Living in Costa Rica retirement relocation tours.

Meeting A Nobel Peace Prize Winner

On January 4, 2006 I was privileged to meet with Dr Oscar Arias Sánchez at his home. He is one of Costa Rica’s most distinguished citizens. Don Oscar was president of Costa Rica from 1986 to 1990. His most notable achievement was the Central American Peace Plan which ended year’s of conflict in the region in 1987. For his efforts he earned the 1987 Nobel Peace Prize. In 1988 Dr. Arias furthered his vision of democracy and nonviolence by founding the Arias Foundation for Peace and Human Progress. The mission of the Foundation is to promote just and peaceful societies in Central America and other regions (see www.arias.or.cr). Don Oscar is now the front runner in the 2006 presidential race. He is expected to win easily.

When my two Costa Rican friends and I arrived at the Arias residence in the San Jose suburb of Rohrmoser and were escorted through the main entrance by one of Don Oscar’s assistants. He took us to the ex-president’s study and told us to make ourselves comfortable.

One of the things the impressed me the most was that the former president was not surrounded by scores of body guards. In fact, during his presidency he would often walk alone in the nearby Sabana Park. This would never happen in the U.S. or any other country. Costa Rica is a country with no enemies. Even the presidents and ex-presidents feel comfortable with little security.

The first thing that caught me eye while sitting in the study was the large number of books that lined three sides of the room. There were also 50 to 100 books on a large circular table in the center of the room. I glanced at some of the titles and was really impressed by the subject matter. There were awards and medals displayed and pictures or Dr. Arias with several U.S. presidents.

After about a ten minute wait Don Oscar entered and greeted us warmly. We talked about various subjects including his current presidential campaign, art and culture, education, poverty and the growing number of baby boomers moving to Costa Rica. The former president proved to be an exceptional listener and very knowledgeable on all topics. After about forty minutes he had to leave due to prior commitment. We took a few pictures with Mr. Arias and said good-by to him.

We were really impressed by the way we were treated and grateful for having had the opportunity to meet a person of Dr. Arias’ stature.