Ask Wednesday: Ed Rogers on emigrating to Costa Rica

Ed and Janie Rogers emigrated to Costa Rica in the summer, where they are living “the life of Pura Vida” and Ed is at work on a novel. In their late sixties, the Rogers were concerned about the way things were going in the United States and began to explore their options several years ago. They figured it was now or never.
    [Our questions are in italics.]

Ed, why did you and Janie move to Costa Rica?
    I don’t know anyone of my generation who ever thought about retiring. It was something the other guy did. I had planned to work until I was 72, but the economy had other plans. I looked around one day and saw my business was over the edge and I had maybe one or two years before it was gone. At about the same time, the “Tea Party” was spewed forth from the mouth of a buzzard.
    At first I told myself they were just another group of “John Birchers” with a new name. I believed after their 15 minutes they would be gone. However, this time the Republicans ran after them like a pack of dogs on a pile of vomit. I saw gray-haired men and women holding signs and cheering their heads off for candidates who were telling them that, if elected, they would do away with Medicare and Social Security.
    That was when we decided it was time to leave.

You were moving to get away to something as well as to get away from what you just mentioned. What were the tos that you had in mind?
    Costa Rica had been in the back of my mind for a long time. Back in the late 60s-early 70s, the big movement to change the world was about dead, and people were looking for a way to get out of a world they didn’t like—and that didn’t like them. Some joined the “‘Back to the Earth” bunch in Northern California, others like me shut up, cut their hair, and went to work. But there was one group that went to Costa Rica. I remember their stories when they came back to the States to pick up stuff for their new life. I almost went back with them, but I just didn’t have the guts.
    I didn’t pick Costa Rica without further inquiry. I looked into and studied everything I could find out about every country south of the USA. I kept coming back to Costa Rica. They have not had a standing army since 1946. The health care was top of the line. The state-run CAJA (refers to Costarricense de Seguro Socia) would cost us $49 each, per month. This would cover everything: medication, hospital, doctors.
    I’ll try to explain CAJA (pronounced ca-ha), although I don’t understand half of what goes on here. If I’m told I must go here and get this or that, I go get it. That is the way it is; no need to ask why. To the best of my understanding, and do not take this as fact: CAJA is the collection arm of the government. I don’t know what the letters stand for, everything and everybody has a title down here, and it is at least six words long. They are the ones you give your money to and they are also the ones who give you your ID, which is renewed by the same people each year. The $49 per-person we pay goes to them also. We go through a group I joined some time back called ARCR (Association of Residents in Costa Rica). They took our paperwork and walked it and us through the process of becoming residents. We have group rates for insurance though them. Unless you are married to a Costa Rican it makes life a lot easier.
    They pass laws that to us gringos make no sense, but it’s their country and we are guests. The police force has so many departments, I can’t tell you how many there are. One group will write you a ticket for speeding, while another one may stop you and write you a ticket for your inspection and say nothing about your speeding. I just watch out for all of them. A seat-belt fine is $600 US per-person not buckled up, back or front. They have laws like any country and you must obey them, or pay the freight.

Had you ever actually been to Costa Rica? What's it like to live there?
    We had never been to Costa Rica, and all the reading and studying in the world cannot take the place of having your boots on the ground. We came and we fell in love. It’s not for everybody. Life is slower, some things are cheaper, but on the whole food costs as much as in the States. Gas is high, and there is a large tax on goods that are shipped into Costa Rica. Rent is much cheaper. We pay $500 a month for everything. That includes all utilities, wi-fi, and, if we wanted it, Cable TV. We watch shows from the US through our computer, which I have hooked to a 42-inch flat-screen TV. We get the shows a day later but most of them were taped months ago anyway. I can get live news feed from, MSNBC, CNN, and—God forbid—Fox. So we are not cut off from the world we left, just removed.The main thing we get is peace of mind. We don’t watch the crazy stuff on TV. We can live just fine on our Social Security and know that one sickness is not going to wipe out our savings and leave us homeless.

