Do you celebrate your Costa Rica expat anniversary?
Reflecting on my experience I offer a look into my first year as a Costa Rica expat. Shortly after moving to Costa Rica from the US, I learned about what some expats refer to as the one, two, and five years marks. These marks have come with many growing pains, lots of laughter, and new adventures. I remember one night speaking with my daughter who was 13 years old at the time. Our family had been living in Costa Rica for a little over six months. During this time, I had noticed Taya seemed to be having a hard time making friends.
We both expected this was due to the language barrier. She was also having problems however, with the English-speaking expats. One night I asked Taya why she felt she was having problems making friends and her response broke my heart.
She responded, “No matter how hard I try to make friends, all the kids say the same thing.” In a sassy teen attitude and using air quotes, while rolling her head and eyes she imitated them and the words came flying out of her mouth. "Come back and talk to us after you have been here for two years! You will understand if your family makes it that long!"
We expected many challenges when we considered moving. Not being excepted by our peer was not one of them. It is understandable. Looking back at how many of our friends have left has made us question if it’s worth the effort. Relationships, and especially good friendships, require investments from ourselves. Sometimes we can see these short-term relationships as a bad investment.
Why we Celebrate the Costa Rica One-Year Mark
After some girl talk that included tears, we made a pact that if we made it to these marks we would celebrate them. We also agreed to never tell anyone they couldn’t be part of our group because of the time they had spent in Costa Rica. Little did I know how big of a deal the one, two, and five-year marks were going to be.
Why we celebrate the Costa Rica One-Year Mark
Expat friends and fans who are reading this. Make sure to take a day, and celebrate this milestone. This one-year mark is a big day. We lose about 50% of the new expat during this year.
You have lived through Costa Rica's dry season, green season, and rainy season. By now you are aware that each of these seasons brings different challenges.
If you have made it through a whole year you have most likely experience the following. Culture shock is real and can be difficult to adjust to. You've given up on people showing up on time or even on the right day. If you are anything like me you probably don't know the time or even the day of the week at this very moment.
Costa Rica Seasons
The seasons are different depending on what side of the continental divide you're on. Also, Costa Rica has microclimates where the weather in small pockets throughout the country can change drastically. We have spent this last year on the Pacific side of Costa Rica, in a small village called Marbella. For this blog, I will use that as the reference point.
Costa Rica Dry Season
In February and March, winds descend from lake Nicaragua. These winds affect beaches, cities, and mountains. No matter where I traveled in Costa Rica I felt like the wind just followed me. Being sandblasted on a Costa Rica beach is not how I would describe a fun day. My friends that love to surf however, will tell you this is their favorite time of year. Honestly, it's my least favorite time of year knowing that 90 mile-per-hour winds are blowing us into even more heat. April is generally hot, but the upside is the winds are not as bad. This allows for more beach days and afternoons at the pool.
The months of hot winds with the temperature in the high 90's and even over 100 degrees can get old quickly, but staying home and running the AC can get costly. If you live on the beach, you won't get a break on your budget on during the dry season. Make sure to have an extra drink at your one-year celebration. I know how hard it is to not turn that AC off because your budget might not allow you to, or the extra hours you might have to work to be able to afford over a $600 utility bill. It's enough to send people packing.
Costa Rica Green season
Where do we start with the green season? One morning you wake up and the air is filled with humidity again. The flowers and trees all start to come to life. This happens right before the jungle rains start. Then slowly the Costa Rica rain showers start. The best way to describe this is the jungle springs back to life after a long hot summer. What you thought was a lot of green explodes into even more vibrant green. You can't even count how many different shades there are. If you took the time to acclimate during the dry season this time of year can start to feel cool. We’ve acclimated to the hot temperatures of the dry season and our family gets cold and starts pulling out our favorite socks and flannels.
This year our property had millions of lighting bugs. The jungle around the casa would light up in the dark jungle night. We spent hours at night laying in hammocks watching these amazing insects. Each morning greets us with new plant and animal life. You can literally sit on my porch and watch the trees and flowers as they bud out. Steve will tell you this time of year is his favorite, reminding him of spring in the US.
Living in a new World
But with all fairytales, you have to wake up. For me, it was getting used to the creepy crawly bugs. They seem to show up even more during this time of year. Millipedes, beetles, tarantulas, scorpions, and black ants are just some of my unwanted house guests. This has been a big adjustment for me. The infestations continue to be a challenge for me, since we have more bugs in Marbella than we did in Langosta and Tamarindo.
A lot of our friends make the decision to go home during this time of year. By now you have spent around six months here. What I call the holiday season is over. You know what I'm talking about. That really good vacation that you wish would last a lifetime. But towards the end, you can't wait to get back to your old surroundings. Ya, that feeling might have set in by now.
