first job interview

at an upscale Italian/pizza place. I walked through mud, small rivers on the street and torrential ran just to get there. Only about a 5 minute walk though. I brought a "dryducks" poncho from home though, was a good investment. The rain has been crazy lately. Apparently October is supposed to be the wettest month but it was relatively dry, yet so far November has been nothing but rain.

Anyway, this place was on the 4th floor of a building that begins with a super market on the 1st floor, medical treatment center on the 2nd, and then condos on the 3rd. The restaurant is an open air style balcony overlooking the ocean. It's owned by a couple from Angelfire, New Mexico. According to Costa Rican law, they can't actually "work" there, just own it and hire locals to run it for you.  How you're supposed to do that, I have no idea, and neither does anyone else since they don't follow it.
The labor laws are very strict, if you own a business, you are legally required to only hire Costa Rican citizens. There are no work visas. Someone can get a permit to come do contract work if there is no one that can do it in Costa Rica but that's it. And unlike other things, such as marijuana, the government is strict about it.
The Costa Rican Ministry of Commerce or whatever does do sweeps of businesses to check employees for proper paperwork. If a business is in violation they are fined and the employee can be deported.
Some owners take the risk, others don't. Big corporations won't.
The place I went to had two Americans besides the owners working there, the head chef and a waitress. They're both bilingual, the waitress had been there 4 years and came down here looking for work just like I did and gradually learned Spanish. Almost all of their patrons speak English, they said.
They are having a hard time hiring Costa Ricans. Many quit after training apparently, and don't understand the need to work quickly. The pace is just so much slower here and that doesn't mesh well at a fine dining restaurant trying to give good customer service.

The position they need filled is pizza chef for a woodburning fire oven. I've made pizza before but not with an electric oven, also never made the sauce or dough or things like that which would be required there. I assured them I could learn, but what they are really looking for is a career chef, someone who wants to learn how to do this and do it the rest of their life. I was honest when he asked me if I'd rather be a cook or a waiter. Of course I'd rather serve, that's what I know.
So they will continue to look for a pizza chef for now, and told me once they figure out something regarding the legality issue may hire me as a waiter.
I've seen foreigners working here so I know it's possible. Once the high season of tourism gets here I should be able to find something. The citizenship thing is obviously a big roadblock though. Paying better attention in high school Spanish class wouldn't have hurt either, but never dreamed someday I'd be trying to live in Central America.

I'm thinking I should start looking for a Costa Rican woman to marry or have a little tico baby. Then I could be a citizen.
Realistically though, Panama is an option, specifically Bocas del Toro, a group of islands in the carribean. I've spoke with several travelers from there that seem convinced I could easily get a job there, as they saw many Americans working at restaurants and such.
 As a last resort, the US Virgin Islands.

and by the way, feel free to leave a comment, I'd love some feedback.