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Phone Calls
Mail
Banking
Rent/Apartments
Electric
Laundry
Food
Water
Recycling
Maintenance
Schools
Bicycles
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CATIE-living
Phone Directory |
Phone
Calls:
Local Information: 113
International Calls: 116
There are two kinds of phones on the CATIE campus,
internal and external.
- Internal: The internal phones are white and
are located at each apartment complex and dorm. You only need to dial the
four-numbered extension of the person you want. You can not call outside
of CATIE on these phones.
- External: There is only one phone company in
Costa Rica, so there is limited shopping around for the best rates.
You need to buy a phone card to make calls. There are two types of calling
cards available: those with a computer chip, and those you scratch to see
the calling code. There is only one phone on campus where it is possible
to use the calling cards with the computer chip, located in the
Communidad
Europea. All external phones on campus can use the scratch card.
The cheapest way to call the United States from Costa
Rica is by using your computer on the internet. This can be done through an
instant messenger provider or through a web service such as
net2phone,
dialpad, and
skype. Many instant messenger providers have free voice
conversations between computers, however the other person must be online at
the same time. With an internet program you can call a phone in the US from your
computer for about $.05/minute.
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Mail:
You can have your mail sent directly to CATIE. It can either go to the
Escuela Posgrado and put in your box, be delivered directly to your
apartment, or sent to the post office on campus.
-
If you want to pick it up in your posgrado mailbox:
Name
Sede Central 7170
Escuela Posgrado
CATIE, Turrialba
Costa Rica
- If you want it delivered to your apartment:
Name
Centroamerica 204 (your apartment)
CATIE, Turrialba
Costa Rica
There is a DHL office on campus, but their services
are not nearly as efficient as they are in the US. They deliver and
pick up at the information office in the Henry Wallace Building around 1:30
daily. 558-2475
The on campus post office, CORTEL, is located
in the Henry Wallace Building. It costs around ¢110 to mail a letter
from Costa Rica to the US. 558-2286
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Banking:
There is a Banco Crédito Agricula office in the Henry Wallace
Building where you can change and transfer money, open an account in dollars
or colones, and pay the airport exit tax. 558-2280. They are
open M-F: 8:00-4:00.
Throughout the country, VISA is widely accepted for
debit and credit card use (it is difficult to find a place that will accept
Master Card).
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Rent/Apartments:
It is up to you to go and pay your rent each month. Go to the accounting
office in the Wallace Building and get your bill from Viviana Cordero.
Then go over
to the caja
(In the same room)
and pay there. They accept
all types of credit and debit cards as well as dollars, colones, and
travelers checks. You will be
charged the following monthly for an apartment (The deposit is reimbursed at
the end of the year.):
- Married student with kids (2 bedrooms): $130-$150
plus $20 deposit
- Married student without kids (1 bedroom): $95-$115
plus $20 deposit
- Dorm room: $80-$90 plus $10 deposit
All of the apartments have high speed internet access and a community
telephone for incoming phone calls. The following is a description of
the different types of apartments:
- Married with kids (or PhD students): These
apartments have two bedrooms, a large living room/dining room, kitchen,
bathroom with a really hot shower, and an enclosed back "patio".
They should be furnished with a kitchen table, 4 chairs, a coffee table,
couch, two living room chairs, a full bed, two twin beds, one or two desks
with chairs, three night stands, a book shelf, a refrigerator, and stove.
There are 8 apartments per building. The upstairs apartments are NOT
sound proof and you can easily hear your neighbors, but you get less bugs
and mold than downstairs. Downstairs the noise doesn't carry
as easily and they are a little cooler, but there is more humidity and
bugs.
- Married without kids (or PhD students):
These apartments have one bedroom, a living room with huge glass windows
on three sides with an incredible view, a kitchen, bathroom, and enclosed
back "patio". They should be furnished with a kitchen table, 4
chairs, a couch, two living room chairs, a coffee table, a built in desk
with a chair, a full bed, a nightstand, a refrigerator, and a stove.
There are 5 apartments in a line per building. These apartments are
fairly soundproof.
- Dorm Rooms: Two students share a room,
but it is split down the middle with a large closet. Each side of
the room has a twin bed, and a built-in desk with a chair. There is
one bathroom per room and shared kitchen facilities for everyone living in
the dorms. The environment tends to be fairly "lively".