    We live in San Ramon. It is a very nice town of 60,000 people. From San Ramon, we are one and a half hours from a Volcano, one hour from the beach, one hour from San Jose, the capital, and 45 minutes from the Airport.
    There is not much crime here. The parks are full of old people and kids during the week, but on the week-end the whole family comes to visit the big church across from the park. The park fills up with the laughter of children playing and every so often, their mothers stop in mid-conversation to tell them to be careful or to stay out of the street. It’s like a picture from our 1950s.
    We rent our house from an American, who is married to a wonderful Tica. It is a cross between a Tico house and an American. By this I mean we do not have an air-conditioner or a heater, and the windows and most of the time the door stay open. The temperature here year-round is 80 to 85 during the day and in the lower sixties at night. There’s always a breeze. This time of the year when the rain comes it brings a cool wind with it. It will drop from the mid-80s to the mid-70s in minutes. As I write this, the rain is moving up the mountain. The cool air comes first. During the wet season it will rain almost every afternoon, but the mornings are nice.
    We have two bedrooms, each has a bath and shower or in our case a very large tub. There’s a dining room with a bar separating it from the kitchen, and a living room. Out back we have a covered party area. With sink and stove inside and a bar running around the outside.

    Down in our Valley live two well-off Americans. They farm coffee and raise cattle. The houses in the picture of the valley belong to them. I have yet to meet them. They work hard and are up and down the road a number of times a day. They always shout and wave—seem very friendly.

    The people are warm, friendly, and very loving. We live out of town on a hill overlooking a beautiful valley. We drink coffee and watch the sun light up the valley each morning. The peace Janie and I feel here—it’s something I’ve wanted all my life.

What moving problems did you have to deal with? It can't be as easy as packing your bag and catching a plane.
    The hardest thing about making a move like this is taking that first step. A lot of people talk about doing something like this—maybe not moving to another country, but a big life change. They never do it, because they can’t make themselves take that step.
    With us, first came the paperwork. We needed everything you can think of and it was only good for six months. The website “The Real Costa Rica” covers some the paperwork that is needed, and there cannot be one word out of place. Once our paperwork was turned in to Immigration, it took six months for Janie to be approved and seven for me.
    Once we had made up our mind that we were moving, it was time to take that big step.

What was the hardest thing about leaving?
    We looked around our home and saw all the stuff we had bought and saved over the many years. I had the uniform I wore in the Army almost 50 years ago—I even had the bus ticket to Boot Camp. Filling that first garbage bag with our memories—that was the hardest thing in the world for both of us. After the first bag was gone, we would look at something and ask ourselves: “If I die tonight, will anyone give a damn about this tomorrow?”
    We also had garage sales. It hurt that the stuff we paid so much money for was being sold as junk. But we had to down-size; we could take only what would fit into a 20-foot container.

Tell us about Pura Vida, especially how it’s different from life in the United States.
    Pura Vida translated means Pure Life, but it means much more to the Costa Ricans and us ex-pats who live here. It’s used as a greeting by some, or to say good-bye. It is a wish for you to have a happy life.
    In Costa Rica you can spent as much for a home as you can afford. If you want to live like you did in the States and eat like you did in the States—you might as wel stay home, because you will pay a high price for that lifestyle here. However, you can do like us, embrace the people and the land you now call home. Open your heart and live the life of Pura Vida, because if you don’t you will not be happy. Many ex-pats have gone home, leaving their American homes with a Realtor in hopes of selling it. No one but another American could buy it, so after two or three years they sell at a big loss.
    Our friend who lives next door and my wife go for walks all the time. She shows Janie all the plants that are eatable and they bring back a few for me to try; some are good, some not to my taste. There’s a plant in our back yard they boil down and pour over dogs to get rid of fleas; there’s a vine across the street that you boil and make soup out of it. There are more than three kinds of bananas growing in our back yard. The coffee is the best I have ever drunk. I’ve lost 10 pounds, Janie has lost 15, and we feel great.

How has Costa Rica lived up to your expectations so far?
    As for my writing. I wish I could say I had turned out a couple of novels by now, but I haven’t added much to the 24 chapters I came down here with. I need the newness to wear off. Right now I’m like a kid in a candy store for the first time. Also, when you are writing for yourself, there’s no need to hurry.

What do you miss about the United States?
    There are down sides to living here. But the good reasons for being here so outweigh the little things we miss about the States, we spend little time thinking about them. I’m writing this at my desk looking out over our valley as the sun begins to slide down the mountain.

Any regrets? What are they?
    Only one. We should have moved here sooner.

Is there a question you wished we had asked but didn’t?
    No, but I’d like to add: Pura Vida to you and all of your readers from Ed & Janie!