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[quote=”DavidCMurray”]You guys are all missing the obvious…
And what is that real purpose, you ask? Obviously, they’re coming to build internment (aka “concentration”) camps to house American expats living in Costa Rica as part of the FEMA build-up of similar facilities in the United States and throughout the world…
BTW, this must be true. I read it on the Internet.[/quote]
LMAO!
“You think that warehouse is really a ‘Self-Storage’ facility…???”
“NO, you ignorant SHEEPLE…It’s a FEMA CONCENTRATION CAMP!”
Dear God.
Question: If I move to C.R. (as I plan to), do I have to still listen to this crap?
[quote=”Scott”]So sstarkey
What do you think of the beetle photograph on the portal page? Here’s another one for you ….
Scott
Hee! Hee![/quote]
I think I’m going to need a bigger lizard!
I’m thinking that adopting indigenous pet lizards are the answer. Environmentally friendly and…
…while the ‘multiple cat’ angle is intriguing, as a single gal, I’m afraid I might be stereotyped as a crazy cat-lady.
Come to think of it, perhaps I need to re-think my avatar…
[quote=”Scott”]What Is Your #1 Most Important Concern About Living In Costa Rica?
This question is aimed at the VIP Members we have who have yet to make the move to Costa Rica…
To make sure that you are getting the answers to the questions and concerns you might have about living and retiring in Costa Rica, please take 30 seconds and let me know below what exactly is your #1 concern about living in Costa Rica?
If you have more than 30 seconds, why not let me know your top five concerns…
Your ‘amigo’ in Costa Rica
Scott Oliver
Founder of WeLoveCostaRica.com[/quote]1. Bugs
2. Big Bugs
3. Hairy, Big Bugs
4. Killer, Hairy Big Bugs
5. Hungry, Killer, Hairy Big BugsThat’s all I can think of at the moment.
[quote=”PuraVidas”]
Shit. What happened to just going with the flow?[/quote]A lot of people just aren’t wired that way, I think!
[quote=”maravilla”]it certainly is true that some people will never adjust to the differences in culture in a latin country if they have only ever lived in the united states. but it’s not just latin countries that are hard to live in — anywhere that has a different language will be a real test of one’s mettle. i lived in paris and i met plenty of people who fled there too and went home to the comfort zone of the familiar. [/quote]
Agree completely.
Costa Rica will be my 6th country, (when I get settled). I feel up to the challenge, am excited about it and hope I’m not being too optimistic.
In my view, a key success factor is to NOT go to a new country to ‘escape’ problems (real, or imagined) one has at home.
Bad marriages WILL get worse under the stress of living in a foreign country. Social misfits will find it difficult to fit in anywhere they go and are easy marks to get into trouble by looking to solve their relationship problems by ‘adopting’ a new culture. People who can’t manage money at home won’t suddenly become solvent in Costa Rica. Militant government-haters will find something new to hate in their new surroundings and will likely poison their new relationships with their negativity.
While moving to a new country is a great chance to re-invent oneself, one’s core strengths and weaknesses may likely be magnified in the new environment, sometimes with unexpectedly disappointing results.
[quote=”tiffen”]A big concern for me in contemplating a move to Costa Rica is learning to speak Spanish. I have never taken any language courses and although I always try to know the basic words for any country that I visit it doesn’t come easy.
How did this go for you?
What is the best way to learn – classes, tutors, etc?My second question deals with the first – how do you hire a translator when you need to do something that requires complete understanding of oral and written Spanish? A lawyer is my first guess but are there other options when they are not available?
muchas gracias[/quote]
Everyone has their own learning style. Some people do well with private lessons, others with Rosetta Stone-type self-teaching courses and some (lucky) others just naturally pick up with immersion.
If you REALLY want to learn Spanish, you should first think HARD about how you learn in other areas. Do you prefer to read? Learn from classroom settings? Learn from listening / watching TV & Radio? Learn from one-to-one interaction? Whatever your style, this will probably suit you with language learning.
I have lived in several countries and have been most successful with structured classroom training or one-on-one tutoring. It’s my style.
Whatever you do, TRY HARD. Your time in Costa Rica will be much more rewarding if you can communicate with the locals, if even at a basic level. Nothing is worse than living abroad in a language isolation bubble!
Regarding translators – if you don’t want to pay Lawyer rates, you can easily hire translators on the cheap on the Internet. Beware, though, you DO get what you pay for. If the translation is important, you need to pay for a professional job. If you just want a basic understanding, you can do it yourself with sites like http://www.freetranslation.com, and have a huge laugh at the literal translation that pops out.
[quote=”jrondares”]OK…here’s my situation: I’ve closed and now own a 2bd condo at Sunset Hills in Playas del Coco. I’ve been paying my 200/month HOA fee and the place sits as an empty shell with no furnishings. I could probably sell it at a small profit, as I bought it pre-construction and I think there is some appreciation, although I could be completely wrong.
