You see these stories often about every industrialized/wealthy country in the world providing some type of universal medical care for their citizens…except the United States. According to the CDC, an estimated 28 million US Americans do not have health insurance. That means that one major health issue can bankrupt these people. Sometimes it does not …
The Absurd Cost of Getting Sick in the USA: A COVID Story Read More »
“Bongu,” I called out in Maltese to my temporary new neighbor passing by our Airbnb apartment door in Malta. To my surprise, she brushed past me with a scowl on her face. “Wow,” I said to my husband, as I walked inside. “The people in Malta don’t seem very friendly.” But it turns out, her …
How Short-Term Vacation Rentals Destroyed Our Community Read More »
We live in a transient expat community in the Tamarindo area of Costa Rica. Therefore, it is not much of a surprise to meet recent foreign arrivals only to find later they have left after a year or so. But when you lose long-term, contributing community members, it comes as a jolt. Take Steve and …
“Go to the Emergency Room in San Jose immediately,” my doctor texted me that morning, after seeing my most recent blood and urine test results in his inbox. “Can I go tomorrow?” I asked since I already had a flight booked for something completely unrelated. “No, do not wait. Every minute matters,” came the reply. …
Wait, what? Didn’t I just write one of these damn dumpster burning letters entitled HNY 2021? Sheesh, the year that crawled by at sloth speed and yet blew by like a freebasing Richard Pryor on fire. Remember him? Yeah, I’ll bet half my friends have no clue. But even in the days before the internet …
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has touched nearly every single person on the planet – directly or indirectly – since it was first identified in late 2019. I am writing this not for sympathy or a commentary on your opinion if masks work or not. I have had people ask me to tell them my story – …
My COVID-19 Journey: The Story I Never Thought I Would Write. Read More »
Luxury Condos in Costa Rica are affordable. Allow me to share….
In a year like no other, I sit here staring at my computer wondering why even bother figuring what to cover in a holiday letter. Following one train of thought…and then backspacing. “And you call yourself a writer?” says the wicked little War of Art voice in my head. Should I be witty and evoke …
As of this publish date, we are rounding on one full year of the first traceable COVID-19 (or severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)) case in China, 17 Nov 2019. Considering the world has seen so many millions of confirmed Covid cases by now, nearly everyone on the planet knows somebody who has survived …
We are living in unprecedented times. Globally, this is the “perfect storm” to financially cripple, or at least dramatically affect, all of us in some way. Is your industry sustainable during a long-term shutdown? Could you lose your job, your small business? What can you do about your retirement savings shriveling away? Add to that …