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Courage
unlimited
Olivier
is 18, but because of a genetic disorder he is
under 2 feet tall. Also, he also has a heart
condition that does not allow him to make
physical efforts, ails from asthma, and suffers
impaired hearing. However, Olivier Flores sets
an example at his high school in Ciudad Quesada,
northern Costa Rica, and is determined to
eventually major in computer sciences at some
university. In order to attend classes, he must
travel 55 kilometers (over 34 miles) every day.
They live in Bella Vista, a village in Cutris.
His single mother, Maria Isabel Soto, gets up at
3 a.m. and 45 minutes later the two trek to the
place where they take a bus that leaves shortly
before 5 a.m. for Ciudad Quesada. While her son
is in school, Maria Isabel washes and irons
clothes, and does other household chores at
different homes in order to earn the money to
pay for the bus ride. "I will keep on
struggling, so that Olivier reaches the goals he
has set for himself. I cannot fail him.
Sometimes he sleeps only a couple of hours; not
few times he is sick, but doesn't complain, and
gets up to go to school. One Christmas I
promised him a toy, but he said he'd rather have
a new uniform for school," the mother says.
Olivier has only one immediate dream, a computer
to practice at home. |
Mass return
Thousands of illegal
immigrants from Nicaragua staged a mass return to Costa
Rica in the first few days of 2003. They spent Christmas
and New Year in their homeland, but now returned to
Costa Rica and resorted to crossings that are impossible
for the Tico authorities to check, as well as to the
so-called "coyotes", smugglers of illegal
immigrants who do so for a fee. Also returning, evident
at the Peñas Blancas border checkpoint, were hundreds
of Nicaraguans who have their documents in order. In
spite of their limited resources, Costa Rican police and
immigration authorities located still hundreds of other
citizens from the neighboring country who were deported
or sent back from the border. Costa Rica is the world
leader for refugees, legal and illegal immigrants, who
are currently estimated at some 20 percent of the
overall population.
Seasons death toll
The Christmas and New
Year period is usually high in violent deaths in Costa
Rica, and the end of 2002 was not the exception.
According to official data, there were 40 violent deaths
between December 24 and January 1, 10 more than in the
same period at the end of 2001. Road accidents took the
heaviest toll, 17, followed by homicides, 9, while 4
people drowned. The Red Cross reported that the overall
deaths on the site of the event for the year 2002 were
698, three less than the 701 overall figure for 2001.
9.68 percent inflation
The overall inflation for last year was 9.68 percent,
the lowest figure for a year since 1993; however, it
remained at above 9 percent, following a trend which is
already 19 years old. According to experts, even though
high, the rate is stable due to facts such as restricted
economic growth, low inflation abroad, and the fact that
the Central Bank has made a priority of keeping
inflation in check. Because of the limited growth, there
is less income to buy goods and services, therefore
there is lower pressure on prices. Since Costa Rica
imports almost half of what it consumes, low inflation
abroad matters here, the experts explained.
Hike in prices
Costa Ricans must ready their pockets for an
end-of-January hike in consumer prices, that will impact
electricity, fuels, and bus fares mainly. The power bill
would go 12.24 percent up; the increase in gasoline
would be 3 percent; and the hike in bus fares would
depend on the route.
Drop in banana exports
Last year, banana exports dropped some 6 percent as
compared to the year 2001, sector sources disclosed. For
this year, banana growers had expected a recovery based
on improved market conditions, but the floods that
destroyed no few farms last November and December foiled
those hopes. In dollar terms, a steep decline has been
evident too, since income from the fruit reached $662
million in 1998 and dropped to $492 million in 2001. |
