My wife and I moved to Costa Rica six years ago.
We sold our business, our home, and almost everything we owned after 9/11 and relocated to Costa Rica's Central Valley near a sleepy coffee town named Grecia.
We knew no one in Costa Rica when we moved here ...
and we spoke virtually no Spanish.
The only time we had visited was ten years earlier...
and then , to a different part of the country.
And unfortunately, countless hours of reading and studying on the internet gained us absolutely nothing...
because there is no substitute to actually being here...
and reality is not the same as the printed word.
(or digital word, as the case may be!) I don't know if my wife and I are different than most people that "retire" here or not.
But what I can say...
for an absolute certainty...
is LIFE IN COSTA RICA IS DEFINITELY NOT THE SAME IN REAL LIFE AS IT IS PORTRAYED IN GUIDEBOOKS OR ON WEBSITES.
Costa Rica is a beautiful country...
its diversity is astounding...
the wildlife is amazing...
and it is never boring.
BUT, the differences between cultures can be huge...
they can be frustrating...
and (and this is a big one...
that the real estate salesmen or the Costa Rica Chamber of Tourism won't tell you) that a great many "gringos" (foreigners) who move to Costa Rica...
simply cannot adapt to life here and move back after a short time.
Let me preface the next few paragraphs by saying this " my wife and I love it here in Costa Rica and there is no way that we could ever imagine having to move back to our previous life in the States.
" BUT...
there are times when we are so frustrated that we want to scream.
We have adopted that credo (when talking about the frustrating part of life here...
) "it is what it is.
" It is one of the more common pastimes of expats here to continually bash the Costa Ricans and continually whine about all of the problems in the country.
That is not our intent here as we believe that we are guests here and that our benefits far outweigh the negatives that we hear almost everyday.
Many of these complaints are legitimate and we would like to focus upon the most common complaints and the inherent differences that drive many expats to leave after a short time.
Here are a few of the most common cultural differences and the "differences that drive most expats crazy": oThere is a "hidden marketplace" of commerce here in Costa Rica that visitors will never see.
The entire country works on an unspoken marketplace of referrals and commissions.
Why is this such a big deal?...
because you will never really know if a recommendation or referral is being made because it really is a "good deal" or because there is a commission involved.
There is nothing that says that a commission must be disclosed.
oThere is a two tier marketplace in Costa Rica...
one for local Costa Ricans and one for everyone else.
And the differences are substantial.
And if you think that this doesn't exist...
call around yourself to different hotels and ask for the local price or the "gringo" price.
It is illogical and illegal in the States or Canada...
but not here.
oThe common conception of the expat or "gringo" is that he or she has "money trees" back home...
no matter that we have worked hard all of our lives...
the perception is that we all have so much money that we will not even notice if we pay more.
AND, believe it or not, it is actually taught that it is OK to relieve "gringos" of their excess funds because we have "so much more.
" I didn't believe this either when I moved here...
now I do because I see examples of it everyday.
oHere is another that it took me a LONG time to accept: Ticos will tell you what they think you want to hear...
instead of the truth (or reality, if you prefer).
This is maddening because you feel oftentimes that you are living with Alice in Wonderland and never really knowing what reality really is.
Sound stupid? Yeah, it is.
Don't believe it? Ask literally anyone who has lived here for more than a year...
A good example is "when will my car be done?" , or "can you come for dinner?" or "can you clean my house tomorrow?" ...
remember, this is not a character flaw...
it is simply cultural.
Commitments mean different things here.
oThe bureaucracies here are maddening.
You think that you had long lines back home in your local supermarket or bank? Wait until you have to spend three hours waiting in line to deposit money.
Or you have to wait for three days to open a bank account to deposit ten grand...
or you have to wait for six hours ( even though you have an appointment) to get your car's annual mechanical checkup.
We can all look at these things as "learning experiences that force us into a slower pace of life"...
but for those of us that simply cannot abide wasting a great deal of time...
this alone can be a deal breaker.
oWe have a friend who swears that all appliances that are American made are "seconds".
True or not, it is a fact that appliances and most things mechanical do not last as long here.
oCraftsmen and mechanics have a different attitude (for the most part) here than in the States.
Many are competent , but sloppy.
Carpenters and contractors do not cleanup after a job is complete.
If 99% of the work is done...
they are gone.
If the new transmission is installed, it is not tested...
it is pronounced "done"..
..
all of which leads to frustration and wasted time.
Mechanics are generally competent but sloppy...
and then there is the situation where the mechanic will take two hours or his day to drive to you to fix your car that is broken down on a mountain road...
"the good with the bad".
Talk about a conflict! oThere is a fair amount of talk about corruption and graft...
but we believe it is probably really no worse than any other country in the world.
Sure, the traffic police will probably take a bribe of $20 or so to let you go...
but you were speeding weren't you? And not everything can be solved with a few dollars.
There are an awful lot of honest people here too.
Don't make the mistake of assuming that everyone can be bought here.
oThere is, despite the publicity, a fair amount of anti American feeling here.
It is not overt and is more passive but there is still here.
There is , of course, resentment over the simple fact that "gringos" almost invariably have more money.
There is also resentment that a large number of developers have made huge amounts of money here without following the rules and regulations and have given literally nothing back.
While part of the reasons are due to poor oversight and supervision by the Costa Rican government, it does not change the reality of the situation.
oSimple things such as making an emotional decision to buy a house or property near a beach...
and not knowing precisely what beach living entails...
makes many buyers (statistics show over 50%) move back "home".
Spend time looking at different areas of the country...
there is more to Costa Rica than just beach living.
We personally live in the mountains for the views AND for the more temperate year round climate.
And we visit the beach when we want to see the ocean.
There are literally dozens of different areas that you may want to examine.
"look before you leap".
oAs stupid as it may seem, please remember that Costa Rica is a foreign country...
you are not in Kansas any more.
In a great many ways, life is infinitely better here...
but English is NOT spoken by everyone here and there is NOT highspeed internet everywhere and there is crime and poverty here (yes, we know that YOU know it too...
but it is NOT a Shangrila here all the time) Both Rhonda and I firmly believe that everyone should know the "good, bad and ugly " about life in Costa Rica BEFORE moving here.
We have seen a fair number of people that just simply could not adapt to live here...
and usually it is not just one thing...
it is a combination.
I wish to stress once again, that Rhonda and I have come to love Costa Rica and regard it as our home.
But it is not for everyone.