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In terms of character traits and life experiences, related to making the CR transition. I would venture to put my neck on the line, and assume many others like myself were also members of various nations military establishments. Traveled and lived around the world like myself, and enjoyed alternate life experiences and cultures; in short, adventureous types. I was a hippie in the 70s, went to Woodstock, drafted in the the Army in the 70s; and currently believe I have found my paradise in Costa Rica, excepting both the positive and negative aspects. As in all life events, expectations can make or break ones circumstance.
I said in my first reply that the question should be what are the profiles of those who stay and those who leave. I’m not prepared to answer comprehensively, but I can reflect on one thing that does seem to characterize the “leavers”.
That thing is a lack of preparedness, the lack of a cogent plan. I suspect that many folks come here with no clear knowledge of what it [b]really[/b] costs to live here. I suspect that they are likewise unprepared for what it will cost to get settled — buy, build or rent, furnish, buy a vehicle, get insurance, get residency, get a driver’s license, and to live day-to-day in an acceptable lifestyle.
If someone comes here all starry-eyed and expecting some sort of Eden, they’ll be in for a long running series of unpleasant shocks. Taken together, the costs, the bureaucracy, the rain, the culture, the traffic, the Costa Ricans (love ’em as I do), and more may add up to more than some unprepared folks can tolerate. Frankly, absent a plan, I can see how this place really could easily drive you nuts.
There is a widespread assumption that people should come here and rent first . . . try different places, etc. I fully accept the logic of that. But implicit in that advice is the absence of any meaningful planning. Whether you live on the coast or inland, whether you live in the city, suburb or a rural area, whether you live close by your neighbors or in isolation and a lot of other factors really do make a difference. I wonder if wandering around from place to place, assuming you can find something decent and affordable to rent, does much more than confuse the picture, and until you make a commitment to settle in one place or another, you’re just flailing around.
What’s more, these and other factors interact differently in different settings. That is, you may decide that a hot, humid coastal area is for you but find the neighbors intolerable. Or you might find the neighbors great but the hog farm upwind not to your liking. Or whatever you think of as Paradise may be so far from the amenities you need and want that living there is a chore despite the friendliness of the community.
Having a coherent plan for where you’ll live, in what, at what cost, and with what conveniences and inconveniences will, I think, resolve many of the issues that would otherwise plague the “leavers”. Just coming here with a couple of suitcases and a silly grin on your face is, in my estimation, a recipe for disappointment.
Of course, that’s just my opinion and worth every colon you’ve paid for it.
[b]soldier[/b] as we know after reading some of your other posts that you have recently purchased a home here. If you wouldn’t mind telling us, how many times have you visited Costa Rica before you decided to purchase property? And for how long?
And I do understand what you meant by ‘having lived outside the box’ so to speak.i was one of those people who came, who saw, and who bought — on my very first trip. that was 5 years ago. i built a house and have never once regretted the financial investment or the move to a 2.5 world country. but then i’ve lived in a lot of different places, mexico included, so this was no big deal for me. i’m also multi-lingual so that helped a lot.
I’m also [i]multi-lingual[/i] if Scottish counts!:D
We also made the move from Britain many years ago to living in various places in Canada then here.[b]jdocop[/b] you did your research by vacationing here for 10 years and this makes a great difference in the [i]renting/buying[/i] scenario as compared to those who read books or looked on the internet then bought a property in an area that sounded [i]like somewhere they might like to live'[/i]
And I like your quote “…what difference does it really make how many stay, and how many go? What matters to me is whether or not I stay or go”.costaricafinca,
I was first invited by a friend to come and stay at her Costa Rica familiy home in 1985, I stayed for two months at that time. I fell in love with the people, the food, the culture and the nature Eden beauty of the country. Since then, I have been coming to Costa Rica every other year; staying from three weeks to four weeks. Also spent some military time in the area, I will leave it at that. I came back over this September until October, on a combination vacation and just to see how the housing market is; and what the homes in our price range looked like. Well, we closed this November, and as you may have noticed, I have been asking a lot of questions from other members on this website, now that I have purchased a retirement home; and purchased many books on CR property, relocation etc. I have made great tico, tica and other nationality friends during each visit. What I appreciated most, is that everyone I have met in person, and on this website, has provided me with no-bull insight and advice in regard to Costa Rica.[quote=”maravilla”]i was one of those people who came, who saw, and who bought — on my very first trip. that was 5 years ago. i built a house and have never once regretted the financial investment or the move to a 2.5 world country. but then i’ve lived in a lot of different places, mexico included, so this was no big deal for me. i’m also multi-lingual so that helped a lot.[/quote]
Interesting, maravilla, very interesting . . .
