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Just reading through this about her constuction experience…wow! Read on if you dare!
Thanks for sharing
This person proudly sums her life up in her ‘About me’ section as:
“After living the ‘Sex in the City’ lifestyle in Manhattan I got fed up with the bullshit of dating hundreds of men, not having much direction and being stuck in the rat race without seeing any real pay-off.”
Obviously a real intellectual.
Then continues with her blog which is full of the f…. word and uses the following terms on a regular basis to describe the Ticos
“master of idiots”
“ship of fools”
“complete idiots”
“f……ng morons”
“my idiot contractor”She then states that “apparently i’ve insulted them and humiliated them.”
I can’t imagine why she’s having problems and just not getting along with people…
Scott Oliver – Founder
WeLoveCostaRica.comLol…I agree Scott she does sound a bit bitter..I really read this and just had to laugh at it all. I guess one gets back what they put out there, what an experience with the builder though.
So, ya think she’ll ever really find happiness? LOL
Hate to be one of the hundreds. Lots of permanently scarred men left on the side of the road from that one.What is really scary is that the many Costa Ricans that this woman comes into contact with will be getting their impressions about Americans from her. Hope she soon packs up her attitudes and takes them elsewhere.
Ruth
I guess after being in NYC for over 20 years you get kind of accustomed to that “tone”. But you must admit it sounds as though she got royaly scr**** by this contractor, lets not lose site of that. So there is a lesson in here for all of us planning to build here, do your homework, check what else they have built and get references for your references. If something does not add up move on, it’s easy to let common sense fall by the wayside when your in the land of pura vida. As witnessed weekly on this site with people wireing large sums of money for land they have not even seen! Let the buyer beware!
I agree with all of the above…
But lets not be blinded by a poor messenger, paradise does have it’s problems… I routinely see wholesale use of weed killer where moving is not possible. Our developer assures me they do not… Its hard to tell sometimes what’s in those sprayers… But, I can sure smell it.I read this blog about a year ago and everything was quite upbeat at that time. It sounds like she is becomming a little ?neurotic about living in a strange country where she is not comfortable dealing at their level.
But the other thing that seems to be going on is that SHE is dealing with all the contruction and what not. Where is her husband? Costa Rica is definitely a sexist country and men there do not like to be told by women what to do. I have seen Tica’s that ran their own businesses defer to their husband in public about things they did not really understand since they did not run the business. We in the US are used to some sexism but it is much more the cultural norm in Costa Rica.
The complaints about polution and overuse of chemicals is also legitimate. If you want a less polluted clean life anyone with any sense would look at the central valley and realize that there are far too many people and no place for all the waste to go. It is also a poorly regulated TROPICAL country so pesticides and herbicides get used a lot and often improperly.
Our friends in CR had the wife of one of their workers get a job at a local pinapple plantation. The first day she was given a sprayer backpack and was told to “spray those rows”. She did not know what she was spraying, and was not given any mask or personal protection. The next day she nearly died from pesticide poisioning and spent a week in the local hospital. The hospital treated her symptoms but ran no tests for the poision (they probably knew what it was without the test). She was sent back home and to work without any warnings about pesticides and nothing was said or done about the local (powerful) plantation operation. THIS is the reality of a third world country.
This story does have a semi-happy ending. Our friends gave the husband a raise so the wife could stay home and not work at a place that that had no interest in their employees health. But this is not the case for most Ticos.
There IS a lot that we from the outside do not understand about Costa Rica, but WE have our problems as well.
I used to complain about the roads in Costa Rica. But then I realized that if they had good roads everywhere the country would become just as developed everwhere as it is in the Central Valley and costs would be just a high as in any developed country. So I realized that the bad roads were a GOOD thing. They give me hope for an inexpensive little Fina in the mountains will be mine one day.
If you do not adjust to the differences then you will not be happy in Costa Rica. It is a wonderful country. But it IS different. And as the French say about the sexes, Viva la difference!
Backpacking Mom is not adjusting to the differences.
It is amazing how making the move to the third world can be a challenge that is self inflicted. People tend to think the way things are done in our own country is the standard by which other countries will perform. Such is not the case. Tico’s have their own unique culture, language and protocols. They have survived. They get things done at their pace, not ours. I think many people go with the thought, I will show them how it’s done. Then get totally frustrated when it doesn’t go their way. We cannot show another country how to live.
They got along without us, and will continue to manage despite the shortcomings we think they have. I’m sure Ticos laugh at many of the things we say and do.
If you are not willing to immerse yourself in their world…Don’t go. As most people are resistant to change anyway, why would you put yourself in a position like this without thoroughly thinking it through. To me, you are only setting yourself up for trouble and disappointment. Paradise is paradise when you are willing to accept the changes and be truly happy living a new lifestyle. Just going for the weather, cheaper housing, beautiful beaches and the like, will leave you missing out on what is Pura Vida. When we go, we avoid being stuck in the tourist only mode. We try to interact with as many locals as we can. We have talked and laughed with Ticos about the differences in our culture, and encourage them to tell us what they don’t like about Americans or our way of life. Believe me, we do not get insulted by honest criticism. If you can get them to open up, you will find yourself laughing at some of the things we do. You will realize many of the things we value are not really that important to Ticos, and furthermore, not really that important to you as well, when you understand what is basic to having a happy life. As one told me when I asked about how they feel driving older cars and not wanting to buy new every few years. His answer was, “Why would I want a new car, when then I would not be able to put food in my refrigerator.” They don’t use credit cards as we do, they like not having to owe money and are happier with not keeping up with the Jones’. They do not need the new car, the big home, the boat or other toys to be fulfilled and happy. Maybe this will change in years to come, with the many gringos and their money moving there, but I hope not.
We have been brought up with different value systems. We, the outsider, have, an always have to win and be first mentality. They apparently do not. They run on their own time schedule, and do not feel the urgency to get it done Ahora! If you can’t live with these and many other changes, why would you want to move there in the first place. Or is it just the allure of being in a country where you are undoubtedly wealthier than most of the population, and whatever money you have will go almost three times as far, making it seem like you hit the lottery? If money the only reason for wanting to live there, and not for the experience of living with new and wonderfully different people, then my suggestion is, don’t pack your bags just yet.Guru, I like your thought on the conditions of the roads. We can rationalize anything. It puts a positive spin on why I would want sit in the car longer than I think I should.
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