Bring it! How We
Bring Our
Baggage With Us
By Don G.
Halbert, Op-Ed
Contributor
A troubled
marriage. One
blissful week. A
decision is
made.
Costa Rica. This
small Central
American country
bordering
Nicaragua to the
north and Panama
to the south,
appears to be
growing in
popularity
amongst
expatriates.
There is almost
a tug 'o' war
going on between
Panama and Costa
Rica who often
run neck and
neck for
popularity on
the world's top
places to
retire. One year
Costa Rica leads
and the next,
it's Panama.
When countries
bide for your
tourism or
retirement
dollars, what
you'll find is
plenty of
rhetoric about
how great life
is in either
country. This is
not to say it's
not accurate
however you
really should
consider many
other factors
before believing
it's the right
move for you!
It is tough to
say the 'actual'
statistics on
return rates for
expats who move
away to other
countries
however I'm
fairly confident
it is above 50%
and that would
be a
conservative
guess.
Throughout the
Dominical area
(not only here),
many tell their
stories of
failed marriages
and ventures to
Costa Rica that
end up in
disaster with
the end result
being at least
one moving back
from which they
came. I guess it
would be wise to
be sure your
relationship is
stronger than
most and that
even without the
support of your
family, friends
and everything
you've come use
to being around
you...GONE, that
you can still
co-exist with
simply one
another.
The Costa Rica
jungle can be a
lonely place if
you are not
entirely at
peace with
yourself or your
relationship.
This is why
you'll need to
consider your
own "baggage"
you'll be
bringing with
you when you
come. Because if
you do
not...you'll
become just
another
statistic that
didn't make it.
When it comes to
moving to Costa
Rica, here are a
few
considerations
to put on your
list before
packing up and
moving the
family or
yourself.
1. Seclusion.
Often the power
goes out, no
water or even
roads get wiped
out.
2. Cultural
differences. And
I tell you, they
are drastically
different.
3. Can you live
without? Living
without 90% of
what you are use
to back home
like Starbucks,
McDonald's,
WalMart, the
foods you like
and pretty much
an array of
things that you
will no longer
have at your
disposal.
4. Language.
Learn it or
don't even
consider moving.
5. For men and
women
alike...the
Costa Ricans are
known worldwide
as being some of
the most
beautiful in the
world. Can your
relationship
withstand the
temptations?
To expand a
little on the
last one, the
story of a
married couple
moving to Costa
Rica with dreams
of building a
dream life on
their newly
purchased Costa
Rica property,
are common place
here. However
what is even
more common are
the stories told
a short time
later when the
relationship was
not strong
enough to begin
with and once
tempted, one
strays. Stories
are rampant
about this kind
of thing and
some claim 40%
or higher of
couples that
move here end in
divorce a short
time later.
Essentially it
is important to
clean out your
own closets
first before
packing up and
moving, with all
your baggage, to
a place like
Costa Rica and
expect that your
troubles will
simply disappear
with a
geographical
change of
scenery.
Speaking from
personal
experience? You
bet. Not exactly
as above
however, but the
end result was
the same.
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