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Hello, I am using Ooma, and I am very happy with the service and the call quality. It is an internet VOIP, you buy the modem (mine cost $99 in the states)and Ooma will even transfer your old phone number for a $45 or so fee. Cost for unlimited back and forth from the states is under $5 a month. 2 months in and pretty happy with it so far.
[quote=”Scott”]If you like, I could try and dig up some Tamarindo video footage and use your music in the background, would that be OK?
[/quote]Sure Scott, that would be great! Look forward to seeing what you put together.
Thanks Scott!
I recorded this song in my home studio several years ago, before I ever visited Costa Rica. It has sat on a shelf for years actually. I named it Tamarindo because I thought the name and the vibe of Tamarindo fit the piece well.
I’ve been a musician all my life. I used to compose audio tracks for TV shows in my spare time.
Appreciate the compliments.
[quote=”jerry”]I live in the rural mountains near Turrialba. I see my neighbors with NO car, NO ducha, kids, a scroungy dog… They pick coffee or cut cane, or SOMETHING, and they seem to manage, and do it happily. A LOT of the gringos I see here are comparatively quite rich and all they do is piss and moan. Look around, get a little more basic, a little more down to earth, and they’d be amazed at the benefits of simplicity. Simply said.[/quote]
….now that’s what I call determination. Probably the best written example I’ve seen so far of the mindset it takes to transition from one way of living to another. Could the average gringo get by being as resourceful at patching together these various skills, odd jobs and limited income, or be as intrepid as to head down there with next to nothing and make it work? I doubt it. Most of us are too spoiled from being 6% of the world’s population that consumes more than 25% of the world’s resources for the life Jerry has adapted to. Great post!
[quote=”sprite”]It is a closely knit small society and most of us come from societies which are quite different.[/quote]
That’s exactly it. There’s a societal balance when actions lead directly to repercussions of those actions that is missing in larger societies, a lack of personal accountability. A guy can go to a bar somewhere in Los Angeles, start a fight, skip out on the bill and cuss the whole place out at the top of his lungs, and for the next six months go somewhere else just a few miles away and it’s like that never happened.
It seems like Ticos have been so indoctrinated to be part of a cohesive societal fabric that the mistrust that is essential to survival in larger urban areas is far less prevalent…which is a refreshing change from living in a society where your fellow man is often operating at a stress level where he’s basically ready to rip your throat out over things like improper turn signal usage.
What really impressed me about Ticos in a general sense is that even after all this foreign money came into their country, bought up a lot of desireable land and drove real estate prices well out of line of an average Tico’s income, I still felt very little cultural backlash or resentment in my time there.
I was talking to someone the other night about theft problems in CR, and actually made a reference to this in the context of a passive-aggressive cultural backlash. Americans just seem resigned to accept an occasional theft in CR as a randomly assigned tax for the economic stress and cultural non-assimilation of many foreigners here, almost like a marginally justifiable attitude of “you people have intruded into our society and made things worse here, so as compensation I can take something from you”… not that the average American’s behavior deserves that treatment…it’s that the average American knows the behavior of other less well behaved Americans, combined with stark economic inequalities the American presence here have inadvertently exacerbated are what they are paying this ‘tax’ for.
Still, to be shown such kindness coming from the broken dysfunctional society I have called home was very sweet indeed, especially taking into consideration the negative perceptions some Ticos may have as to how some foreigners have impacted their society.
What finally prompted me to come to CR and look around was when a certain governor from the state of Alaska became the running mate of yet another geriatric war mongering presidential candidate and had a real chance of becoming the POTUS if he kicked the bucket. That was the proverbial ‘straw that broke the camel’s back’ for me.
I remember being a small child watching my parents B&W ‘home entertainment system’ as the tragic events of the JFK assassination unfolded, and how even a child’s intuition somehow knew that nothing would ever be the same for America after that day. I instinctively knew that whatever forces of darkness that could so savagely and openly destroy this charasmatic symbol of freedom and democracy had not only won the day, but odiously cemented their place in our culture and would spread like a malignant disease, destroying as much good as it could until this place became more a reflection of the disease itself than it’s former aspirations of hope and freedom.
Of course, 9/11 was even more significant as a symbol of what would follow. Killing JFK was taking one man out that got in the way. 9/11 effectively took us ALL out, confirming that ALL OF OUR FREEDOMS were ‘in the way’ of whatever plans this disease had for the future of America.
Now you’re seeing stories and hearing official narratives that will shape public policy that have common earmarks among them, all involving grotesque violence, evidence that doesn’t come close to making sense, official complicity in covering the truth and lying to the public to cover loose ends, and a system that doesn’t hesitate to kill ANYTHING that gets in it’s way.
If the story of America were a movie, it would be “It’s A Wonderful Life”, only with George Baily’s unthinkable vision of the quaint Bedford Falls turning into the corrupt and venal “Pottersville” unfortunately having become the prevailing reality.
So here I am on a Taca airline flight, landing in Juan Santamaría International Airport, my rental car (arranged thru a private party on Craigslist, thought I’d make that part of the adventure too I guess) ready to embark on a vagabond journey of discovery in CR. My Spanish is rusty, my suitcase mostly containing clothes I will never wear here, and my eyes never been more full of wonder.
