Copyright Better Homes Real Estate, Playas del Coco and Playa Hermosa, Guanacaste, Costa Rica                February 2012   Bits and Pieces:   The News: A Valentines Day Primer For You   Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated by many people throughout the world. In Spanish-speaking countries the holiday is called Día de los Enamorados. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their feelings for each other by sending Valentine's cards, flowers, chocolates or offering related gifts.   Below you will find an assortment of words and phrases related to the language of love............ Click here to read more NEW: 5 Apartments, all for $169,000 with lot big enough for 2nd stage. Click here for details. We Have Moved to a New Location! Our office has moved. We are now located in Downtown Playa Coco 100 meters from the beach above Boutique Sussy. Costa Rica offers to help by sending experts to starving Africa   The country has offered to field a team of experts in agronomy, veterinarian science and general technicians to aid those facing a humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa.   The offer came from Fernando Sánchez, Costa Rica's representative in Rome at a U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization meeting. He said the organization estimates............. Click here to read more This is 12th year for Have a Heart Charity Golf Tournament   A yearly charity golf tournament that benefits education in youths in the province of Guanacaste takes place this upcoming Valentines Day at the Hacienda Pinilla Golf Course.   The 12th annual Have a Heart Charity Golf Tournament tees off Feb. 12 with a welcome cocktail party, followed by a complimentary.......... Click here to read more Featured Listings: Solid investment just steps from beach: Two bedroom $115k Spectacular ocean views...one of the best priced properties of its kind in the area. Nestled into the 8th fairway of Papagayo Golf Club and priced to sell. News stories continued: Continued: Some of our bargain listings: NEW: 5 Apartments, all for $169,000 with lot big enough for 2nd stage. Listing: #5103117 Playas Del Coco Apartments One 2 Bed 2 Bath Apartment and Four Studio apartments Construction size 2,300 sq. ft. Lot Size: 950m2 / 10,200 sq. ft.   The apartment is located 2 km from the beach and two blocks from the main road of Playas del Coco, this 2 story construction consists of a 2 Bed 2 Bath apartment and 4studio apartments, each with their own private bathroom. Lot size 950m2, making it big enough to easily build 4 more studios and still have ample parking. The property is fully fenced and there is a pool.   The studios are rented for $250 a month and the 2 Bed 2 Bath apartment for $450. That's $17,400 per year revenue. Price: $169,500 Click here for more details. Listing: # 5102830 Brand New Playa Hermosa Condo Location: Playa Hermosa Bedrooms: 2  Baths: 2 Brand new, fully furnished 2BR/2BA condominium in Playa Hermosa. Ceramic tile floors throughout. Modern kitchens and baths with marble countertops and GE appliances. Stackable W/D. A/C throughout. 3 common swimming pools and a pool house in the development. Beautifully landscaped garden setting. The unit comes fully furnished. Located a three minute walk to the beach of Playa Hermosa. North American style financing available. Price: $275,000 reduced to $199,000 Click here for more details. Listing: # 5102821 Ocotal Oceanfront Condo Location: Playa Ocotal 2 BR, 2 BA. Size: 1,200 sq. ft. Beachfront Condo with 2 BR, 2 BA, 1,200 sq ft, fully furnished. 150 feet from the high tide mark. The development overlooking the Pacific Ocean has 2 large community pools / rancho/ BBQ common area. You can hear and see the waves on the pristine blue flag beach of Playa Ocotal. Price: $350,000 Reduced to $299,000 $175,000 Click here for more details. Cortos - Short News Stories New terminal now in service at Liberia airport   The new, $35 million passenger terminal at Daniel Oduber airport in Liberia went into service Thursday, and the first persons to have the advantage of the new building were identified as U.S. tourists. Conavi promises three bridges in Guanacaste   The National Roads Authority (Conavi) is planning to install three new bridges in Guanacaste as part of an effort to improve access for tourists visiting the province. A bailey bridge will be erected over the río Montaña, and concrete bridges are planned for smaller streams on routes 915 and 906. Other road rehabilitation projects planned by Conavi for the dry season are outlined in the full article in La Nacion. Teachers to help students via Internet   The Ministry of Public Education is setting up a system for students to be able to get assistance with their school work from a teacher online. The project is expected to be ready mid-year, and is named “El profe en c@sa”, or teacher in the house with one of the letters replaced with the Internet @ symbol. IPhone 4S coming to Costa Rica   Although the exact date has yet to be announced to the public Apple has settled on a date between January and February for the release of the IPhone 4S in Costa Rica according to Ricardo Taylor, manager of Claro Costa Rica. All three cell phone operators ICE, Movistar and Claro are expected to begin sales on the same date. A Valentines Day Primer For You Valentine's Day or Saint Valentine's Day is a holiday celebrated by many people throughout the world. In Spanish-speaking countries the holiday is called Día de los Enamorados. It is the traditional day on which lovers express their feelings for each other by sending Valentine's cards, flowers, chocolates or offering related gifts. Below you will find an assortment of words and phrases related to the language of love. Acaramelados – lovey dovey Amor – love Amor a primera vista – love at first sight Amor juvenil – puppy love Amorío – a love affair Adventura amorosa – a love affair Casarse detrás de la iglesia – to elope Comprometerse – to become engaged Compromiso - engagement Cupidito – Cupid Dar el sí – to get married Deshojando la margarita - “Does she love me, she loves me not, etc. ? Dejar plantado – to stand someone up Descorazonado – heartbroken Desenamorarse – to fall out of love Enamorarse – to fall in love Echar el caballo – to make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica) Echar el cuento - to make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica) Echar los perros – make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica) Echar el ruco – make a pass at or to hit on (Costa Rica) Echarse la soga al cuello – to get married Enamoradamente - lovingly Enamoradizo – inclined to fall in love Enamorar – to make someone fall in love with you or to enamour Enculado – head