With it’s gorgeous beaches, laid back lifestyle and biodiversity for days, Costa Rica is an appealing vortex for all kinds of expats from every corner of the planet. Although everyone has their own tale of why, how, when or where they moved from, there’s also no denying you can shuffle the majority of foreigners that you meet into a few categories of ‘loco’.
The Founders
You can almost immediately recognize a Founderpat when you talk with one. They are the admirable and vocal hardcore expats who cleared the path for you newbies before there were paved roads, more than one phone per town, sliced bread, soy milk or bottled water.
It’s hard not to appreciate their gumption for sticking with the expat life and establishing themselves despite the early hurdles and bureaucracy, but don’t worry, they’ll never let you forget it either.
The Genuine Retiree Snowbird
A common community of expats in Costa Rica are the bonafide retirees from North America and other parts of the world as well, who fled a lifetime of hard work and scrapping quarter inch ice off their windshields with snot frozen to their upper lip daily to finally enjoy their golden years in the tropics thanks to their well-earned pension.
Sure, many ‘pensionados‘ could stand to learn a little more Spanish, but you can let them slide considering their investment in the local economy and glorious Margaritaville attire which screams sell me a $5 pipa fria.
The Accidental Expat
While less common than some of the other expat stereotypes, it’s easy to spot an accidental expat based on their “c’est la vie” attitude and constant social media selfies with shiny filters letting everyone know that they-and they alone-discovered Costa Rica and they’re never going back.
You have to appreciate their diligence as they hustle to make some money by selling burritos on the beach or continue asking their family to fund their “Inundated Spanish Abroad” experience so they can surf and drink rum. They are truly free spirits that embrace the Pura Vida lifestyle, that is until they can’t connect to WIFI to let their followers know how Pura Vida their day is.
In the end, it’s not so important where you fall in terms of the expat spectrum or what your motives are for living in Costa Rica, but you should never stop appreciating how lucky you are to be welcomed with open arms into this wonderful country.
“There are no foreign lands. It is the traveler only who is foreign.”
― Robert Louis Stevenson, The Silverado Squatters
