ife is lived at a slow pace. Sometimes it takes an hour or more of waiting in line just to pay utility bills, so you always have some reading material with you to pass the time. Also driving in Costa Rica is an experience. Many Costa Ricans do not own a vehicle, so the accepted method of transportation is walking or riding a bicyI would like to share some of my experiences as an American citizen living full time in Costa Rica for those of you perhaps entertaining the thought of making a move to a foreign country either for extended vacation or retirement.

Sometimes the thought of the language barrier in foreign countries is a deterrent to making such a move, and also the loss of the many amenities associated with life in the United States which are not available in a foreign country, especially a third world country.

If you are willing to forego some of these amenities and learn just the basics of the language it does not seem quite so drastic. My wife and I decided to make the move a few years back to Costa Rica which is in the middle of Central America, but only a few hours flying distance from the U.S. mainland.

Costa Rica is a third world country but is rapidly emerging as one of the top destinations for tourists because of the proximity to the United States, the safety found within the country, the many attractions, climates, costs, etc. With only a limited knowledge of Spanish we have been able to communicate readily and without problems. Many Costa Ricans know basic English since it is taught in school so communicating has not been a problem.

You must get used to waiting in lines because in Costa Rica life is lived at a slow pace. Sometimes it takes an hour or more of waiting in line just to pay utility bills, so you always have some reading material with you to pass the time. Also driving in Costa Rica is an experience. Many Costa Ricans do not own a vehicle, so the accepted method of transportation is walking or riding a bicyc

h a move, and also the loss of the many amenities associated with life in the United States which are not available in a foreign country, especially a third world country.

If you are willing to forego some of these amenities and learn just the basics of the language it does not seem quite so drastic. My wife and I decided to make the move a few years back to Costa Rica which is in the middle of Central America, but only a few hours flying distance from the U.S. mainland.

Costa Rica is a third world country but is rapidly emerging as one of the top destinations for tourists because of the proximity to the United States, the safety found within the country, the many attractions, climates, costs, etc. With only a limited knowledge of Spanish we have been able to communicate readily and without problems. Many Costa Ricans know basic English since it is taught in school so communicating has not been a problem.

You must get used to waiting in lines because in Costa Rica life is lived at a slow pace. Sometimes it takes an hour or more of waiting in line just to pay utility bills, so you always have some reading material with you to pass the time. Also driving in Costa Rica is an experience. Many Costa Ricans do not own a vehicle, so the accepted method of transportation is walking or riding a bicy

make the move a few years back to Costa Rica which is in the middle of Central America, but only a few hours flying distance from the U.S. mainland.

Costa Rica is a third world country but is rapidly emerging as one of the top destinations for tourists because of the proximity to the United States, the safety found within the country, the many attractions, climates, costs, etc. With only a limited knowledge of Spanish we have been able to communicate readily and without problems. Many Costa Ricans know basic English since it is taught in school so communicating has not been a problem.

You must get used to waiting in lines because in Costa Rica life is lived at a slow pace. Sometimes it takes an hour or more of waiting in line just to pay utility bills, so you always have some reading material with you to pass the time. Also driving in Costa Rica is an experience. Many Costa Ricans do not own a vehicle, so the accepted method of transportation is walking or riding a bicy

e country, the many attractions, climates, costs, etc. With only a limited knowledge of Spanish we have been able to communicate readily and without problems. Many Costa Ricans know basic English since it is taught in school so communicating has not been a problem.

You must get used to waiting in lines because in Costa Rica life is lived at a slow pace. Sometimes it takes an hour or more of waiting in line just to pay utility bills, so you always have some reading material with you to pass the time. Also driving in Costa Rica is an experience. Many Costa Ricans do not own a vehicle, so the accepted method of transportation is walking or riding a bicy

ife is lived at a slow pace. Sometimes it takes an hour or more of waiting in line just to pay utility bills, so you always have some reading material with you to pass the time. Also driving in Costa Rica is an experience. Many Costa Ricans do not own a vehicle, so the accepted method of transportation is walking or riding a bicycle. Unfortunately, this is done in the traffic lanes of the roadways, and they sometimes refuse to yield to vehicles, so the accepted practice unlike many countries is to yield to the pedestrial or bicycle, which sometimes makes traffic move very slow.

Overall the Costa Rica people are warm, congenial, and very social. The truly like Americans since many have relatives working back in the U.S. The families have strong ties to each other and the young are raised and protected by everyone in the family. There is some petty theft if things are left out where they can be taken, but major crimes are very rare except around the tourist areas and large cities. The rural towns and countryside are very safe.

There are two seasons in Costa Rica, the rainy season from May to November, and the dry season from November to May. In the western central valley where we reside the temperature generally ranges between 65 and 75 degrees. The coastal areas on both the Pacific and Caribbean are normally very warm to hot and sometimes humid year round. Rainfall in our area is normally around 150 inches annually with the souther portion of Costa Rica getting about 250 inches.

We very much enjoy our life and the slower pace of living. We also enjoy the many things that Costa Rica offers such as the different clima