Why Many Expats Return to their Home Country

WELL SAID

Good story ExpatDave!

Here is a story from one of my recent experiences:

In 2013 we deposited $60K in an account at Scotiabank to satisfy Rentista Residency requirements.  The account paid out $2500 per month to our personal account, as required by Migracion; and interest on the funds was paid out a the end of two years.  Our residency was approved in May 2014.  It all worked well.

Scotiabank closed its branch in Tamarindo, so we opened an account at BCR.  When we renewed our residency in 2016, I deposited $60K at BCR in a CD type of account and requested to open "the type of account as required for Rentista Residency".  I signed the forms to open the account, and they gave me a signed form to give to Migracion stating that $2500 per month would be paid to me to satisfy residency requirements. 

The next month I asked BCR when they would start paying out the $2500 per month - the bank representative said that my account with the $60K only pays out interest each month, not any principal.  I then contacted the Manager of the local branch (I could not get an appointment to meet with him, so I sent him an email).  I explained that this account was intended to satisfy Rentista Residency requirements, and I needed the monthly payouts to pay bills in CR.  He replied that the form they provided to me to give to Migracion was just to satisfy them, but the papers I signed for the savings account did not state that these payouts would be made!  I contacted the main office of BCR, and they referred me back to the branch manager.  I contacted the manager again, but he just repeated what he said the first time.  And he said that if I tried to close the CD account, they would notify Migracion and my residency status would be in jeopardy! 

The good news is that the interest rate on this CD account is better than I would have gotten at a bank in the USA, so I now just consider this an investment account for 2 years.  I now periodically deposit checks from my US bank account to BCR, (which BCR limits to $2500 per month)  and wait about 30 days for the checks to clear, so that I have spending money in CR.

Life goes on...

...only in Costa Rica.   

Expat Dave, not only in Costa Rica!

Besides reading "touristy" books and reading this forum, I've been viewing "expat in Costa Rica" YouTubes. There are some helpful ones by individuals and some by travel-business individuals. They do a good job of trying to be real and address concerns like crime and "what's not to like."

My favorite narratives involve stories just like the two above. I have spent time in China and speak some Chinese. I used to be able to speak just enough to get into trouble/have interesting experiences. This shop (or bank, or grocery store) is open? No, it is closed! But the door is open and there are people inside! Sorry, it is closed! When will you reopen? When the truck gets here! Who knows!

Taxi: That will be 1,000 RMB. What! Are you crazy! I will give you 10! Okay!

I think I might feel at home in CR.

I literally did laugh at that one.  Yep, you could have the exact same experience here.

Another fun one here is that electricity is expensive.  Most of the time when you walk into a store there may or may not be lights turned on so that they can conserve on electrical costs.  When I recently went in to look at buying some new glasses, I had to ask if I could take the frames outside just so I could see what they looked like.

- Expat Dave

We did the same 'glasses' thing just last week...

ExpatDave wrote:

I am often asked why Gringos return to their home countries so quickly after moving here.  It is difficult to answer.  My experience is that more often than not, it's  for the same reason(s).  Failure to assimilate and failure to accept things for the way they are.
...[edited for brevity and bandwidth]...

Bottom Line -
If you are not a calm, accepting person who can almost always see the humor in life, this is most likely not the place for you. 

- Expat Dave

Dave, that's a very good story on how things work (I mean DON'T work!) here, sometimes.
I have not yet learned how to laugh at these things, they still p**s me off depending on how important it is to me. If it's important enough, I think even you might get angry in that case. At least I do.

I have lived here quite a while now and do get angry at the stupidity of things from time to time. I totally agree with this statement you wrote:
"There seems to be a huge deficit of common sense [in Costa Rica]."

That statement, in fact, is the most important thing everyone should know about the challenge of living here full time!

I do love living here! I would not move back to the states unless I absolutely HAD to for some reason like health care or something (hopefully this will never happen!). I love the Ticos for the most part, am less enamored with the local gringos.

Here's my story. In this case I had to get p**sed off. If I had not, I would have had a much bigger problem on my hands.

Many years ago when I did not live here I had money in a local bank.
I was on my way to a very important meeting and needed to bring a large sum of money with me.

I went to MY account that I'd had for a couple years.
They would not give me my money.

Why?
Because my passport was new.
Still had MY picture on it, MY same address!
The only difference was the old one had expired so I had to get a new one which I of course had with me at the bank.

They said I had to bring my old passport in order to get MY money because that is the passport they have on file.

