Awareness of environment !

Prior to my weekend of being blindfolded in the woods and searching for leaves to build a debris hut, my environmental awareness was limited to cosmopolitan instincts of looking for a new movie playing at the theatre or the latest sale at the Gap. I would learn that keen observation of the physical environment is critical to survival in the outdoors, the corporate world and yes, Costa Rica. Without it, dangers go unrecognized and rather than being comfortable and at peace in the environment, we tend to assume the behavior of a running animal, likely to fall in a ditch, or be caught by the predator. In the corporate world, environmental assessment includes knowledge of the competition and changing market demands. When moving to a foreign country awareness can be even more challenging, due to unfamiliar terrain.

When I met my husband, I told him, a condition of our life together, was an eventual move to Costa Rica. His logical queston was how often I had visited? “Never I had simply read the excellent book on retiring here.” Fortunately it would be 5 years before taking the plunge, but not without some close calls of buying property which would have been disastrous for our particular lifestyle. We have a friend assigned to Costa Rica who is battling a mold allergy, an unknown environmental hazard to her until the onset of the rainy season. Another was horrified when she found her pet cat in the belly of boa, and yet another who is building a Safe Room in his new home after he was robbed while travelling for an extended period this past summer. Environmental assessment relates to security considerations, knowledge of plant and wild-life-a visit to the Serpentarium to identify poisonous serpents is a good idea, as well as a myriad of details related to daily life, including a study of Culture, Health Care, Travel Routes and Emergency Procedures.

When our houseman had a midnight medical emergency, we learned in panic “running animal” mode, how to get to the Hospital. We now have routes, alternate routes and all emergency numbers and papers with us at all times.

One technique we used prior to our move was emailing a list of questions to some long term residents here, asking them to share their input and suggestions on everything from whether or not to ship our furniture to how I was going to battle the Bugs. I really hate bugs! To this day, I refer to that survey and thank God for those kind people who shared their surprises and saved us a few.

In the next issue we will continue with additional Survival Skills for Costa Rica, to help you in adjusting to your all-new lifestyle.

Rosemary and Barry Rein moved to Costa Rica 3 years ago, upon selling their Boutique Hotels in Philadelphia and Cape May, New Jersey. The Reins bought their dream home in the mountains of Escazu and now own and operate Café de Artistas, a local favorite for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon coffee, located in San Rafael de Escazu.

© El Residente ARCR Administración S.A. San José, Costa Rica N.B. Like all information on the internet, this article may currently be incorrect or out of date.