Why Many Expats Return to their Home Country

ExpatDave wrote:

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

The wife is not going to be stopped and asked for her papers unless she is hanging in the bad parts of the hood and stuff is going on where she should not be. If that's the case, yep, maybe, only maybe. Where you got this is beyond me. Quit reading CNN for a start.  Immigration enforcement by the police by far is 1000% more real in CR then it is in the US. Stop yourself.

I was basing that on personal experience.  I was married to a Russian.  While living in Virginia, she was stopped a number of times, often because she was a terrible driver.      She would not only be asked for her driver's license, but due to her heavy accent they'd question her "legal status."  This was years ago and it's of course become much worse since.  If you are Latin and have an accent, to believe you will not be asked is thinking in a very ignorant and dangerous way.  Welcome to the real world.

- Expat Dave

You are without a doubt incorrect. Maybe in Phoenix a few years ago, and it can happen anywhere, but with millions of immigrants we have, less then 00001 per cent of a chance. Most of the major cities have made themselves sanctuary cities. Illinois and California have made it a statute. It just isn't happening anywhere near the scale immigration enforcement occurs in tiny CR. if you get arrested for a crime, depending even then what town you are in and the type of crime, it may ring a bell. Police in NY, Chicago, LA, Boston, Miami go on and on, make thousands of street stops every day. If they were detaining illegal immigrants, or because she had an accent, there wouldn't be enough jails in the US. And apparently your wife didn't get arrested despite numerous traffic stops, glad to hear. But no, sorry to correct you, quit reading CNN.

dgdlaw wrote:

You are without a doubt incorrect. Maybe in Phoenix a few years ago, and it can happen anywhere, but with millions of immigrants we have, less then 00001 per cent of a chance. Most of the major cities have made themselves sanctuary cities. Illinois and California have made it a statute. It just isn't happening anywhere near the scale immigration enforcement occurs in CR. if you get arrested for a crime, depending even then what town you are in and the type of crime, it may ring a bell. But no, sorry to correct you, quit reading CNN.

dgdlaw,

Seriously, lighten up.  Everyone here has the right to their opinions here, right or wrong.  Thank you.

- Expat Dave

Seriously OK, but that wasn't an opinion. Misinformation. But every thing is cool.

If you're a expat living in Costa Rica and are going to make it work, learn the language, the street language or pachuco. Unfortunately, we stand out as foreigners, they'll just see $ dollar bills. There's 2 prices in Costa. Tico price and extranjero or foreigner price. Having a honest helper( hard to find) or a tico spouse helps a lot. Knowing there slang helps you be able to barter. Never pay the price they quote you at first. Shoot low and negotiate. Negotiation is alive and well in Costa Rica. In construction projects, be on site. As much as possible, quality control is mandatory. Work with them or have a trustworthy general contractor overseeing everything. Document everything  photos, videos etc. From rental cars to appliances purchased  before delivery... watch your back and have your head on a swivel. Call people out on overcharging and do your research.