I was having a few beers in a local bar recently…not a “gringo bar”, mind you, but a real hard-core “chichero”, or local watering hole frequented mostly by…locals.
But there was this one guy. He was a Canadian. There was a soccer (er, fútbol) match on the television. He started complaining about how the style of fútbol that the ticos love to watch and play just didn’t measure up to American-style football, or Canadian-style hockey. That these soccer players were all a bunch of inept, uncoordinated, well, pussies.
Next it was the bugs in his mountain apartment. I can’t imagine how he could last a day in a beach apartment. Then it was the waiting lines at banks. Then it was the phenomenon of “gringo prices”, which I believe is an Alex Jones-inspired conspiracy theory. Oh, that reminds me. I’ve got another North American friend who stubbornly proclaims that they invariably change the music in bars and taxi cabs to English pop whenever he enters. As if the Costa Ricans always adjust their culture to cater to what they perceive to be his whims.
Anyway, after listening to about 30 minutes of this guy complaining about literally everything, I asked him, “well, aren’t you about ready to go home?” He replied hell yes and that he was leaving the next day. I finished my chicken wings and beer, paid my tab, and and said goodbye (while I thought to myself, “good riddance”).
I’ve written in these pages that even I have negative thoughts about certain aspects of the Cost Rica expat life. Of course, I have a whole lot more of them about life in my country of birth. The truth is, no matter where you hang your hat, you can find something to complain about. Isn’t it true?
I cannot imagine how anyone could fail to find anything positive about the expat life in Costa Rica. I mean even that guy was able to come up with one or two positive characteristics. So, why not focus on those?
I hope that within the pages of this book I’ve been able to share some insights into getting the most out of your Costa Rica expat living experience. How to be mindful of ways you can make the world a better place in doing so. And while doing that, have a whole lot of fun yourself. If you can’t find ways to have fun in Costa Rica, well, then I’m afraid you’re destined for misery anywhere else.
Here you’re surrounded by natural beauty. If you’re a single guy, by natural beauties as well. If you’re an outdoorsy type, there’s no end to the activities of which you can partake regularly…surfing, hiking, boating, fishing, rafting, kayaking, stand-up paddle boarding, scuba diving, snorkeling, horseback riding, etc., etc. If you like taking pictures, well there’s plenty of material all around you. If you like to grow stuff, well, spit a seed on the ground and it will. There’s just no end to it.
And you can do it all in near perfect weather. Sure it rains a bit. Yes it can be hot in places. Being one of the most biodiverse locations on earth does imply bugs and lots of them. Nobody said it was perfect!
Perhaps the best way to negate Costa Rica expat negativity is by allowing the expat experience to put you in your place. Living in a foreign land can do that. Having to make the adjustments, mentally and physically, to the expat life can do that. You will learn, quite quickly hopefully, that the world down here doesn’t revolve around you. You will learn that neither nature, nor the ticos, really care how much education you have, how successful you were, or how much money you have. If you have a lot of money and tend to throw it around, trying to win friends and influence people in the process, oh sure you’ll attract some attention. But usually not the kind that you were bargaining for.
So, don’t complain about them. Relish them and the change they have the potential of bringing about in you.
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