Synagogue Shaarei Zion, San Jose, Costa Rica

There are only 14 million Jews in the world; 7 million in the Americas, 5 million in Asia, 2 million in Europe and100,000 in Africa.  It is common knowledge that Jesus of Nazareth was Jewish. Albert Einstein, the most influential scientist of all time and TIME magazine’s ‘Person of the Century’, was a Jew.  Sigmund Freud did ego, and superego — the father of psychoanalysis was a Jew. So were Karl Marx, Paul Samuelson and Milton Friedman.

In case you don’t know Costa Rica has a Jewish population. Around the time of World War II many Jews immigrated to Costa Rica. Originally most worked in agriculture but they soon became involved in a variety of business endeavors. Now they own banks, automobile agencies, shoe store chains, department stores and many other successful businesses.  Many Jews are renowned professionals like architects, lawyers, doctors and dentists to name a few. They have also played a prominent role in the country’s political scene. As you can see Jewish people have contributed to making Costa Rica the great country that it is today. Visit http://www.centroisraelita.com/centro_israelita_informacion_visitantes_eng.htm for more information.

If you are Jewish and thinking of retirement in Costa Rica you should have no problem making friends and fitting in here. There is a synagogue  where you can worship and meet people of the same faith. If you have children there is even a Jewish school. Costa Rica has religious freedom and most other religions are represented here as well as having their own houses of worship.

Living a dream

Yesterday I finished one of my monthly relocation/retirement tours. During the tour my clients and I have the chance to really bond. I share my experiences about living here and answer all of their questions. They get a mini seminar from me everyday of the tour.  I also ask them a lot of questions about why they want to move here, their goals and what they expect from the country. That way I can address their specific needs. What really happens is that we become very close during the week we spend together  and end up becoming good friends. I actually feel sad after the tour is over because I miss the interaction.

I had a a particularly interesting group this month. There were Joe and Mary Ann from Ohio with their best friends Kathy and Steve. Richard and María and from Maryland, Audrey and Martin from Florida and Tony and Bev from California who rounded out the couples. The singles were Grafton, Debbie, Asher, Roger and Dana. Everyone really had a good time especially during the many dinners we shared as a group.

During one of our many discussions one of my clients said, “Chris, you are living the life we have dreamed of in Costa Rica.” I came to the realization years ago that I was really lucky to have moved here, but my clients statement really made me feel more blessed than ever to live in such a magical place on earth. I should never take anything for grated since many people would do almost anything to have the chance to move to this wonderful country. When one thinks what is going on in the rest of the world, it is so great to be living here in paradise…very…very uplifting.

¡Pura Vida!

Aquí se cura todo

I was watching the CBS Evening News on satellite the other night and it was a real drag. First, they started talking about the reemergence of hate groups in the U.S. because of the economy and the fact that the country elected its first black president.  The next story was about protests on tax day.  Then they talked about massive layoffs. Lastly, they alluded the number of multiple shootings that have happened recently in the U.S. And how frustrated people are there.

I love America and almost everything I have achieved in life is because I was born there. However, after watching the news from the U.S. I really feel blessed to live in Costa Rica. Don’t get me wrong Costa Rica is not without its problems but they are dwarfed with what is happening in the U.S. People here seem to be much more carefree and enjoy life with less. It is an uplifting feeling to be removed form all of the negativity that is so widespread in the U.S. If you have lived here or are are retired in Costa Rica you will know what I am talking about.

The Costa Rican Tourism Institute or ICT just came out with a new slogan I really like because it sums up the incredible lifestyle here. They say “Aquí se cura todo” which means “Here, everything gets cured.’

For those of you not familiar with the term “voluntary simplicity,” it is a lifestyle made popular in the book Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence, a New York Times bestseller written by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez in 1992 and updated in 2008.