over heels in love (Costa Rica/vulgar) Encularse – to fall in love (vulgar) Engañar – to cheat on your mate Estar loco or loca por alguien - to be crazy about someone Felizmente divorciado/a – happily divorced Flechar – to sweep one off the feet (love) Juntados – to live together Matricidio – marriage (matricide) sarcastically Me atrae – I’m attracted to you Me cae bien – I like you Media naranja – one’s other half Morirse por alguien – to be dying for someone No hay amor sin dolor – no love without pain No hay rosa sin espina – same as the last one No hay amor sin interés – same as the last one Perdidamente enamorado/a – lost in love Pepeado/a - head over heels in love (Costa Rica) Piropo – a flirtatious statement like “Dichosos los ojos que te ven” “Your a sight for sore eyes.” Picaflor – playboy Ponerle los cuernos – to cheat on a man Rejuntarse – to shack up with someone Romper or terminar con alguien – to break up with someone Romper el compromiso – to break an engagement Romper el corazón – to break someone’s heart Ser infiel – to be unfaithful Sonarle las campanas de la iglesia a alguien – someone is going to get married Templado or caliente - horny Tener algo con alguien – to have a relationship with someone Tener celos – to be jealous Tórtolos – love birds Traicionar – to betray Usted es bonita - You are pretty Usted es guapo – You are handsome Back to top Continued: Costa Rica offers to help by sending experts to starving Africa The country has offered to field a team of experts in agronomy, veterinarian science and general technicians to aid those facing a humanitarian crisis in the Horn of Africa. The offer came from Fernando Sánchez, Costa Rica's representative in Rome at a U.N. Food and Agricultural Organization meeting. He said the organization estimates that famine is affecting 12 million persons there. He called the death of human beings due to hunger a scandal and said it was inhumane and unacceptable. There was no indication when such a team would leave for Africa. The Ministerio de Relaciones Exteriores y Culto here reported on his offer. The meeting was an emergency one of U.N. aid agencies and charities at the headquarters of the Food and Agricultural Organization The U.N. World Food Program announced that it would begin an airlift of food aid today into the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as well as to eastern Ethiopia and northern Kenya on the border with Somalia. An estimated 3.7 million people in Somalia, around a third of the population, are on the brink of starvation. Millions more in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda have been struck by the worst drought in the region in 60 years. Josette Sheeran, executive director of the World Food Program, said that a deadly combination of natural disaster and regional conflict had created this emergency, with soaring levels of malnutrition. His food program has ranked this as the most critical food emergency in the world, he said, adding: "Last week I designated the Horn of Africa a Level 3 emergency. There is no higher for us. The scope of this is 13 million people." Jacques Diouf, who hosted the emergency meeting, said the catastrophic situation in Somalia demands massive and urgent international aid. He heads the Food and Agricultural Organization. Diouf said it is imperative to stop the famine that afflicts the Horn of Africa and in particular southern Somalia. French Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire said donor countries would hold talks to step up aid pledges in the Kenyan capital on Wednesday. He called for action to bring down high food prices on international markets. Le Maire said if the necessary measures are not taken, famine would be the scandal of this century. Officials say that the U.N. has received some $1 billion since first launching an appeal for the region in November 2010. But they added that a billion more is needed by the end of the year to cope with the emergency. Back to top Continued: This is 12th year for Have a Heart Charity Golf Tournament A yearly charity golf tournament that benefits education in youths in the province of Guanacaste takes place this upcoming Valentines Day at the Hacienda Pinilla Golf Course. The 12th annual Have a Heart Charity Golf Tournament tees off Feb. 12 with a welcome cocktail party, followed by a complimentary nine-hole golf game at the course on Feb. 13, and ends with the tournament and a luncheon awards ceremony on Feb.14. The event was put together by Amigos de la Educación, a non-profit organization with the focus to help further education of youth within a 20 mile radius of Tamarindo, Guanacaste. The reason for the geographical cap is economics, said Suzye Lawson, co-director of Amigos de la Educación. Last year the tournament raised $22,000 which was divided among 11 schools and 14 scholarships. Three college women received a scholarship, nine high school students received a scholarship and two very intelligent grade school students benefited from a scholarship, said Ms. Lawson. With the help and support of her husband, Barry Lawson, the couple were able to start Amigos de la Educación in 2000. She said the organization came along after she volunteered to teach English once a week in Villarreal. She had noticed the disarray and lack of schools for students to have a place to learn. She went back home and with her husband decided that they were going to make a difference by helping the children, amigos de la educación “since they are our future,” she said. And ever since then the expat couple have put together the golf tournament to aid their new community. “This is our big fundraiser. This is what pays for everything,” Ms. Lawson said. With the money raised at this year's tournament, the organization already plans to finish putting a roof for a school building, install stairs at another school, hire a psychologist to teach sex education and a drug-prevention class, and help build a skate park. The skate park is in need of $9,000 for ground completion, and last year Amigos de la Educación raised that amount alone during the silent auction. Golfers pay $150 to participate if they pay before Feb. 2 and $175 after the date. The price includes the cocktail party, green fees, breakfast, awards luncheon, open bar on the green and several sponsor giveaways on the green. Non-golfers can participate by going to the luncheon Feb. 14 for $10. Photo courtesy of Golf Adventures Costa Rica www.golfcr.com Back to top Home | Who We Are | Listings | Where We Are | Links | Link Exchange | Contact Us Our Buying Property in Costa Rica Blog | Affiliate Plan | Our Newsletter You can contact our office by phone: + (506) 2670-1457 or Toll Free from North America at (816) 987-7166.