Option 1: Sell it as is (a blank slate)
Option 2: Furnish it and sell it
Option 3: Furnish it, keep it and rent it out.Any advice? Also, if anyone has some advice on inexpensive options to furnish my place, please let me know. It’s a nice unit, so I don’t want it to look “cheap”, yet I don’t want to spend $20K either.[/quote]
Speaking as a ‘customer’, if you want to sell, I would suggest renting some decent furniture (if that’s possible in C.R.) OR buy a minimum amount of inexpensive but attractive furniture to give the place a ‘liveable’ look, (this is pure marketing advice), and if possible give the buyer the option to buy the furnishings. Some buyers may like the option of a turn-key buy, others may want to furnish themselves if they plan on living there for extended periods.
If you decide to commit to renting it out, the quality of your furnishings may have an impact on the future rentals. Personally, as a somewhat picky person, I’ll never go back to, nor recommend to others a cheaply furnished place UNLESS it is honestly advertised and priced as a bargain rental, as there are plenty of well furnished places in C.R. to choose from. As we all know, rental reviews are very public nowadays on places like TripAdvisor, etc., so it’s not so easy to present a place as being furnished at an ‘upscale’ level when it’s really furnished to IKEA standard (the truth will come out eventually).
BTW, beds, bed linens and bathroom linens, along with basic kitchen gadgets like wine-openers and necessities like paper goods, coffee filters and basic spices are essentials you should NEVER skimp on, no matter what, as women, the most important decision makers :D, will notice and evaluate them accordingly!
Therefore, I personally suggest you commit to either selling or renting, one way or the other, and furnish accordingly.
[quote=”kshatzer”]Ahhh, a prime example of why I didn’t move to Costa Rica; couldn’t take all you enviornmental wacoos that want to sit around and sing kumbyah all day long. I live on the gulf coast and although it is bad, it is not as bad as the media plays it up to be. With all you doomsayers plus the NY Times we all would be back to horses and buggies with a life expectancy of 30 years.[/quote]
May I ask why, since you have such disdain for those who live in or are interested in Costa Rica, are you posting on this forum? What interest could you possibly have?
I’m surely glad you think that the gulf coast damage won’t be as bad as ‘the media’ says it is. Perhaps you’re right. I do have to wonder, however, if your rosy view is shared by the other humans who live and work there, as well as the wildlife that cannot speak for themselves who are now, as we speak, drowning in deadly toxins.
I must say I felt the Canada article was just plain weird.
It ticked all the boxes for offensiveness, ignorance, general ‘whininess’ etc.
I don’t really understand why it was deemed so intriguing as to have been posted on this site – which is otherwise generally informative and useful – but, hey, what do I know.
Whatever blows your dress up, I guess.
Well, according to the article, the existing embassy was sold for $1B to some Qatari investors who will turn it into a luxury hotel. So, net net, new spending “should be” zero. I’m guessing the well-heeled Mayfair neighbors of the existing embassy will be quite happy to have their ‘hood freed of armed guards and that overhanging sense of unease of living in close proximity to a very high profile target…
Oh yes, and our British friends will get an economic boost from the construction investments from both the Qataris and the Americans.
Yup, working for the embassy or building it…nice work, if you can get it.
Hi David –
Yes, I’m well aware of the 10K limit as I’m in my 14th year of living abroad – I’m in Country #6 at present, and C.R. may end up being my 7th overseas residence. I’ve thus had the usual wire transfer headaches – always in the receiving country when wiring from the U.S. Things have improved in the past 5 years or so – but even when banking with ‘big name’ institutions the ‘headache factor’ often boils down to how modernized one’s particular branch is. Somehow I’ll just bet that C.R. banks could be a few years ‘behind’ in the upgrade curve, no?Furthermore, if the receiving country has local issues with money laundering, and/or if a bank is under scrutiny they might very well have good reason to ask questions when piles of cash pass through their institution…which is, to me, no different from the TSA questioning passengers, who are 99.9999999% of the time, not carrying plastic explosives in their drawers.
BTW – I use HSBC in London, (where you’d think HSBC service would be world class since it’s their HQ), and they so far have been the most annoying bank I have ever dealt with, bar none. Ex: they took samples of everything just short of my DNA to open my account and then 2 months later they promptly informed me they could not locate my identification paperwork and thus would shut down my account if I didn’t return immediately to prove my identity. Go figure.
Shockingly, NONE of the above has diddly to do with the U.S. taking over IRAs and 401Ks! 😉
Sueandchris:
Hear hear! I have five immediate family members who have given military service who I am very proud of I am VERY far away from being a left-wing liberal. I get exceptionally bored with being labeled this way whenever I try to poke holes in the latest ‘tin foil hat’ brigade theory – most of which can be debunked simply by READING and COMPREHENDING the links their purveyors provide. If you want to label me, call me a disciple of the cult of reason. Nothing else you try to call me will stick, I’m afraid.
In today’s ‘TXTME’ communication environment, it seems that reading comprehension has given way to skimming for sound bites.
I am still waiting for evidence that supports the title of the thread. Are there new laws restricting the flow of funds into Costa Rica? Has anyone got real, documented cases where such transfers were blocked, for example, transfers of funds to buy properties or businesses, and the circumstances surrounding such blockages? I’m very interested as I’m hoping to invest in C.R. shortly and I’m always interested in facts.
