Americans Living in Costa Rica – Gil Carmichael – Discover How People Have Made A Success of their New Lives in Costa Rica

Once the decision to relocate to Costa Rica was made, this international art dealer simply moved with his career.

Gil Carmichael has been in the art business all his working life with over twenty-five years dedicated to picture restoration in art conservation labs in Minnesota.

However, this multi-faceted entrepreneur with energetic application and dedication also directed a high school with 154 full-time students and ran, over the years, 13 art galleries across the United States.

The galleries focused largely on the international market and business increasingly was sourced in Latin America although Gil had been dealing with Latin-American clients for twenty years before considering a move closer to his clientèle.

It was a gradual decision to make the move and with trademark thoroughness, Gil researched the implications carefully before committing, attending several U.S. government sponsored seminars on relocation and business in Costa Rica.

He had met with former President, Nobel-prize winner, Oscar Arias in 1986, attended investment lectures and wrote to his wide base of Tico friends and connections throughout North America.

Any worries were the normal ones of anyone setting out in a new direction – the fear of the unknown and these have been easily surmounted with time.

That was six years ago. All in all, he says it took about one year to settle things in the U.S., pack up and make the move. Everything he thought he would need went into a 40 foot container and that, in a way, is his only regret. “I packed improperly and brought the wrong things,” muses Gil.

Many things ended up being given away or sold once in Costa Rica and items like dark room equipment that were left behind are hard to find and very costly. However, the four-footed family of three dogs and a cat arrived without incident and adapted to their new home quite easily.

So, with offices in Panama and Paris, why Costa Rica?

As a committed advocate for peace, the decision was ultimately not that hard. Costa Rica’s tradition of non-violence was a big draw with a culture of peace that has been systemic since 1948 and the end of the civil war that abolished the use of armed forces.

A primary factor is the lack of urban violence as compared to the United States cities, London or San Salvador. “The street gangs have no hold here,” he comments, “I am safe to walk around San José and I have never had a problem. Without question,” he continues, “Costa Rica is the safest place in the world compared to the many countries I have visited.”

For several years, Gil helped to run the internationally acclaimed Radio For Peace before its arbitrary closure last year.

Any major challenges? Because of careful planning beforehand, Gil maintains that surprises have been few. In fact, he sees the quality of life for him and his family as better than in the States. “People complain here about the tramites (process of completing official paperwork) and the long lines, but if you know about them, you can be prepared for them.”

This attitude of fitting into certain aspects of the Tico way of things is important to being happy here, some cogs in the system are just not worth trying to change.

Once settled, Gil’s mother moved down and lived near to her son until her death at 86.

Educating his three-year-old daughter will not follow the mainstream education system here, since she will be home-schooled. This bears no reflection on the quality of Tico schooling but is the practical extension of the Carmichael philosophy not to follow a traditional Western route to education. As Gil readily admits, “I’m not really your regular gringo moving down here.”

He applies this holistic approach to health as well and is satisfied with the quality and quantity of alternative medical services available in Costa Rica, from acupuncturists, homeopaths to natural healers.

However, this has not prevented him from being part of the National Insurance Institute’s (INS) medical plan in case “I’m run over by a bus and need to be sewn up”. His mother, too, was given very good care in the Clinica Biblica when she required attention.

A typical day just doesn’t happen in Gil Carmichael’s life. Since he travels so much to his other offices, he finds that Costa Rica is an ideal hub from which to fly. Panama and Bogota have several flights per day and reaching Paris is not difficult.

But when home, an early start around 5.30 a.m. means at least a couple of hours spent with his daughter before moving into his home-based office for early calls to Europe (it’s a six to seven hour time difference from Costa Rica).

Correspondence and dealing with clients take up much of the day along with visits to his framing studio and packing and shipping business in the suburb of Escazu.

So, how’s the Spanish? “Poor, but good enough to sell!” Gil learned some Spanish at university but mainly his language skills have developed ‘on the hoof’.

It isn’t easy to give advice about moving to Costa Rica for someone with Gil’s prior experience since he has been involved with Latin America for so long. He emphasized that everyone has different reasons for wanting to leave one place and move to another.

However, he concluded that Costa Rica is where the future lies for him and his family – it’s a good place to live and if you have to get out, it is easy to travel from.

As for living expenses? “It’s less than ‘up there’,” without committing to exact numbers but had heard that foreign residents can live for around $2,000 per month.

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Written by Vicky Longland – Vicky has spent all her adult life in Latin and Central America originally as head of the translation department for an international human development organisation and currently working as a freelance translator and writer for several national and world-wide publications, specialising in people’s issues, the environment and lifestyles.

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.