Contributed by Mike, a Prisma patient from New York and Florida:

Most fellow happy “Prismatics” are aware that the Prisma building is located on a street that contains some of the nicer residences and buildings in San Jose but few of us are aware that just a short walk up this street is the Costa Rican President’s home — the casa of Nobel Laureate President Oscar Arias.

Although a wide plethora of international news sources, including newspapers, and all of the cable channels, as well as the American and local networks, are available in both English and Spanish, it is rare that such international notice and reportage involves events taking place in tiny Costa Rica.

Yet for the last several weeks the world’s attention has been focused on the drama taking place in that residence just up the street from Prisma where President Arias has been serving as a mediator, attempting to resolve the conflict between Honduran President Manuel Zelaya, ousted after attempting to extra-constitutionally attempting to alter the constitution, reportedly as a step toward becoming “President for Life” in emulation of Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez, and the interim successor Honduran government.

If visitors to Prisma wish to view La Casa de Senior el Presidente Oscar Arias themselves the simply have to walk East a bit, and just past a vacant lot cleared for development they will come upon a corner white house with a flagpole sporting a large Costa Rican flag  Bring your brand-new Prisma Smile, of course!

Below, the home of Costa Rican President Dr. Oscar Arias Sanchez, located in the same quiet area of San Jose as Prisma Dental. U.S. residents may be amused or astonished to know that Mrs. Arias often walks her dogs in the neighborhood. Costa Rica has no equivalent of the U.S. White House and, though the country provides offices for the president, he often prefers to work at home.