visiting CR….in the summer….with the kids

[ihelpit]

Hi,
I find your forum very informative and the interaction with CR knowledgeable people invaluable for someone like me who is exploring the possibility to move to “the other Switzerland”.
I am in the process of convincing my “better half” that continuing to live in Canada,while worrying about food, health, jobs and payments is not how I expect to spend my next 30 years.
CR caught my attention because …well because of what you guys are saying
I am trying to be as objective as possible and consider everything …the good…the bad …and the ugly .
I’ve read a lot and my next logical step is to come and see it.
Since we will need to spend at least 3 weeks in CR and we have 2 kids, the only time when we can come is July or August.

Do you thing it is a good idea ?

I am asking because I would really hate blowing my chance to drink beers with you guys just because my wife was drenched by the rain every afternoon ( for example)

Note
Any other advice and suggestions regarding the best way to make sure Adriana will fall in love with CR will be really appreciated

Note
We are in our 40’s so we will need to consider “making a living” but we have high hopes to fit in as my wife is a Registered Nurse and I help IT

Thanks
IhelpIt

[grb1063]

July and August are very wet and considered winter in CR. On our 1st trip we went during the wet or green season because we felt if we liked it then, we would love it any time of year. Staying in rental houses makes it much easier with children. Pick three spots and stay a week each.
Making a living is not as easy as it sounds for the government is very protective of their work force. You can start a company and employ Ticos, but you cannot be an employee unless you are a citizen or on a foreign work visa.
Make an effort to learn Spanish, afterall, it is the 2nd most spoken language in the world.

[Johnhw2]

What are you wife’s issues or concerns about CR living? what are the things that she likes in general, in canada or worries she would miss if living in CR? My wife was initially neutral about the idea at best but now is in favor of the move we are considering from Houston to CR in a year or so. We are retired so our situation is certainly very different from yours but some insights to your wife’s worries might help me suggest somethings from my four trips and getting my wife on board.

[ihelpit]

Thanks for your prompt reply.
Yes, we are studying Spanish.
In fact our “mother tongue” has Latin roots so it will not be very difficult for us.

yes, I also believe it is best to visit the country when it is at its worse
I was just hoping to find out how worse ( high temperature, raining all day or only in the evening ..etc)

Any suggestions for places to rent ( I guess it should be in different parts – Central Valley , South Pacific ..etc ) ?

No, I have no idea what my wife is afraid of ..this is actually the problem as there is nothing concrete I can argue against
I guess she is afraid of change, maybe because we left a country with only 4 suitcases once and first years were not “a walk on the beach”. Although it is obvious this time is different ( we have more experience, more money ..) I guess it is difficult for her to not relate to the previous experience
What I am hoping to get from you guys is, maybe, a woman’s point of view, about the fears and anxieties, maybe what other ladies have feared and what they actually found or how they dealt with it .

Thanks
IhelpIT

[DavidCMurray]

We cannot overstate the importance of your being certain, absolutely certain, of having a plan to support yourselves in Costa Rica. Costa Rican law is very strict when it comes to foreigners working here. Basically, you cannot compete with a Costa Rican for work. And there are plenty of well-trained IT professionals here. Likewise, health care workers here are not in short supply.

If someone offers you a job, you must then obtain a legal work permit which, if you succeed at all, can take a year or longer.

And you must understand that wages in Costa Rica are ridiculously low as compared to those in North America and Europe. If you work for Costa Rican wages, your standard of living is likely to be far below what you are accustomed to.

So the question you must address is how you will support yourselves. You can start a business, as noted above, but you cannot work in that business. You can, however, do work over the Internet, so maybe there’s an opportunity there for you (but probably not your wife).

To obtain legal residency, you must be able to demonstrate a regular monthly income or have a substantial amount of money on deposit in a bank. Residency requirements are currently being updated by the Legislature. You need to consult a knowledgeable attorney who specializes in residency matters for the details.

If you do not apply for residency, you will have to leave Costa Rica for three days every three months. Upon returning, you will be issued a new tourist visa, but Immigration can always clamp down on that revolving door known here as “perpetual tourism”. Then what?

[ihelpit]

David,
Right you are
To me what you are saying sounds like an opportunity for business –
“marry” local “know how” and “know people” with specific professional experience
Getting someone that “knows the ropes” to provide advice and support ( maybe become a partner ) to someone like me who has ideas and is willing to invest money and time could prove beneficial to both
However, I totally agree with you and that is why we are planning to only visit for now so we could better asses whether we can find a “niche”
Thanks for taking the time to emphasize the “job issue”.

[Imxploring]

While David is stressing the legal issue of working in Costa Rica there’s a much more important factor to be aware of. Your ability to earn a “living” is going to a tough one… you WILL NOT be able to compete with the Tico’s when it comes to developing an income. The payscale here is something you’re not use to seeing… please be aware of that before moving forward.

Starting a business and perhaps partnering with a local will be your best bet… making the capital investment and developing a business that’s unique… but even then… prepare yourself for a big change in your value system and your income expectations.

That is of course unless you’re looking to live a Tico life… growing your own food and such… the cold water showers will scare your wife away for sure! I’m not sure which is worse… cold water showers or hoping the electrical gizmo attached to the shower head doesn’t fry me!!!

Edited on Apr 21, 2009 10:36

[DavidCMurray]

Imxploring, on some cool mornings, one wishes that the “electric gizmo” attached to the shower head (properly called a “suicide shower”) would indeed fry you and create some welcome warmth.

[mr.di]

IhelpIt
Hello. I am also Canadian (Toronto) and we love visiting CR. for now –our intentions are early retirement and then make CR our home away from home. We were all a bit nervous on our first trip –truly not knowing what to expect as we visited friends who had build a house here.
We have been coming down since Christmas 2005 –our first trip down here and we all fell in love with the area, the country, the people, scenery, wildlife, culture and everything else –especially the food. We bought a condo that week in Coco. Coco, simply because you fly in to Liberia and in 20 min you are on the beach. This is what we loved most. We have returned every summer (July-august) and at Christmas (I teach so it is the only time I can get away –for now). We love July because of the greenery. As for rain –we have gotten quite good at “reading” the ocean breeze. At about 12-1 pm the breeze picks up–we get our things together and leave the beach and head to the restaurant–sometimes run to the restaurant if we hesitated a tad. lol. By the time we have a delicious lunch, the rain has stopped. The kids head to the internet cafe, the wife goes back to the beach and I head off for a little siesta. This is the pura vida. The last two weeks of July and sometimes into early august there is a short “dry spell” and you enjoy several days with no rain. This past summer, out of the 5 weeks we were there, only three days had very heavy downpours that “kept us in”. The rest of the days, we were at the beach or on day trips. We will be there from July – august this year. We have friends there and have become close with a Costa Rican family. My two boys have made friends with their son and his cousins and enjoy interacting and playing with them. We have friends that rent their place too. I will be more than happy to share photos and more of our experience with you. You may ask Scott for my email and I will be more than happy to answer your questions for the “vacation trip”. I will let the more experience “residents” of the site who actually live and/or make a living in CR to answer the work related questions.
But do realize, as many have mentioned on this site, that the richness of CR extends to the “weather” too. You can choose beaches galore, or higher elevations, for that perfect temperature, you seek.
Hope this helps.
Joe

[ihelpit]

Thanks Joe
I’d love to buy you a beer and listen to your stories
My email address is “i at ihelpit dot ca” … give me a “ping” when / if you have the time
Scott, I hope it is OK with you and not against the forum policies to give my email
to someone
Steven

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