Contact Marta González
(mgonzale@catie.ac.cr, (506) 558-2422)
in Posgrado to reserve an apartment.
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Electric:
The electric bill for your apartment will be delivered to
your apartment once a month. If you are not home to sign for it, it will be
slipped under your door. It usually appears a week before it is due.
You can pay the bill at the BanCredito bank on campus located in the Wallace Complex.
The monthly bill ranges from ¢4,000 to ¢13,000.
$35-60/mo married with kids
$10-55/mo married without kids
no charge for dorms
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LAUNDRY:
The CATIE laundry mat has 4 washers and 2 dryers which are available 24
hours a day; however, you need to buy tokens M-F 7:30-4:00. It costs
approximately $.50 to wash and $1 to dry. There are clothes lines
behind all of the housing facilities you can use if you prefer to line-dry
your clothes.
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Food:
-
The Campus Store has minimal food items,
but it can be helpful in a pinch. They are open M-F:
7:00am-5:00pm and can be reached at 885-2327
-
Organic Market: There is an organic
market every Saturday from about 6:00 am - 2:00 pm in Turrialba.
-
Regular Market: Every Friday and Saturday the
market street in Turrialba is lined with fruit and vegetable vendors.
-
Super Markets: There are five supermarkets in
town. You can get pretty much anything you want between the five of
them.
-
Fish: On Tuesdays, a local comes to campus to
selling fresh fish. Once he knows you are interested, he will stop
by your apartment every week.
-
CATIE cafeteria: A meal costs about $2.50 and
the food is pretty good. 558-2465
M-F: 6:45am-8:00pm
Sat: 7:00am-1:30pm
Sun: Closed
-
Club Internacional: The food is a more
expensive than at the cafeteria, but they also offer a full bar and ice
cream. 885-2460
M-F: 2:00pm-9:00pm
S-S: 8:00am-10:00pm
- There are also a variety of restaurants in
Turrialba.
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Water:
Some people drink the water on campus, but it is not guaranteed to be safe.
Most people either boil or buy water. You can buy a 5 gallon jug of water in
town for around ¢1,250 at the majority of supermarkets. You have to
pay an initial deposit on the bottle. The water dispenser for the 5
gallon bottle is only sold at the beer distributor. This is also where you
are able to get the refillable beer bottles.
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Recycling:
CATIE has just started a recycling program.
There are bins outside the apartments and around campus where you can
deposit your recyclable materials, organic waste and trash.
- Reduce: Shopping at the market and bringing
your own shopping bags helps to avoid excessive packaging and creation of
garbage.
- Reuse: Most supermarkets sell some types
bottles that are reusable, such as plastic Coca Cola and Fresca bottles
and glass Tropical and beer bottles. Be sure to buy the ones
labeled envase retornable. You can also buy refillable
bottles of beer and 5 gallon jugs of water at the beer distributor.
- Recycle: CATIE has
recycling and trash shelters on campus. They ask that you please sort your
glass, plastic, aluminum, and paper and put them in the recycling bins
located by each housing facility.
- Organics: CATIE also has a composting
program. Put your organic waste into a bag and take it to the
organic bin located by each housing facility.
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Maintenance:
To get repairs done on your apartment you need to put in a request to the
maintenance secretary. The office is located behind the Wallace Building. It
is more effective to go in person than to call. They have some employees who
only do electricity and others who do other repairs, so don't be surprised
when somebody comes and only does a few of the things you requested.
- Maintenance Secretary: Rodrigo Umaña
If you are missing some furniture or would like
additional furniture, you can check at the
Bodega to see if they have anything you need. The bodega is also located
behind the Henry Wallace Building. Supplies are limited.
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Schools:
If you have children that are school age, be sure to bring their birth certificate and report cards.
School starts the first Monday in February and ends in early December, so you should try to register your child in November for the next school year.
There are free public schools and a variety of private schools which charge
around $100/month in Turrialba.
Talk to Jeannette Solano for more detailed information.
Escuela Interamericana: Is a bilingual grade school on the CATIE
campus. $100/month
University of Costa
Rica school: The University of Costa Rica has a
bilingual primary and secondary school beside the university campus.
556-7707kinder
ext 219
Burbujitas: 556-1714
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Bicycles:
Riding bicycles is very popular in Costa Rica. It is a very convenient
means of getting around Turrialba and CATIE. Many students have
bicycles and sell then in December when they leave.
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