Nov. 11-Jane's Back

Jane returned Nov. 11 and I picked her up in Liberia after doing a couple of errands on the way. I picked up my government health insurance card at the insurance office in Nicoya. It cost me $1200 for the year and entitles me to the best private hospitals in San Jose. It seemed like a great deal when someone recommended it to me and helped me apply. However, I learned from my Spanish teacher that I could get the standard policy, at a greatly reduced price, and still have the same essential coverage in the event of a major, complicated health issue such as cancer or heart attack. For those complicated and emergency issues, all the expensive equipment for diagnosis and treatment are at the government hospitals. So that fancy hotel-like private hospital would not do me any good under those circumstances. Next year I can save the extra money.

Jane arrives tired from having stayed up the night before packing. She has been away three months but is happy to be back and is finally hailing my wisdom in getting us out of Washington, although she enjoyed being there for the election of Obama. She goes to get after eating three bowls of a squash-coconut-tofu dish I made. The same dish, without the tofu but with some additional pepper, had been a big hit the previous evening at Zac and Tata's Monday night potluck.