| Throughout this book we have provided the most up-to-date
information available on living and retirement in Costa Rica.
We have also provided many useful suggestions to make your
life in Costa Rica more enjoyable and help you avoid inconveniences.
Adjusting to a new culture can be difficult for some people.
Our aim is to make this transition easier so you can enjoy
all of the marvelous things that Costa Rica offers.
Before moving permanently to Costa Rica, we highly recommend
spending time here on a trial basis to see if it is the place
for you. We are talking about a couple of months or longer,
so you can experience Costa Rican life as it is. Remember
visiting Costa Rica as a tourist is quite another thing from
living here on a permanent basis. It is also good to visit
for extended periods during both the wet and dry seasons,
so you have an idea of what the country is like at all times
of the year. During your visits, talk to many retirees and
gather as much information as possible before making your
final decision. Get involved in as many activities as you
can during your time in the country. This will help give you
an idea of what the country is really like.
It is a good idea to attend one of the monthly Newcomer's
Seminars offered by the Association of Residents of Costa
Rica (ARCR). Besides gathering information, you will learn
from other residents and make some good contacts. Please see
page 474 for more details.
The final step in deciding if you want to make Costa Rica
your home is to try living there for at least a year. That's
sufficient time to get an idea of what living in Costa Rica
is really like and what problems may confront you while trying
to adapt to living in a new culture. It may also allow you
to adjust to the climate and new foods. You can learn all
the dos and don'ts, ins and outs and places to go or places
to avoid before making your final decision.
You may decide to try seasonal living for a few months a
year. Many people spend the summer in the United States or
Canada and the winter in Costa Rica (which is its summer),
so they can enjoy the best of both worlds the endless
summer. As we mentioned in Chapter 6, it's easy to do, since
you can legally stay in the country up to six months as a
tourist without having to get any type of permanent residency.
Whether you choose to reside in Costa Rica on a full- or
part-time basis, keep in mind the cultural differences and
new customs. First, life in Costa Rica is very different.
If you expect all things to be exactly as they are in the
United States, you are deceiving yourself. The concept of
time and punctuality are not important in Latin America. It
is not unusual and not considered in bad taste for a person
to arrive late for a business appointment or a dinner engagement.
This custom can be incomprehensible and infuriating to North
Americans but will not change since it is a deeply rooted
tradition.
As we previously mentioned, in most cases bureaucracy moves
at a snail's pace in Costa Rica that can be equally maddening
to a foreigner. In addition, the Latin mentality, machismo,
seemingly illogical reasoning, traditions, different laws
and ways of doing business seem incomprehensible to a newcomer.
You will notice countless other different customs and cultural
idiosyncrasies after living in Costa Rica for a while. No
matter how psychologically secure you are, some culture shock
in the new living situation will confront you. The best thing
to do is respect the different cultural values, be understanding
and patient, and go with the flow. Learning Spanish will ease
your way.
The fastest way to fit in with the locals is to speak the
native language. You do not have to be fluent in Spanish.
The locals will recognize your interest; doors will open and
friendships will blossom.
Whatever you do, try to avoid being the Ugly American. We
know cases where Americans have caused themselves a lot of
problems by their obnoxious behavior and by trying to impose
their American ways on the locals.
You should also read Survival Kit for Overseas Living,
by L. Robert Kohls, Intercultural Press, P.O. Box 700, Yarmouth,
Maine 04096. This guide is filled with useful information
about adjusting to life abroad.
Costa Rica is an exciting place to live but poses many obstacles
for the newcomer. Don't expect everything to go smoothly or
be perfect at first. By taking the advice we offer throughout
this book and adjusting to the many challenges, you should
be able to enjoy all of Costa Rica's wonders.
Our recommendation is not to burn your bridges or sever your
ties with your home country; you may want to return home.
Try taking the adaptability test in this section to see if
you are suited for living abroad.
Here are one foreign resident's observations about adapting
to life here. I have been here 15 years. I guess most people
would say I have prospered here, although I sure have had
my ups and downs. Nevertheless, I am still here and I love
this country for many reasons. I notice and observe incoming
souls because it is my business to do so. Here are some observations:
1) Culture shock can be hard the first year here. Make yourself
as comfortable as you can. This is not the time to hole up
in a one room cold water place after leaving your comfy nest
in the United States. or elsewhere. You are dealing with language
differences, cultural differences, perhaps work change. Be
physically comfortable.
2) Affiliate with something. Attend language school, church,
clubs or other activities. You can be alone in a crowd, and
you are far from home. Reach out to friends.
3) Have something to do. I have seen the Hammock Syndrome
affect many: nothing to do, tip the rum bottle, hang out looking
for women (or men), lose goals and lose focus. Volunteer,
build a house, have a pet, but build a life.
4) You must learn the language. If you don't, you are not
really living here; you are just existing here. Listen to
people speak and copy them. It is the way a child learns his
native language. Get a best friend who is tico and cut a deal.
I teach you, you teach me.Hey, one hour a day.
5) Let yourself fall in love with this country. There are
a million wonderful things about it. Avoid people who fuss
and complain; it is so very boring but it reinforces negativity.