Well I did get angry. I had no choice. I desperately NEEDED MY money at that moment, not after a trip back to the USA so I could bring back my old passport.

I had to be an "ugly American" and INSIST they give me MY money. It took me an hour and I had to talk to about 4 upper level managers until it finally got to the main manager of the bank who saw my problem and realized I really REALLY needed my money so he agreed to give it to me, saying next time though, he will need the old passport.  (He may have feared I would go "postal" had he not given me my money. I'm sure my forehead was red with blood pressure!)

I just read in the Tico times I think it was, that the same thing can happen if someone goes to sell a property and the title is based on an old passport. Then you cannot sell your property until this and that takes place which can take weeks, I think they said, if not months.

Sometimes things are just stupid here. Sometimes things defy common sense.

But as you say, you have to accept it. At least on some level I do accept it. But I don't like that aspect of living here!

By the way, while getting angry here doesn't often work, sometimes being persistent and continuing to explain that their policy is not acceptable can sometimes work.

Rafenc,

You may agree but you definitely did not catch the point that most of us were making.  "We" enjoy living here and take the shortcomings with a grain of salt, even a sense of humor.  My point was that you "need" to see the humor in life here or you will become pretty much the way you sound.

To say that the government here is more intrusive or more restrictive than the U.S. is mind-boggling.  I could not disagree more, especially with the current insanity in the States.

As an example, I have built houses in the U.S. and here in CR.  Here, the permit process was easy and fast and no interference from an inspector.  In the States it is totally the opposite - very expensive, very time consuming and you cannot change anything without the counties permission.

Here, you drive down the street and you simply park where you want, left side/right side, why should it matter?  In the States you will get a ticket for 50 different things on a given street.  Oh my god, you can sleep on the beach here!  Where is the harm in sleeping on the beach?   In the States that would be vagrancy.

Here I can walk across the street anywhere I want.  If I get hit by a car, it's simple, it is my fault.  In the States you cannot even walk across the street without going to a crosswalk; otherwise, you face a ticket for jaywalking.

The majority of the police here are friendly as long as you speak the language.  The U.S. - do I need to say more?

The U.S. has rules and regulations for anything and everything you do.  If you do something minor you could end up in court being sued for the most ridiculous things.

You said that you have a Costa Rican wife?  I cannot fathom why she would want to go to the States in the condition that it's in now.  Even if she is there legally she will constantly be at risk to be stopped and questioned for her papers to confirm she's "legal."  No causation necessary.  She looks Mexican so she must be illegal.

Anyone Considering Costa Rica:  If your glass is half empty, Costa Rica is not for you.  If you have a type A personality, Costa Rica is not for you.  If you cannot accept things the way that they are, without feeling the need to change them, Cost Rica is not for you.

Good luck to you.

- Expat Dave

Been here 4 years this July and now have had enough of the bureaucracy and just plain ignorance of the people.I am not a resident and don't have a CR driver's license but do own 2 homes and 2 cars here and have been trying to sell my homes for 3 years now. I have lived in China, Thailand, and the Philippines and never learned the languages but had less problems there than here with government and banks. Thieves are thick in this country and if you leave your home alone for any length of time, you may come home to nothing. I am A personality but try my best to control my frustrations and that is exercised every day. I do love living here without all the control laws of the USA.Thinking of moving back to Thailand.

Is you read my "rants"You know I agree 1000%!!!! The people are great and I love the weather but the inefficiency is Mind boggling!! It's  like they actually T R Y to make things difficult. If it was isolated to one or two things it would be tolerable BUT...IT IS EVERYTHING!! And the laws seem to be a national secret and very unclear. They have a constitution ( which I have read) but it is bull****! Offices with 8 booths and one person working and that person leaves for lunch and you w a i t! Wow let me stop😱 I'm going to the dark side again.... Good Luck! I understand your decision.
Rafe
***

This may seem like a silly question...but in your experiences (and thank you for the primer - I once worked for 6 weeks in Kazikstan and experienced many of the same issues..but that was brief and I had an 'expeditor') - are any other countries in the region more stable?  I am thinking of attempting to consult as I slide into retirement so I have to have some reliability in services.  If not CR, where might i find a better developed infrastructure?  Or is it more a city / countryside issue?  TIA.