Each day that passed inspired such feelings of appreciation for this beautiful country. It’s wide open spaces, simpler life and panoramic vistas freeing my thoughts and fueling my imagination. I felt welcomed by almost everyone I met, and never took an occasional distrustful look personally, knowing what feelings the reputation of America and assuredly many rude Gringos before me have probably created in many Tico minds. What the hell….I can’t argue with that, can I? All I can do is try to be respectful, treat people fairly, and hopefully be a positive example not of America, but of the American people.
Costa Rica, you have become my muse.
Wow, some really great answers and comments! Especially noted are the diligent attention to detail, research and preparation, and adjusted attitude of those who have come to CR and been successful at transitioning.
I had a detailed heartfelt comment prepared last time I logged on that explained my motivations for wanting to become an expat, but when I clicked the ‘save’ button, I was directed to the log on page and it went ‘poof’ …
Thankfully there have been many posters on this thread that have put many of my own motivations into words probably better than I could have and saved me the trouble of doing it again. Thanks everyone, for your really great input and opinions.
[quote=”anneliseped”]Carl, are you interested in the views of a ‘snowbird’? I am not an “ex-patriot” as I still feel patriotic to the other countries in which I have lived, and did not chose Costa Rica to get away from political decisions with which I disagreed.
If you care to know, I will send a more complete description of how the choise was made.
[/quote]Go for it Snowbird. Sounds like an interesting journey already
[quote=”VictoriaLST”]Why? Obama.[/quote]
Can’t say I blame you there, lol. I will admit that I voted for the guy, not knowing at the time he was just another pathological liar whose main talent is putting a ‘passable patina’ on a train wreck.
What a set up that was, eh? BushCo. bankrupts half the civilized world, the powers that be hand us this shill peddling Hope and Change, and what we get is just another mouthpiece for the overlords of darkness.
….jeez. I’m a cynical guy, ain’t I?
[quote=”barbara ann”] …Food is terrific almost everywhere we have been. The produce is excellent with fruit markets in a lot of towns…[/quote]
Isn’t it funny that despite the USA’s onerous health codes and restauraunt requirements that your odds of becoming ill after dining out are so much greater in the USA than in CR? In my small experience with CR, I tried the food at 2-3 places a day for the whole time I was there, never felt ill once.
It’s this way because of the costs of doing business here have restaurant owners making things stretch as far as possible to keep the wolves away from the door, which sometimes translates to food being kept around longer than it should be. Sad, isn’t it?
[quote=”lyncota”]I know the Koreans will swear that Kim Chi every day is the secret to a healthy life!
[/quote]I can tell you from experience working around Koreans that if you consume kim chee regularly, you will begin to smell like a poorly metabolized version of the stuff, especially when you work/sweat/exert yourself.
…..it iddn’t pretty (lol)
By the way, if anyone is interested they can search the PhotoBucket image sharing site for cn323 to see hi resolution pics of a few jobs I’ve done.
Thanks!
Hi IMX,
That’s a nice take, thanks. I trained one guy from Oaxaca Mexico in the trades years ago when he first came to the USA, showing him everything I know and he recognized the value of what knowledge I had to offer and soaked it up. Now he’s making a living here and even named one if his sons after me.
Some of the wood species that are indigenous to CR are the most awesome hardwoods on the planet, and are so plentiful as to boggle the mind. I recall one hotel I stayed in Golfitos Bay that had framing members, posts and beams made of cocobola, which is crazy expensive here. I was laughing with amazement when I saw that!
As I mentioned to Scott, I do not know all of the ins and outs of immigration law, and would confer with a knowledgable Abogado before I made any move regarding my future in CR.
Thanks for your comment and suggestions.
[quote=”Scott”]These problems may be “circumvented” Carl but my Discussion Forum will not be the place where the immigration laws of Costa Rica are “circumvented”.
On a personal note, having been in professional sales and marketing for the past 35 years, you may want to reconsider using ‘CarlosMakesMoney” as your Skype address as this clearly demonstrates a passion for something that most people probably don’t want to see when they hope to hire someone for “engineering, hillside/engineered foundations and project management.”
Scott
[/quote]Hi Scott,
I have been a fan of your site for a few years now. Thanks for allowing me to post this, and if I may address your comments:
I am not looking to circumvent any immigration laws, although I will admit I do not know every detail of whatever laws would apply in the prospective situations I outlined in my post, and would leave those details to a qualified CR Abogado. As to my Skype handle, if I were managing a project for an investor, I believe it would be preferable to “CarlosLosesMoney” but I understand the intent of your suggestion.
Also, I would hope that a clearly demonstrated passion is reflected in the photos of the work that I posted on my profile page as opposed to a consuming lust for money. One of the big reasons I want to leave the USA is that I believe the government (and society to a great extent) has become so corrupt because of that reason alone.
Thanks for all the great work you have done informing the world about what living as an expat in CR is really about.
Sincerely,
Carl
