Moving To Costa Rica – “Say Yes and Figure It Out Later”

When I was thirteen I caught the travel bug. After several international trips I decided to study abroad during my junior year of college. Born and raised in Chico, the university town of 100,000 people in Northern California, this would be my first move away from home.

My desire to learn Spanish in order to compliment my degree in English Education narrowed my choices for possible locations and when it came down to it, I chose Costa Rica knowing little about the country, the people or the geography. Much has changed in the past few years and the choice to study abroad here in Costa Rica in the Fall of 2006 is responsible for most of it.

As our bus full of eager college students finally arrived in Puntarenas I met my new host family and was ecstatic. I now lived in Costa Rica with Ticos and had the opportunity of a lifetime to learn their language. A semester spent living and studying in Puntarenas and another month at the National University in Heredia gave me an opportunity to travel to over 20 destinations within the cozy boundaries of this amazingly diverse country.

I watched turtles lay eggs on the northern most tip of the Caribbean coast in Tortuguero and got SCUBA certified in Puerto Viejo. I took a trip to the remote island of Isla Venado where I studied the lifestyle of the fully self-contained community that lives there. I watched lava boil out of Volcan Arenal while enjoying its underground heat in hot springs. I milked cows, made cheese, rode horses and tried moonshine with locals.

I swam in silos of coffee beans at Palmares Coffee Plantation, learned how to surf in Jaco and went SCUBA diving with white tipped sharks 15 miles off the pacific coast at Isla Cano. I took advantage of every chance for adventure without the slightest clue that I would one day live and work in this rich and thrilling world.

The semester spent on the sandy peninsula left me well versed in Spanish, embracing the culture of cold showers, carpetless homes and lots of rice and beans and ready to plan my next trip back to the sunny paradise that had quickly become home. In just a few short months I returned, not to visit one of the many places in Costa Rica I had fallen in love with, but to show my father the property he had purchased upon my recommendation.

I also had a romantic interest that had been patiently awaiting my return. Though we had met six months previously, we had only gotten serious after I had moved back to the states and this was an opportunity to see where things could go. We ended the short week together even more in love but we knew we had a daunting long distance relationship ahead of us.

After several more plane rides, month long visits, and millions of minutes spent on the phone I had determined my post college plan. I began working for Amigos de Osa during a six week stay in Sierpe and continued from my laptop in Chico during the year and a half that followed. In June of 2008 on my 22nd birthday, with my hard earned diploma in hand, I made the move to Sierpe.

The first time I ever visited Sierpe I was passing through, as so many tourists do, to visit Isla Cano for some of the most amazing SCUBA diving in the world. I ate breakfast at the local watering hole, was astonished by the beauty of the mangroves as we boated down the Sierpe River, and even snapped a picture of a really neat house on a hill overlooking the mouth of the Sierpe River, Isla Violin and the Pacific Ocean. Two months later I spent the weekend at that very house, and met the parents of my boyfriend-to-be, Trevor, for the first time.

On my next visit to Sierpe, Trevor and I ventured to the mouth of the river “the boca” once more. We experienced what we now refer to as the “prefect day”. We woke up to the sounds of the birds and the bright pink of the sunrise. We enjoyed Costa Rican coffee on the balcony as the tide went out, exposing the sunny beach across the way.

I caught my very first fish near the wave beaten rocks out past the mouth of the river. We stopped by one of Drake Bay’s many resorts for an afternoon cocktail. We watched the sun set behind Isla Cano. And then we watched the whole sky turn every shade of orange. Finally, we transformed our catch of the day into a scrumptious sampling of the Costa Rican sea. Though I enjoyed my weekend in Sierpe, I told Trevor rather matter-of-factly that I would never be back because there were just too many places to see in the world to ever visit the same one twice. Needless to say, I was completely romanced by the area.

On my next visit I became part of the 750 person extended family known as the community of Sierpe. Locals recognized me and many already knew me by name. I got a great sense that each and every member of this riverside community had a specific purpose. They had found their niche, they were needed, and for that they were respected. Whether they offered sport-fishing tours, made furniture, ran the butcher shop or drove the bus to and from the neighboring town of Palmar, the job was theirs and they were the best at it.

Now, as a full time member of this community, I not only work in Real Estate but teach local women English, contract neighbor boys for help with yard work, help other American families living here home school their children, and play Wii Rock Band with Trevor’s host family who welcomed me into their lives. I have a new Tica mom, lots of brothers, sisters and cousins, and even a dog named Santa.

My best definition of the phrase they frequently use here “Pura Vida” is “Simple Life”. My life is simple and enjoyable. It’s filled with time with friends doing the things we love to do. It’s filled with adventurous weekend getaways swimming with dolphins, catching tunas half my size, taking ATVs to the mountains where locals invite us into their homes for lunch, and soaring through the rain forest canopy on zip lines.

It’s filled with average days that I am reminded are special when I see a six-foot iguana scamper across the asphalt, when three kids ride by smiling and waving from a single bike or when I attend a local girls 15th birthday party she insisted I come to after work. I remember just how lucky I am to live in Costa Rica.

The paperweight I moved 3,000 miles to set on my desk boasts a quote by Henry David Thoreau, “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined”. I said “Yes” to Costa Rica less than two years ago, took a leap of faith and the rest has figured itself out.

Written by Chelsea Carlsson, who works with Jim Cameron who is WeLoveCostaRica.com’s Preferred Real Estate Professional in the Sierpe River area of Costa Rica.

Costa Rica Real Estate Professionals – Sierpe River Valley:

For over 20 years, the professionals at Amigos de Osa have been building their reputation within the Osa Peninsula. They primarily represent the Sierpe River Valley, specializing in riverfront properties and also have several listings in the surrounding areas of Palmar Sur and Drake Bay.

Their Costa Rican partner, Sonia Rojas, is a member of the Costa Rica Board of Realtors and is certified by the CCCBR. Her extensive knowledge of Costa Rican municipalities adds assurance to buyers. Co-founder, Jim Cameron, has been traveling to the area since 1976 and buying and selling properties for the past two decades. His experience and commitment to 100% customer satisfaction has been tried and tested.

Another partner, Trevor Cameron, has been traveling to Costa Rica for half his life and living full time in Sierpe since 2006. He offers client care before, during and after the sale and his fluency in Spanish provides excellent service to both the buyer and seller.

The newest member of the team, Chelsea Carlsson, recently graduated from California State University, Chico and after attending school in Costa Rica decided it was the place to begin her career. Acting as Amigos de Osa’s Buyer’s Agent, Chelsea is dedicated to finding the perfect property for her clients.

[custom_script adID=97]

The Costa Rica real estate professionals at Amigos de Osa pride themselves on helping you to find “A Piece of Paradise with Peace of Mind.”

If you are an ‘adventurer’ and are seriously interested in buying Costa Rica real estate in the Sierpe River area and want Jim Cameron to help you, please help us to help you by giving us your your email address and answer the three little questions in the form below:

Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.