I wish I had the answer. I met a guy yesterday at McDonalds from the US. Retired military. He said he and his wife had lived in various countries for the last 10+ years.
He said if you compare Costa Rica with Egypt, Israel,India ( said it was by far the worst) and even Germany, it was like comparing Costa Rica to the US. Seems like this is the rule, not the exception in 3rd world countries.
People here don't understand my frustration because...they don't know any better. It is NORMAL for them to have the government control everything...even the banks. I spent some time in Nicaragua and really liked it! MUCH CHEAPER and VERY Gringo friendly. They actually give you a break on importing you household goods and cars(unlike CR that really sticks it to you on tariffs and taxes) and additional benefits if you open a business! As far as the infrastructure I really don't know.
People in this site like to tell you about the virtues of CR. I tell my real experiences and MY opinion after being here 1 1/2 years. Check with some expats in Nicaragua. If I stay here I plan to move there. Can't be worse tha CR😱 Is it is...Hello North Carolina!!!

Yes, I am not married to any specific country and am just starting to get to know the pros and cons.  I am familiar with many of the challenges as I grew up in Brazil but haven't lived there as an adult managing my own household - just while consulting, again, with a concierge who made problems just vanish.  I know it will be tougher.  Thanks for your candid answer.  I am looking in central america because of proximity to Florida-based family + pets that I want to stress as little as possible.

I agree with Rafenc that a lot of great things are happening in the US right now. Millions of people who used not to know the names of their Senators and Congressmen and women now know them. People are getting much more exercise getting out there and marching and holding signs. Even dialing your Senators every day is good exercise. People's spelling is improving dramatically. "Emoluments," "narcissism," "impeachment" are only a few of the words that millions of people have learned. Millions have adopted dramatically better self-care (quit smoking, drinking, speeding, eating less and better food), anticipating loss of health insurance, reduction of Medicare by 1/3, increase in retirement age to 67. Instead of reading People magazine, thousands of people are reading George Orwell's 1984 (sales have increased over 1000%) and Animal Farm. Millions of dollars in donations have poured into the American Civil Liberties Union. Thousands more people are attending their local town hall and School Board meetings. And so much more to come!

Incredibly clueless myself, I am developing a deep fondness and empathy for the Costa Ricans. I am the kind of person who will not only stand in line reading a book for hours, I will stand in the WRONG line. It has happened.

Stress is a daily occurrence in Costa Rica if you have to interact with ANY businesses or government entity to pay a bill or fix a problem, (which is more remote than winning the lottery), or driving in the insane traffic! Even parking is a challenge! If you were to live in the country, work on a farm, near the beach that would be heaven here. Great people and fantastic climate but government is involved in 80-90% of everything and I believe they have weekly meeting to find anything that is "simple" and make it as difficult as humanly possible! I'm serious. If you want stress free this AIN'T the place....unless take Valium everyday!!  I sold my business and everything to come here for the same reason as you!! The expats here say you get used to it after a while and just to ignor the ineffieiencies and ignorance but it is hard!!!!
Rafè

OMG I feel your pain. Waited for 5 yes 5 hours with my wife and then the document they said was ok...wasn't! I had a meltdown!! My Tica wife drug me out kicking and screaming! Good thing the didn't understand much English!

I thought not  being given a DL once you had received your cedula was an usual thing to happen, but was told by a Tico friend that this is a COMMOM practice. He mentioned that his B-I-L...also a Tico...had learned to drive in the USA and so had a license from there, and even he was denied a CR license...having gone there, multiple times

I had applied for residency and was missing a document (mailed I've 2 months ago!!!!) All I know is that it left the US, but I was given a CR number from Migracion so I didn't have to leave every 3 months. I was told BY THE MANAGER OF THE DL OFFICE that the number would suffice with All The other requiere documents. After a 5 HOUR wait I was told by a a different person that it was not acceptable. I had to have a CR ID!! After complaining to her boss she denied saying that the Migracion number was ok??!? Guess I was just stupid and wanted to spend my day waiting in a hot stuffy building.....Customer service here is a foreign concept!!

I have been coming to CR for 7 years and finally moved here (Guanacaste) this past July.

IMHO, the one negative thing that sticks out has been mentioned by several in this forum.  Put simply, there is a LACK OF COMMON SENSE in the CR culture.  For example, if there is a pothole on a dirt road, instead of filling in the hole with dirt from the surrounding areas, they will put 4 stakes in the road with Precaution Tape warning you of the problem.  So, they identify the problem but ignore the simple fix.