We came here for the very first time five years ago also. Our sole purpose was to rule out Costa Rica as a retirement destination. We spent two weeks here, took George Lundquist’s tour, and never did find the fatal flaw. So we decided to make the move.
Since we couldn’t find anyplace on the tour we liked better, we settled on Grecia, bought property, and undertook to build our guest house. It was largely done when we arrived for good. That said, [b]I am not an advocate of leaving a contract, the money, and a set of plans and letting anybody, Costa Rica, American, or anybody else build a house totally in your absence. It could be a recipe for disaster.[/b]
Unlike maravilla, we are not world travelers, haven’t lived all over the place, spoke not a word of Spanish, etc., but with patience and persistence we’ve made a very comfortable transition to our [i]gringohood[/i] and feel great about it. Our only regret is that we didn’t have time to take at least an introductory Spanish course before leaving the States.
Also unlike maravilla, we did not leave a safety net behind. We sold the house, gave away what wouldn’t be useful here, and packed up and moved the rest. And we feel just fine about all those decisions.
[b]soldier[/b], thanks for your reply. Again, it is good to hear that you did take the time to check things out, and hopefully you have found your [i]’paradise’.[/i]
Thanks all of you for your thoughts. I’m glad that someone added in the concept of who makes it and why, because that was really what was on my mind.
Just a few point that will make you more likely to make it here in the long run!
1. Learn SOME spanish… even your attempts at broken spanglish will make you much more popular in town! If nothing else you’re trying… and might even get a laugh out of a new friend in town! TRYING is more important than just not doing so, even if your spanish is AWFUL!!!!
2. “A” type persons should stay home! Lunch or coffee can become a day long adventure! A trip to the hardware store for a bolt should be allotted a three hour slot in your day! Adjust your lifestyle to match the daylight hours here… up early… and in bed at 9pm!
3. Tico’s don’t seem to attached the same importance to watches or days of the week… just get over it!
4. Make local friends… Tico’s are a wonderful people… and much smarter than you think! We make a point of having pizza or spagetti night and inviting folks we know from town… be it the bank teller or the guy you know from the gas station! Play Uno…. or have a movie night…. even if it’s one you’ve seen and it’s in spanish without subtitles!
5. Remember people’s names and faces… the guy at the hardware store or the lady from the bank live in town… you’ll see them around… say hi… shake their hand in passing… when you call folks by their name and acknowledge them it opens so many doors!
6. Become part of the community… you’ll find a way to help someone else, or a cause… and it will come back to you tenfold! I can speak from personal experience on this one!
7. Don’t try to make CR like home… remember… you left home for something different… and this place is different… some good, some bad! Just like home!
I could go on and on but this topic has been touched on before… some folks will never be happy ANYWHERE… and as for the original question… there really isn’t any solid data… but no doubt there’s a good amount of folks that don’t last more then a few years… some of us are lucky enough to be able to enjoy homes in several different places… folks that find themselves unhappy and place all their eggs in one basket without really doing their research are rarely happy with the outcome.
Maravilla, excellent! A very well thought out and honest post.
I can’t remember who coined the phrase, but it is true. “The anticipation is always greater than the realization.”
I’m glad we have many more years before retirement to work out the details and to make sure the move will be the right one.
What difference does it make what someone else does? You have to live your life. I’ll bet you have found lots of people before this that thought differently than you. We are in the porocess of getting our Cedulas now and will move this summer to the San Ramon area. First key is due diligence. Know what the difference is between sea level and 4400′. Take time to know the country and what your preferences might be. A lot of Gringos end up in Escazu. You couldn’t pay me enough to live there. Great shopping and food, but lots of obnoxious rich Americans, high crime, high traffic. Except for climate, those folks should have stayed home. Live out in the country where real people live. Here’s a few musts:
1. Rent for a year before shipping stuff to C.R.
2. Have a spirit of adventure and a stable emotional life
3. Understand this is not the US or Canada, better or worse
4. Don’t make any mistakes that are not easily reversible
5. Build a network of friends both Tico and American
6. Learn Spanish – at least conversational and basic tasksDo those things and you should enjoy your new paradise. Better yet, if you don’t, just hop on a plane and go home, minimal damage done.
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