Thinking of moving to Heredia, Costa Rica

Hi Barbara -
Your best bet to find out about experiences living in Costa Rica is to read several of the blogs listed on this site.   As you know (living in BA yourself), one-paragraph life-blurbs won't give you a very good picture of life in a foreign country.
good luck (and have fun!)
Julie

Barbara, I assume you speak Spanish, and if so that gives you a little advantage over those who don't. Also, you have experience living in a Latino country so that also helps.

Costa Rica is what some call a "3rd World" country although I know some consider that an insult. I don't mean it as an insult, in fact Costa Rica is where I plan to live (again) soon. What it means to me is that the roads and sidewalks are not well maintained, some things are done in ways we in the U.S. consider "backwards" or "inefficient", much of the country is visibly very poor by our standards (though the U.S. with now one in five children living in poverty and 15-25 million people unemployed or under-employed, is not doing so well anymore!), and I think it's fair to say that the country is a little "dirtier" than the U.S. in general (garbage and trash on the streets, rivers and creeks polluted with sewage, things like this).

That's the down side of course. On the bright side, their drinking water is clean in most places (I've never once gotten sick from it and I've visited just about all regions), veges and food is generally safe to eat (unlike Mexico where eating salad can ruin your vacation!), crime is not too bad (other than pick-pockets and break-ins to rob material things - violent crime is low), the people are mostly very nice and accommodating to foreigners, the country is full of nature and beauty, life has a slow-paced relaxing feeling to it, and it's cheaper than the U.S., and with more freedom and less regulations than the U.S. in general (though they have their share of bureaucracy too).

For me the thing I love most about Costa Rica is that I always feel more relaxed and happy there and I really cannot explain exactly why, it could be that it just "suits me", or maybe it's the abundance of nature. (Of course, if I am trying to get something done at the bank or government office, this feeling often changes to frustration and impatience! ) But in most situations I find that Costa Rica has a calming influence on me and I tend to smile a lot more than here in Los Angeles.

Hope this helps.