No matter the problem/issue, IMHO locals will always look to "jerry rig" a solution instead of fixing it the right way.  Just ignore the obvious problem and create a ridiculous solution.

As for waiting in lines, I am still amazed that anything that deals with PROPERTY (e.g., land sales, car sales) automatically entails long waits because there is an issue with records being updated in municipalities.  I paid my property taxes in January on land that was bought several months earlier. However, the name on file for my property was the previous owner.  I was told by my lawyer that as long as the property ID number was included in the payment, I did not have to worry that the name on file was not yet changed.

So yes, there are numerous BS issues to deal with.  But as a person who Retired from NC, a state that many people move to in order to retire, I do enjoy MORE things here than I did in NC.

Perhaps the best way to adapt to life in CR is what many people told me to do before I moved:
DON'T SELL YOUR HOUSE OR PROPERTY IN THE US!   Come here and rent for a year to see how you like it (if you can work out the finances).  If things go well, then think about making a more permanent move.

If you are definitely a person with a low tolerance for what appears to be "routine stupidity", then perhaps you may need a place in Century Village in Florida where bingo is always the same time each day and you can eat dinner at a discount at 5 pm followed by shuffle board at 6, movie time at 7 and bedtime at 8:30.

To each their own.

Jay in Guanacaste

Wow..you see the real CR as I do. Ineffective and inefficient government. Ignorance and stupidity when it comes to common sense things. I mentioned before about my 5 hour wait, well the building had 8 pay windows, which is good, BUT only one person working!! When she went to lunch, there was no replacement!
My wife (a Tica) is having tax issues as well. Apparently they changed some part of the law concerning payment dates and informed...NO ONE!!!
I'm from NC as well (Raleigh) I sold everything to move here! What an idiot! As for pot holes..OMG you are spot on!
If you have low tolerance for BS, ignorance and just plain STUPIDITY..stay in US!!!
Rafè

I moved from Raleigh.

If by chance you saw the February 6 new episode of Love it or List It on HGTV, my house was "The Lake House" in the episode Tree House Trouble. The couple selected my house instead of their own.

I sold a great house in Raleigh.  But I do NOT regret it. I am retired. I moved here so I can continue to enjoy a high quality of personal health. For that, mission accomplished.

As a 63 year old who exercises daily, follows a healthy diet, and takes multiple antioxidant and other supplements, a few lines and potholes are not too damaging to my already high QOH (quality of health). Just ignore the daily BS.

Beautiful house!! I lived in Fuquay. I am awaiting a document for residency. THEN Ivan get insurance. My wife is a Tica. I always forget to mention healthcare as one of the FEW positives here, even though I'm yet to experience it!!
Rafè

Rafe,

Why are you here?  By what you have to say, you sound absolutely miserable.  The things that you seem to detest are not going to change.  It's either accept things the way that they are, or, let it drive you nuts.  ...if that hasn't occurred already.   

- Expat Dave

Maybe the transition to "NUTS" has begun! Good question! My wife is a professor/Child Phsycologist here with 5+ years to retire!! She knows I'm miserable and even though she agrees with me AND you I may need to leave periodically to keep from being arrested or having a meltdown😆💦! I have tried for well over a year to adjust...its not possible to ignor this insanity!! I say what I do because I wish someone had told me about this looney farm of a country before I came. They paint an untrue picture in the brochures. I'm glad that you have accepted it. I do like the people and the weather😉
Pura Vida😜 Garbage in streams and rivers and sewage in ocean...

Dave, I agree with you 100%!
Costa Rica does a lot of stupid things - BUT it's still better than the U.S. .
While it is better to not be Type A if you want to live here, I am Type A (more or less) - and things DO bother me, as you will read in some of my posts - but I DO put up with it and I have no interest in moving back to the States.
As you say, "especially NOW".
But some people simply don't like it here, for a variety of reasons.
I know people who hate the bureaucracy, I know people who hate the weather. I know people who felt there were too many bugs (where they lived). I know people who got mad and left because the Cable installers and roofers would never come when they said. (Talk about Type A!)...
I know people who hate living in a "poor country", who like all the neat and tidy lawns and sidewalks of the U.S....

So it ain't for everyone, that's for sure.

But you mentioned many of the things I like.

To me the USA is not the "land of freedom", it's the land of rules and regulations - WORSE than Costa Rica in that regard, for MOST things. At least things that count to me. Like you said, things like not being able to cross the street where you want, or what I really REALLY hated was having CAMERAS at many intersections where they'd take your photo for being 1/100 second in  the red when crossing on yellow, and mail you a ticket. Of course many of the cameras malfunction and people get tickets when they shouldn't and so some communities are taking the cameras down. But many are putting them IN.

