How many expats make it longer than 2-3 years?

[costaricafinca]

I have posted information regarding ‘[i]it really takes both of you'[/i] to make a success of this venture many times, in different places.
Having said that, it is I who really love it here and my husband [i]’goes along with it…’.[/i]even after 9 years this month of living here. If we didn’t have a good personal relationship, we would have returned years ago, possibly after the first couple of months, even though we had [i]talked the talk[/i] for many years prior to the actual move.
He has established a couple of [i]’partenerships'[/i] which he offers him a chance to offer his knowledge of both business acumen and mechanical expertise, to a young [i]Tico[/i] determined to improve [i]’his lot in life'[/i] as well as the [i]day to day[/i] requirements of living on a very large property complete with livestock and now starting some other interesting projects on it, he has enough to keep him busy, including a [i]pint-sized[/i] pup he brought home yesterday…
For many folk, the dream of early retirement is nothing like the reality, and boredom can soon set in, whether just keeping busy or they just miss the camaraderie that they have had with their peers for an extended period in their life who have previously shared the same interests, as one will find it difficult to find a local choir to join or city band.

[waggoner41]

[quote=”bodyshopgirl41″][quote=”maravilla”]they should close the gates! i’ve met some real doozies in the last 5 years. [/quote]

I think that there is a certain type of person that makes it through living in CR. – in the US, people are stupid![/quote]

Maravilla, I am one of the doozies in your past. Still here and loving it. We now have the property we had problems with and many more problems in CR but here to stay.

Bodyshopgirl – Every one of the “certain type” can also fail to survive here. The three things that are necessary in Costa Rica are: 1 – patience, patience and patience. 2 – A good, trustworthy and reliable Tico friend to get you past “precios Americano”. and 3 – A top notch advisor and attorney to help you past the legal issues with the government bureaucracies.

[dixiehen46]

[quote=”maravilla”]you’re lucky i inserted punctuation!! jejeje i could’ve made it all one sentence! i met a woman just last week at the beach who told me she had read my article on the suicide of that woman who came here last summer. she admitted she was lucky that she hadn’t committed suicide because of all the horrid things that had happened to her here, including being robbed multiple times and having 5 different dogs poisoned. she also admitted she hadn’t heard any horror stories before she came here; everything seemed perfect, but in reality it was anything but. i must have a dozen or more stories just like that one. having said that, i admit to being one happy camper here. i love costa rica, warts and all, but then i am anything but a typical gringa.[/quote]

I’m worried about this dog poisoning–is that common? My friends and I are doing extensive research and thinking of retiring to CR, but our dogs are very important members of our family and we anticipate participating in rescue in CR.

[costaricafinca]

Unfortunately, it is common, when thieves decides it is much easier to poison the dogs to keep them quiet during a robbery.
But if you think about how many dogs are here, the chance of yours being one of the ones, poisoned, the odds are in your dogs favor.
And you must not let your dog eat anything left [i]’lying around’.[/i]

[maravilla]

and don’t leave your dogs outside at night!! that’s when it usually happens, but not always.

[Imxploring]

[quote=”costaricafinca”]Unfortunately, it is common, when thieves decides it is much easier to poison the dogs to keep them quiet during a robbery.
But if you think about how many dogs are here, the chance of yours being one of the ones, poisoned, the odds are in your dogs favor.
And you must not let your dog eat anything left [i]’lying around’.[/i][/quote]

There sure are lots of dogs around….But if you make a point of being the “Rich Gringo” in the big house with the new car and the 50 plasma TV… chances are that your dog will be the unlucky one!

Keep you dog inside at night… and train them NOT to eat anything that you don’t give them.

[costaricafinca]

Well as mentioned elsewhere, our dogs were poisoned and we are not rich Gringos, and we live in a rural community, newish vehicle but many locals have much nicer ones.
The best way, is definitely keep the dogs inside at night, which we did, but didn’t lock the door…:(
Having a hard time training the dogs [i]’NOT to eat anything that you don’t give them'[/i] although the one dog who didn’t ingest the proffered food, is very dubious of strangers now.

[soldier]

I was not aware that dog poisoning was such a issue in CR. Very informative information. I currently have a dog, which we will bring to CR; and consider a family member. We will also adopt another once we relocate. “There is no greater furry, than a soldier’s, dog that has been poisoned.” Having trained military K-9 dogs, each dog owner may need to train their dog(s) to only accept owner/trainer personal feedings. This works in combat, as well as at home.

[opabh]

Is there a training course for teaching dogs to only eat what you give them, [u]You[/u] meaning the owner

[DavidCMurray]

I understand the logic that underlies training your dog to eat only what YOU offer him or her, but how does that work if either you board the dog or you have someone come in to take care of him or her?

Or, what if you die?

[soldier]

I am not certain whether there is a formal civilian training program, however, I suspect there may be. Search and Rescue Teams also have training programs. I am familiar with military and government programs. The Army and Marine Corps military police, have a “TM” training manual, which you can probably purchase on line; as are many military publications. In terms of an alternate feeding individual, this may be difficult and very time consuming, the individual will not be accepted as the alpha male/alpha female, and the dog may not respond to commands and training very easily. However, the secondary person will need to build a relationship and spend vast amounts of time with with the dog, and the owner/trainer; as the beta male or female. The dog’s natural instinct is to eat anything that he/she perceives as food, in the wild. The dog should be fed at the same interval each day, and, once the food has been prepared, I use the command “eat” in a stern voice. In terms of boarding, have your dog become very familiar with the boarding personnel, designate only one person to feed your dog twice a day at the facility. Also designate a command, such as “feed” or “eat,” or, any command you select for the feeding activity. Train your dog by sitting at the bowl, ie. “sit” and “stay.” if he or she has identified the food; then, in a commanding voice say “feed” or “eat.” I have a similar situation in terms of the boarding process for our dog. I have trained my mother to use this training method, with great success. You must always be consistent with the feeding times and your commands. Remember dogs are pack animals, within the pack, there is the alpha male (leader) and the remaining pecking order is established by the other members of the pack; or, human individuals. In short, train you dog(s) to only conduct activities pursuant to commands you have established and given.

[cruiser]

[quote=”ernstge”]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 tasks

Do 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.[/quote]

ernstge: I heard San Ramon has one of the highest crime rates in the country. Is that true?

[maravilla]

san ramon? wow, i never heard that. yes, there is crime, but not murders that i know of. haven’t heard of any home invasions either. lots of petty stuff if you hang out in the park at night. we had some robberies this time last year in my neighborhood, but that’s because the ladrones were xmas shopping.

[lavemder]

Does anybody know about people who return back to USA, do they have a residency status in Costa Rica or they mainly “tourists”?

[maravilla]

i know four people who left and they all had residency –either pensionado or rentista. big expense for such little time in CR.

[Author]

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