Many of us first came to Costa Rica to learn about a new country, rich in biodiversity. . full of tropical birds, coffee plantation, volcanoes, beaches and a wonderful people. We all, no doubt, did our research and chose an interesting part of the country in which to spend most of our time. I would venture to say that many of us fell in love with this happy country after only being here for 24 hours!
Many of those “first time” visitors now live here. After a second, a third. . a dozen trips to Costa Rica, a serious ‘calm’ came upon us all. We realized that being in Costa Rica made us happy and soothed our souls, so to speak. For many reasons, we felt different while here. More peaceful, perhaps. . maybe our adventurous side showed itself after that first deep-jungle hike. And finding ourselves only feet away from a sloth climbing up a tree trunk made us believers. . and we decided to move here, or at the least, spend more time here. A new pathway was found that we decided to take. And, here we are. .
We can all agree that moving to another country takes some commitment. It’s almost like when an airline pilot is about to take off. He has 255 passengers on board his Boeing 767. He just taxied from his gate to the runway. He is ready. At that point, he doesn’t ‘think’ that he’s ready to do this. . he is “COMMITTED” to doing it. There’s no other way to start down that runway, get to your rotation speed and lift off. There’s no ‘easing’ into this, thinking that it may just be something that you want to do. If you don’t do it right. . if you don’t follow what needs to be done, it will turn into a catastrophic event.
This is how it is when finally deciding to move to Costa Rica. . you “COMMITTED” yourself to a new life here. There’s no turning back. You made a decision. And, you are glad you did so!
Being here, off and on for the past 18 years, I have met a lot of expats, living in different parts of the country. Some spend their time in cozy towns such as Grecia, Atenas, San Ramon, Coronado, Ciudad Colon or Cartago. Others prefer the bigger towns. . San Jose, San Isidro. . No matter where one lives here, those townspeople all of a sudden turn into ‘neighbors’. Now, you have a vested interest in those neighbors. . those new ‘friends’. And of course, you want to be a good neighbor and look out for them.
My friend, Mike, and his wife, Suzie. . they came from Toronto. They’ve been living here for over 5 years now. They have a nice pension and live a comfortable life in paradise. They make it a point to give back to their community any time the opportunity arises. Every week or so, they go down to the local church on the corner and drop off 5 bags, full of beans, rice, some meat, fruits and veggies. Each bag contains enough food to feed a family for a day or so. The local pastor passes them on to the most needy of families. This effort made by Mike and Suzi changes lives. They feel so good being able to give back to the community that has given THEM so much pleasure over the past 5 years.
Donna and Bob are from Aventura, Florida, just north of Miami. They used to live on a boat in Florida and decided to buy a condo in Playas del Coco about ten years ago. They’ve lived there every since. Donna is on disability and has a pension. Bob was a successful insurance agent, so he’s blessed by monthly passive income. Donna is a wonderful cook. She loves to bake cakes, prepare empanadas. . her mango pie is wonderful. Every two weeks or so, she will bake about 5 pies and 5 cakes, along with 20 or so empanadas. She and Bob takes them down to one of the families that experienced some hard times when the father died last year. This family sells these items the foll
owing day and earns enough money to live for that following week or two. Of course, they keep a cake for themselves and for the kids!
Jimbo is a single man. . his wife died of cancer about ten years ago. He always wanted to move to Costa Rica and he did so last year. He has made a lot of friends. His big thing is to go down to the park every day and pick up trash. Kind of a strange little hobby, but it makes him feel good. At age 72, he needs the exercise anyway. In the morning, at sunrise, you can find him with his trash bag in his left hand, walking around the park, picking up the cups, paper, etc., left over from the day before. He does this seven days a week! After about 1/2 hour, he’s done his stretching and walking for the day and he’s looking at a VERY CLEAN central park area for all of his new neighbors to enjoy. In fact, since he’s been doing this, other expats come down to help him. After they’re done, they go down to the soda on the corner and enjoy a cup or two of coffee together, sharing stories about their lives before moving to Costa Rica. And to top it off, Dora, the owner of the soda, does not charge them for the coffee! She appreciates their daily efforts in doing their part to keep the town’s central park clean as a whistle!
For those of you who live here in Costa Rica, I am sure that you know people who help out in their communities. You probably do so yourself! It’s a good feeling to give back. . to help out. . to lend a hand.
There’s so many kind souls here in Costa Rica and that, my friends, is what makes the world go ’round. .
Pura Vida. .