I know SOME towns in Costa Rica have parking meters but man I'm glad they don't where I live! The parking meters where I lived in the U.S. were operated by a private company and they would literally hover over your car like vultures to give you a ticket the MOMENT your meter expired. And not $5, not $15, but $35-75 depending on where you parked...

I could go on and on... To me the very low blood alcohol enforcement in the U.S. is crazy. I know some people think it's good, but I'm not one of them. Why?  Because I know when I'm able to drive and when I'm not and the level they state a person is drunk is a level I can drive just fine at. If they'd raise the level suitably then I'd agree with it...

There are many ways in which Costa Rica is a more stress-free and relaxed place to live, and more FREE. Exceptions are banks, contracts with internet companies - as you pointed out - and so on.

Anyway, I am SO glad I am no longer living in the Corporate States of  America - Trump's presidency is a clear and obvious corporate takeover.

Rafenc wrote:

I guess we will agree to disagree. I like what is happening in the US. Finally someone that keeps promises and doesn't ignor ISIS.
Government in US is very intrusive..I thought, until I moved here. There are approx 1 attorneys  for every 100 Ticos, and the Goofyenirno has everything from a car title to marriage go through them.
I've never waited in line for anything in NC for 5 hours and then rejected! Try to find out if a left hand turn is legal! Not possible. Went to transit police to ask and SHE had to pull out a book not available to citizens! There are numerous laws that you find out about the hard way.
Police are ok. They do absolutely NOTHING!! I've been downtown and seen people double parked vehicles with a delivery truck blocking the rest of the  road and the police just walk by....
Half empty. Half full? Simple. If you like waiting in line for EVERYTHING, waiting hours and maybe getting nothing resolved, being scanned to walk in a bank to get a ticket and wait till your number is called and then maybe you passport has a spot of coffee and you get rejected ( kidding! ), then paying more for food, housing, GAS, groceries, CARS (OMG!), and horrible customer service, then Costa Rica is the place for you!
BTW my wife just applied for and recieved a 10 year visa no problem.  She is Tica not Muslim. That was what the ban was all about.
But you are right if you are impatient and a type A ( I'm a AAA!😱) stay the hell away!! Really. You won't make it. Sorry to be negative but what I've said is the truth. Come for the people and climate. Both great! Retirement? Florida is probably cheaper.
Rafe

You make some good points, but I guess some people's experience with the things you mention are not as bad as yours was. I think to some extent  you've had worse experiences than many have, worse than I have...
Yes, even my Tico buddy says "Ticos love to wait in lines!" Go figure. I hate that. But I seldom have to do it.
I think the big thing is if you are going to live here you have to live in a place you enjoy. That's  the case with me.
I LOVE where I live, surrounded by nature and peace and quiet; trees, animals, butterflies, iguanas, hummingbirds, walking sticks, you name it - it's a blast seeing what the morning might bring. I always say "Look what univited visitor came today!" I love seeing the miracles of nature here.
So for that reason I put up with the b.s.

By the way, I will continue to argue that living in FL is NOT as cheap as living here. SOME things are cheaper, and maybe even some things are better. But you cannot buy property and houses as cheap in FL as you can here in CR, especially not with comparable features!

Stacy_in_ATL wrote:

This may seem like a silly question...but in your experiences (and thank you for the primer - I once worked for 6 weeks in Kazikstan and experienced many of the same issues..but that was brief and I had an 'expeditor') - are any other countries in the region more stable?  I am thinking of attempting to consult as I slide into retirement so I have to have some reliability in services.  If not CR, where might i find a better developed infrastructure?  Or is it more a city / countryside issue?  TIA.

If you live in a city - at least some of them - you will find better infrastructure. Many I know who live in bigger towns or cities have great reliable internet for example.
As for the bureaucracy, you will always run into it in Costa Rica at times.
Generally speaking once you get your life set up it gets much easier. The first year is the hardest.

Some say Panama is better but I didn't care for Panama at all. It felt very oppressive to me what with police with machine guns everywhere and constant stops on the road to check for ?drugs?... I wouldn't rule it out, but go there and see for yourself how it feels. Maybe some areas are better than others. Almost certainly that is the case.