Ever meet a Frenchman or a German in the United States who
sits around all day talking about the potholes in Texas? I
bet you would avoid that guy after a while or suggest that
he go back to Stuttgart or Timbuketu. I allow myself only
one tiny complaint a day. It is usually about service in public
places.
6) Do what successful expatriates do. They all have created
real lives here and have goals.
7)A controversial comment, but I feel I must make it: men
seem to make it here better than women who come here from
abroad. There are many reasons for this and many exceptions,
I suppose. However, American women and other women: be aware
of this tendency and do all you can to ameliorate it. Find
a way to belong here aside from your life with mate or husband.
This is probably sage advice in any country, but more so here.
If you're thinking of moving here, insightful Costa Rican,
Guillermo Jiménez has some interesting advice about
foreigners who prosper and those who fail. He states:
- Ticos have disarming smiles and their accent is
so sweet it is ridiculous (I know; I am a tico),
so much so that you can't tell good from bad, so be ready
for the learning curve.
- Costa Rica is not Disneyland. Disney is fake; Costa Rica
is real and much more beautiful and fun but without the
liability. If you feel like jumping inside a volcano, be
our guest, but then don't blame us for it. If you want to
go out with that girl or guy who looks kind of suspicious,
be our guest, but please leave a message for your folks
saying it was not the fault of the Costa Ricans when they
have to come looking for you.
- Observe the ticos, then do as they do, except
when driving. If you are the only gringo on a road
in the middle of nowhere with no Tico in sight, then
try to get out of there quickly because it is either a banana
plantation or a place you shouldn't be. If you see ticos
building their roofs a certain way and using certain
materials, unless you can hire a tico architect or
an expert in tropical construction yourself, then build
yours the same way.
- Be honest always. Getting a smile from a tico is
free; earning his trust is next to impossible. We are wired
that way. Set limits and stick to them. Try to enjoy yourself.
If there is one thing we ticos do well, is to enjoy
ourselves.
- You are allowed to experiment all you want, but remember,
we are the locals and we have the upper hand.
- When you meet ticos, keep in mind you are not
the only one going through culture shock. We are trying
to figure you out as well.
- Leave the S.C.C. (Second Coming of Columbus) syndrome
at home. No matter what you think of us, we do not need
another European-type to come save us from ourselves or
to help civilize us. Get involved in the community, but
avoid the rich gringo role.
Here are some reasons why some people don't adjust to living
in Costa Rica. These observations are from foreigners who
already live here.
This is not a definitive list, but in my experience the expats
I've known who return to their home countries in North America
or Europe do so for the following reasons, in order of frequency:
1. Need more money. I have known many who don't have the
ability to make chunks of money in Costa Rica like they did
in their home country, but still are able to spend large amounts
of it just the same. So they go back, make a chunk of money,
return, do that a few times, then either settle down up there,
or stop spending so much here and settle down here.
2. Can't adjust to the culture. Many people I know who can't
adjust, get totally wiped out emotionally from a robbery and
become sure-fire cynical. The education-by-fire regarding
Napoleonic law is just too much for them. And the number of
people who couldn't live without the consumer power, options
and protection they were accustomed to, really, those are
the quickies in and out in a year. I've also known some
who've suffered crimes and wrongs against them that were far
worse than robbery, and still stayed.
A few I have known who have gone back to their homes were
not sufficiently prepared for a different culture. I had one
acquaintance who complained bitterly that Costa Ricans should
speak English. She was angry all the time about banks, stores
etc. She wanted an American city with Costa Rican prices and
climate. Illogical and crazy, yes. Things here are done on
a different time schedule and that drove another person I
knew nuts. He wanted things done yesterday, which will not
happen in Costa Rica.
3. Missed family and friends. Grandparents seem to fit into
this category, and might repatriate after years lof iving
here. Then there's the youngsters who were just trying out
living abroad and had no intentions of leaving friends and
family behind for long anyway. But the old saying around here
was quite true for a very long time: Costa Rica is for the
wanted, and the unwanted.'Most people I've known who've stayed
were getting the heck away from something or someone in their
home country, searching to be wanted by someone, or hoping
not to be found.
4. Death of a spouse, severe health reasons and a few years
ago, loss of income are reasons for a few folks I knaow going
back. In a couple of instances, the move to Costa Rica was
mainly the dream of only one-half of the couple, and the other
half was never happy here.
5. Not realizing you are a guest, no matter how long you
live here. You must be prepared to adjust to the culture,
learn the language (or improve your ability to communicate
in their tongue), realize not everything is 100 percent (is
it in the United States or wherever you came from?), not treating
yourself to something that reminds you of home (a trip to
Denny's) and doing whatever it takes to make a life here.
Not finding a purpose for your life. Retirees, and I realize
not everyone who comes here is one, haven't been trained for
retirement for the most part. Time weighs heavy; some drink
more, some find more things to complain about because they
haven't anything to do.
6. Couples who don't see eye to eye about living here don't
last. It takes unique people to move to a foreign country
and couples should have a common goal to build a new life
in this wonderful country.
If he or she can't leave papa or momma or the kids, don't
move to Costa Rica. If he or she doesn't want to adapt to
a new culture, don't move to Costa Rica. If your marriage
is on the rocks and you think a geographic cure is needed,
don't move to Costa Rica.
You really need to do your homework moving to any foreign
country.
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