There is an old Australian joke, ‘When a jet lands in Sydney, you can’t tell whether it is the jets running down or the Brits whining.’ We could easily transfer that to Costa Rica and substitute ‘Expats’ for Poms.

In writing this, I became aware that most of us do some of the things mentioned herein from time to time. Mea Culpa. Let us all try to be better.

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Before we get to the negative things about Expat behavior here, let us be positive. There are some wonderful folk who are trying to live the good life here. You can find many Expats who have had useful or simply exotic lives, have tales of other lands and take an interest in the World and everything in it.

By the action of coming here and staying, expats prove that they are more adventurous and risk taking than those that sit in Florida or retirement enclaves in Europe and spend all day in endless rounds of TV, golf and drinking that awful Budweiser.

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Of course, some are on the run from alimony; child support or perhaps more sinister things. Some of these folk are interesting, due to their japes and scrapes. Those who were sociopaths back home and like to boast about their bad behavior, tend to be sociopaths here too, so watch out!

Falling out with family members is another good reason for living far away. It certainly stops needy relatives moving back into the family home. It is expensive enough to get here to keep the freeloaders away too, except for local ones.

Many expats give back to the World by supporting local charities, helping the Ticos to learn English and other good works. Contributing to the expat community with their parties, artworks and organization of events is also admirable.

Now let’s get to the irritating stuff. You left your homeland for good reasons. Maybe you thought it was cheaper here. Maybe you had to leave because of the authorities. Maybe you naively believed everything that the realtors and the tourist people told you about a perfect climate and an earthly Paradise. If you think it is better back home, please just go. Do no expect the locals to change this interesting and not quite perfect place into some mythically superior version of the country you left.

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To most Costa Ricans even the poorest of you would be considered rich.
You should not expect the Ticos to scramble to give you better healthcare than they get themselves. Indeed, a US or European actuary would consider them mad to allow you to come here in old age and receive the same healthcare as citizens get, at the same cost. Most other countries would not dream of doing that.

One of the imperfections here, is the over manned and relatively over paid bureaucracy. However, if you think it is easier for Ticos to get into the US or Europe than for you to get local documents, think again. Look on the expectant and patient cues of Ticos at your embassy, next time you breeze past their queue.

Yes the road administration is poor and many of the roads are badly built and maintained. This is a developing country. If everyone paid his or her taxes there might be sufficient funding for improvement. We hear too many gringos boasting about how to get around this tax or that and yet moaning about poor roads..

Yes there is corruption here and many other problems. Look where your own country stands in the corruption league tables. Do not whine about it, unless you have a vote here.

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Some expats come to work here. Among these, the number who expect to charge homeland prices and fail to compete with the locals in businesses that they have never tried before is astonishing. If you were unqualified to be a realtor or have never run a restaurant back home, what made you think you could beat the lower paid and locally experienced Ticos at it?

Let us move on to behavior within the expat community. Empty vessels make most noise. In Expat society, please do not boast of what you were and what you did. That life is over for you and in general nobody cares or wants to hear.

Equally, your views on the politics of your own country and on your deeply held religious beliefs may be of interest to some, but please wait to be asked. Others don’t need these things rammed down their throats. There are organizations here that will allow you to bleat your affiliations to your hearts content.

Just because you are retired and entitled to relax, please think of how others feel. and occasionally dress accordingly at parties. Unsightly flab and varicose veins might be best covered up. On that subject, Tico bank personnel, dressed in suits might be unimpressed by people turning up like refugees from those horrors at US Walmart that we sometimes see on the internet, especially if they don’t speak Spanish and demand service better than the locals get.

If you are asked to a party, think before you wait to the last minute to accept the invitation, to see if you get a better offer. These things throw out catering and parking capacity. Some houses were not meant to accommodate all and sundry. You should always ask if you want to bring uninvited guests. Of course not replying at all is also bad form.

Please do not arrive early when the hosts are desperately still trying to prepare or shower. Do not march into the kitchen unless asked. You will get in the way!

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There are too many takers here and too few givers. Many adopt a policy of rarely asking those back who never reciprocate, bring nothing to a party or appear with uninvited friends. Of course not everyone has a place big enough to reciprocate and some are too poor. We need to understand that too.

You may find Spanish difficult as many of us do, but it is the language of the country you live in. Try to learn it or at least do not boast about your refusal to do so. The Ticos may well have the same attitude to Expat languages as many Europeans and North Americans have to those refusing to learn their languages.

In summary, ‘Fit in or ship out’. In general Ticos are friendly and helpful, but Costa Rica is not about to change to meet your personal needs. Attracting more expats might not be their number one priority either.

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Written by VIP Member Chris Clarke. Chris and his wife, Ivy are British who have lived and worked in Europe, Asia and the US. They have been fortunate in travelling extensively on the corporate dollar. When Chris retired from his role as President and CEO of a global executive search firm in December 2010, he and Ivy had already considered their retirement options. Chris wanted a haven to write novels and they both ended up retiring in Costa Rica.

One Expat’s View of Expats in Costa Rica

Article/Property ID Number 4648

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