“Dominguez, who died in 1997, left his Wall Street job as a technical analyst in 1969, when he was 31, and began living off the investment income from a $70,000 nest egg—about $6,000 to $9,000 a year. He and Robin devoted their lives to teaching people how to change the relationship they have with money and live well on less. Many of those who followed the program saw their spending reduced 20 to 25 percent in six months, says Robin, while some “super-savers” cut expenses 60 to 80 percent.  Your Money or Your Life became the bible of the so-called voluntary simplicity movement, which had started in the 1960s and has roots in frugality, environmentalism, social justice and spirituality.”

Most costarican shop for their fruits and vegetables at the weekend farmer’s markets which are held all over the country.

Now hard times are hitting older Americans directly in their wallets. With the nation’s jobless rate spiking at 8.1 percent and likely to continue rising, nearly 5.6 percent of workers 55 and older are unemployed, and many are struggling to find jobs. Those on fixed incomes have seen their retirement savings shrink by 30 to 40 percent in the market meltdown. No wonder the country is in a belt-tightening mood, with consumer spending down to the lowest levels in decades.

One possible solution to the economic woes is to move offshore to a country like Costa Rica, the world’s #1 retirement haven. Most Costa Ricans have been practicing voluntary simplicity all of their lives. Because of their limited earning power they are forced to live with less. Most shop for their fruits and vegetables at the weekend farmer’s markets which are held all over the country. Many buy their clothes at used clothing stores which import their merchandise form the United States. Furthermore, they pay virtually nothing for utilities because heat and air conditioning are not necessary in many parts of the country.  A lot of the locals don’t own cars and take public transportation which is dirt cheap. Costa Ricans often live with other family members with everyone contributing their share to household expenses.  They do all of this and still enjoy a great quality of life for far less money than most Americans.

The people here also take advantage of the government’s “cradle to grave health care system” . The cost is usually under $30 per month. You would be hard-pressed to find health insurance in the States for less than a few hundred dollars per month. Costa Rica also has one of the highest longevity rates in the world and boasts a large number of centenarians.

Much of what I mention above are suggestions made in Your Money or Your Life: Transforming Your Relationship With Money and Achieving Financial Independence . By moving to Costa Rica people can live well. The average local makes around $400 per month. A pension from the States combined with trying to live like the Costa Ricans  can enable you to live very well for a lot less than you would spend at home.

On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I show people how they can live well in Costa Rica without sacrificing their present lifestyle. In fact, they will have much better lifestyle and be happier here.

Holy Week is a national holiday in Costa Rica, there are scores of religious processions and other interesting activities associated with the death of Jesus Christ.

Throughout much of the Spanish-speaking world, there is no more colorful or momentous time of year than Holy Week (Semana Santa). It is celebrated nearly everywhere in Latin America and Spain with religious observances and various types of processions.

Semana Santa is the last week of Lent (cuaresma) and the week before Easter (La Pascua). It includes the religious holidays of Palm Sunday (domingo de palmas), Maundy Thursday (jueves santo) and Good Friday (viernes santo), and lasts from Palm Sunday  until Easter Sunday . It commemorates the last week of the earthly life of Jesus Christ (Jesús Cristo) culminating in his crucifixion on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday.

Costa Ricans take this holiday very seriously. There are scores of religious processions and other interesting activities associated with the death of Jesus Christ during Semana Santa. It is also  time for feasting. Meat is forbidden so Costa Ricans eat all types of seafood, especially canned sardines and tuna. There are plies of canned fish on display in supermarkets at this time of year.  Local dishes like miel de chiverri (a type of squash and brown sugar) are also widely consumed.

During holy week San José and other cities seem like ghost towns. Many people go to beaches or other parts of the country to visit friends and family. We jokingly say that the “whole city” goes to the beach at this time of year. One of the best things about Semana Santa is that driving is easy in San José since there are very few cars on the road, especially on Thursday and Friday.

On my monthly relocation/retirement tours I talk about Costa Rican culture and traditions. I always mention Semana Santa and all of the activities that it includes.