Costa Rica Culture Shock
Most people feel at least a sting of culture shock, which is compounded by missing family and familiar things. The rains can also affect some people. Many of our expat friends find themself sailing right back to their home countries.
Missing my parents and kids was extra hard around the six-month mark. The separation added to the culture shock that almost sent me home. Keep in mind that everyone experiences this at different times. I found it helpful to keep a journal where I wrote the good and bad things down. For every bad I had to find two good things. Keeping my bucket list as a reminder was extremely helpful during my lonely times too. Calling and live chatting with my family and friends back home also helped.
Tip:
As the rains start to come, so do more mosquitos. Costa Rica mosquitos can carry deadly viruses called Chikungunya and Dengue. Make sure you bring plenty of bug spray from the states because it's expensive in Costa Rica. Make sure to place the spay in Ziplock bags. This will protect your other items in case they leak in transit. Don’t forget to check the liquid requirements before you fly.Over the years I have tried all kinds of bug spray. Hands down, Deep Woods Off is what I pack when I'm in the states.
Note:
At the time of this blog post TSA requirements show:"You are allowed to bring a quart-sized bag of liquids, aerosols, gels, creams, and pastes in your carry-on bag and through the checkpoint. These are limited to travel-sized containers that are 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less per item." You can check the official website of the Department of Homeland Security for more information.
Costa Rica Rainy Season
What can I say, this is my favorite time of year. This is what I look forward to during the hot dry months. These rains are not for the faint of heart. If you have experienced them you know what I'm talking about. We love being stuck at home. I find these rains bring me inspiration, although most people don't like them.
Costa Rica rains start in June and July and flooding becomes more apparent in August. The rainy season kicks in around September and increases even more in October.
We lose many new expat friends during this time of year. Maybe it’s because they can't handle the torrential rains that can last for weeks, or the muddy roads that can turn into rivers in a minute's notice. For me, it was the mold that almost pushed me over the edge. Yeah, I said mold. No matter how much you clean, it grows on everything.
Tip: Don't forget to pack a rain jacket
We prefer the ones that are packable, where they fit into their own pocket. This makes it easy to throw them in your back pack or beach bag for outings.
Reflecting on the big day
As I wrap up writing this to you, I just spent the morning with no power because the rains and lightning took it out around 3 am. I know the time because the thunder shook the walls, as the flash of lightning filled the room, which was then followed by pitch dark, and the beeping sound of the emergency back battery.
Rolling over I looked at the time on my phone and I remember what I was doing at that exact time five years ago.
It was no normal Thursday morning. It was the last morning Steve & I would spend in our home that we owned for over 17 years!
We had a handful of hours until we closed on our home. This was the final asset that we had to sell in order to make my dreams of living as a Costa Rica expat come true. It had been our kids home since they were babies. To say selling it and moving to a country 3500 miles away I had never even visited was hard is an understatement.
Scared Gringo
Our flight was leaving in less than 24 hours and I was mentally and physically exhausted. My anxiety was through the roof, but the bathroom had to be cleaned before the closing. As I scrubbed the final room, I was asking myself If I had completely lost my mind!!! What in the world was I doing???
I was a scared gringo who had never spent more than 14 days out of my birth country. If I could go back and have a conversation with myself it would look something like this. “Anything worth doing should be scary or you're not dreaming big enough. You got this girl!!!
Take it one day at a time.
Be open to change. If life throws you crap, it’s ok to change the dream. Just make sure that you check in with yourself to make sure it's not just a distraction pulling you away from the dream.
Girl your dreams are big but you can dream even bigger. You are capable of even more so dream bigger.”
When you hit your milestones make sure to celebrate them. Even when others around you don't under why. This is your journey, not theirs, so they don't need to understand.
Costa Rica Bucket List
I will be putting a check mark on my bucket list today. The Cut the Crap house will be celebrating our five-year mark all week. I want to take an extra minute to thank each and every one of you who have been part of our journey. The messages, and words of encouragement along the way have been a blessing, as well as the friends who let me cry on their shoulders. Late night calls to friends and family who helped me stay on track were also beneficial. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I could not have done it without you.
Pura Vida
To my parents and children, thank you for trying to understand why I needed to leave.
To the love of my life, Steve, who risked it all for what some call his "crazy wife." I'm eternally grateful for what you gave up, so I could live my dreams. The ride has been crazy at times, but our adventures have been amazing. I look forward to what the next year brings.
Stay tuned to find out how many Costa Rica expats we lose at the two and five-year marks. This will help you understand why this FIVE-YEAR mark is so big. Join us as we celibate this big milestone. Now that the Costa Rica boarders are open, Cut the Crap Costa Rica has reached out to our top partners. We are going to be giving some amazing discounts and even FREE gifts away. Make sure you join our mailing list and follow us on social media.
