What is your name?Chuck
What is your current age or age range?
45
What country are you native to?
United States
What area of Costa Rica do you current live (Providence, City, general area etc.)
Alajuela, Costa Rica
How long have you lived in Costa Rica?
3 years
When you moved to Costa Rica, did you bring your family? What do they think?
I didn't have any immediate family to bring. I thought maybe once I got here, I could develop some immediate family.
Did you leave your family behind? How do you handle the separation?
Well, I left the only family I had, which was a nagging mother whom I could never please, and a brother and sister who always wanted to mooch money from me.
What made you decide to relocate to a different country?
My siblings mooching all my money. Pretty bad when you have to move to a different country to get away from family moochers.
Why did you choose Costa Rica, or what factors helped you to decide to choose Costa Rica?
Well, I chose Costa Rica because there seemed to be the least amount of government control and less hassle about my earnings in the States.
What other countries did you consider? Why didn't you choose those?
I looked at Columbia (which had plenty of real estate available, but unfortunately a lot was controlled by the people who put the cartel people in the prisons) Lots of empty, big houses for sure!
Was it difficult to get the documents you needed to live and/or work there? (residency and/or working permit)
Well
What was the biggest mistake you made in the transition to living in Costa Rica?
The biggest mistake was assuming that they were being somewhat truthful in describing the internet access they had there.
What was the easiest part of making the transition?
The easiest part was getting along with the people. I met a lot of really nice people and there was no shortage of fellow rich Americans to shoot the crap with in the local hangouts.
Do you plan on returning to your home country? Why or why not?
Probably not, since the moochers are all still there.
Do you miss your family, friends or old home and habits?
Not really, maybe a few of my friends, but they can and do sometimes come to visit. The moochers don't know where I live here, and none of them speak Spanish. Although it would be pretty funny to have one of them come here and see them try to navigate the airport. The funniest part would be seeing them spend all the money they brought and not have enough to pay the EXIT TAX. I wonder what they do in that case?
What do you miss the most about your home country?
A normal hamburger, with fat included.
Are there the same recreational activities in Costa Rica?
Well, not in the places I have seen, although I do not travel around extensively. The zoo is kewl, and curiously is kinda like home. They have some neat stuff you can't do at home like play with the monkeys on tours through the forest and stuff. Not much rainforest at home.
How easy has it been to make new friends in Costa Rica?
It is beyond easy to make friends in Costa Rica when you are a rich, not too bad looking white American guy.
Do you have many friends from your home country in Costa Rica?
Oh yes, there are many rich Americanos here.
What are your favorite activities that are available?
I like to take the guided tours, exactly as they are. EXCEPT, I don't get a guide and go where I want and don't listen to any of their advice. That is the most adventuresome, don't you think?
What are some things you miss about the place you left behind?
Big fat cheeseburgers, real Pizza Hut pizza with REAL sausage on it, trading my American car every year, people who speak English fluently, American money
What are some things you DON'T miss about the place you left behind?
Uncle Sam (as in Needs YOU!), mooching family members, slow drivers (since it seems everyone speeds here even in town), people who speak English fluently
Do you speak the language of Costa Rica?
Yes, and that would be primarily Spanish
Do you think it is crucial to know the language in Costa Rica, or can you get by with a handheld translation dictionary for a while?
Unless you want to get raped (not physically) by the taxi drivers and so forth, yes. Taxi drivers are muy malo!
Was medical insurance difficult to get before you went or after you first arrived?
No it wasn't. As an aside, it is easy to pay the little premiums that they charge for the state medical care, but highly recommended to maybe pay a little bribe to the doctor. I find it helps with little things like waiting in line for three days only for them to forget you were there all three days or perhaps maybe they will affix a little glow in the dark sticker to your file so it doesn't get put in the same file folder with somebody else's records. I think they save money on file folders in this way. Hey even rich guys can think of bribing people you know.
How do you earn your living in Costa Rica?
I earn my living in Costa Rica the same way I did back home. I have and maintain websites that generate income for me.
If you are telecommuting, what obstacles, if any, did you face in setting up your communication methods?
This is a goldmine of do as I say and not as I do! I came here to Costa Rica with very high hopes of sitting with my laptop out there on the sandy beaches and all that. What is reality for e-commerce here is having your voip blocked, internet, telephone and electrical outages, and having your outgoing email blocked because costa rica is a spam haven! And then you could consider waiting 1-1/2 years for a phone line or 10 months to get a cellular phone line to be installed obstacles, even for a rich guy! Arrrrgh And I am here to tell you that this REALLY happened, I am not trying to be funny there (although I generally AM a funny guy!
What are some things you DON'T like or find strange about Costa Rica?
I find it strange that, even in a third world country, they seem to be unaware that if you do not refrigerate meat properly or keep it in an enclosed container, it goes BAD! Am I kidding? Suffice it to say that I was already once a victim to food poisoning from the lovely dinner of spiceless rice and beans I once partook of. I guess their motto is "just scrape the maggots off and it's good to go!" Good Lord! Another "dislike" I will touch on is the uncanny ability of the workers there (who make about 8 bucks a day for 10-12 hours of work) to nigger rig everything when it would be a very simple effort just to fix it right the first damn time.
Do you have plans to move again or travel in the future or what are your future business plans?
I think I will stay forever. The lovely young women and cheap beer outweigh all the negatives. Besides I have a lot invested in my doctor.
Did you buy a new home or did you decide to rent?
Just renting, how glad I am. I was lucky to find a really cool place though. It sits wayyyy up on top of the mountain and I have a 360 degree view.
What is the average cost for housing in your area?
It depends on whether you are the average Costa Rican native. For them there are lots of horse stalls converted to apartments for about $25 per month (most without windows so you don't have to waste money buying Windex). If you are looking for a home designed to sell to an American, you are looking at about $100,000 to $750,000 for one of those.
Do you have any suggestions for people who are thinking about moving to Costa Rica?
Beware of the lovely Costa Rican girls who are very friendly to American guys with lots of money. You may find out you have attached yourself to a girlfriend that practices witchcraft or voodoo or other obnoxious habits.
What are the good or bad things about living in Costa Rica?
I suppose there are lots of great things about Costa Rica, especially the beautiful countryside and volcanoes and stuff. I could also say that in the city, I could do without the smell of diesel fuel from buses and so forth and the smell of the open air markets. Yuck