But from what I know, Latino countries all have this stupidity in terms of bureaucracy of contracts and banking and stuff. Back in the day I loved Mexico but I would NOT even go there now, let alone retire there. I used to travel a LOT there. No more. I know people who lived there their whole life but now don't want to live there any more due to the kidnappings and crime.

Nicaragua! Ugh. IMHO.

For anyone thinking of retiring in Costa Rica, just come here and rent for awhile first. Either you love it or hate it, at least that's most people's reaction.

Rafenc wrote:

Maybe the transition to "NUTS" has begun! Good question! My wife is a professor/Child Phsycologist here with 5+ years to retire!! She knows I'm miserable and even though she agrees with me AND you I may need to leave periodically to keep from being arrested or having a meltdown😆💦! I have tried for well over a year to adjust...its not possible to ignor this insanity!! I say what I do because I wish someone had told me about this looney farm of a country before I came. They paint an untrue picture in the brochures. I'm glad that you have accepted it. I do like the people and the weather😉
Pura Vida😜 Garbage in streams and rivers and sewage in ocean...

You talk about people in forums not telling the truth. I don't see that.
If you read the threads here about moving here you will see in just about every thread:
DO NOT MOVE HERE WITHOUT LIVING HERE A WHILE FIRST, TO GET TO SEE HOW IT REALLY IS TO LIVE HERE!

Rafenc, did you say in an earlier post you do not speak Spanish?
95% of the people I know who hated living here and moved back to the States, did not learn the language. It seems to be a very common reason people don't adjust here.

I think part of the reason is that if you speak the language you figure things out better, you make friends, you are probably treated nicer by Ticos, and you feel less isolated.

If you are married to a Tica though you must speak Spanish, no? Or does she speak English? Well, none of my business really but I just want to point out that from what I have seen, the NUMBER ONE REASON PEOPLE DON'T ADJUST TO LIFE IN COSTA RICA IS THE LACK OF SPANISH LANGUAGE SKILL.

Yes, there are bureaucratic hassles and a lack of common sense here in some ways. But the U.S. is increasingly regulating every aspect of living. Choose your poison.

Yes, I agree. Do not move here without first living here for a period of time that allows you to make an informed decision.

Unfortunately no matter how many times we say 'visit first', many people move without checking out the country at all, prior to moving. If they have visited, it is usually on a fun filled vacation, and they arrive with stars in their eyes until real life hits.

I heard the other day, that a young couple with a baby moved to Uvita after a short trip, and then set up a website of 'how to move to Costa Rica' before they had 'landed',  and how they wanted to share their experiences, budget, etc. Friends who had read their posts on various forums to drum up traffic, visited the site, say the family had posted one monthly budget and it has not been touched for the past three months. Hopefully, all is well with them.

Hi everybody,

Some off topic and inappropriate posts have been removed from this thread.

Can we please focus on the initial subject and avoid deep conversations about politics on this platform?

Thank you,

Priscilla 

Only honesty. Something firing to this site. If it not sugar sweet comments about CR than it banned!! Ha!

Very good post. I agree with you...mostly. I like Nucaragua haha! Personal preference.
M U C H CHEAPER there and better roads😆💦
DEFINATELY come for an extended stay BEFORE you move here!! Then you'll learn what the REAL Costa Rica is like and nit be blindsided...like I was😳
Rafè

Actually I do speak Spanish. No perfect but it's a work In progress, BUT I don't understand well!! My wife's English is pretty good also. We are both getting better. She understand better than me!!
I actually like Soanish! I get frustrated(with me) because I ask a question ( and they understand😱!!) And when they answer I'm normally clueless LOL. Their answer sounds like one long sentence hahaha!

I wandered into a forum for a country in South America. I have a good friend who often visits there with his wife who is a native. I thought you guys would appreciate this remark I found there:

"I've read a blog where people admittedly stated they missed Walmart as one of the reasons for moving back home."

And i thought i was the only one that these things happened to here....Yes it takes a very long time to get use to the differences here in Costa Rica and the things that make absolutely NO sense at all......but I agree if you keep that mind set "it is what is it" then you will make it...I have to say though, Some days are easier then others.

I'm new here, and enjoying the candid comments.  However, as a Canadian I have to chuckle a little bit.  My general observation of the criticisms, is that compared to the US, you find CR to be more expensive (for US goods), full of bureaucracy, with socialized medicine (fine), except that you have to wait a long time to get treated....  Sounds pretty much the same as Canada!  (except WAY better weather!!)  Just my 2c.