipment.

*Any special resources or tools/games/manipulatives/techonology for classroom use. Check with a current teacher to see what is available already for use in the school.

MEDICAL ADVISORY

*Check with your county or state health traveler’s advisory office for the latest recommendations on vaccinations. We are above the general malarial altitude and it exists almost exclusively on the South Atlantic coast. DPT, polio boosters, hepatitis A, and tetanus shots are recommended. Bring records of your immunizations.

MAIL

It is expensive to ship items to Costa Rica from abroad. Better to pay the airlines extra for an additional box or bag. Ask your friends and family not to ship boxes to you, as they will probably get stuck in customs far away from Monteverde. Padded envelopes with a customs declaration form attached seem to get through well. Since you will probably not be home often, I would recommend that you have people send you things to the school, or that you rent a PO box at the post office when you arrive. The post office closes at 4:30 pm. The advantage of having things sent to the school is that you won’t have to pick them up. The school address is (you’re going to laugh):

Last Modified: 14 March 2008
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