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So we have one week left to go until we leave our San Diego home for our new life in Costa Rica. We have been making a lot of progress as far as getting all the necessary paperwork we will need to gain permanent residency once we get there. It has been an interesting process due to the fact that we were born in different states, married in another, and yet live in another. All documents including birth certificates, marriage license, and “letters of good conduct” have to be notarized if they do not have a state seal and then signed by the Secretary of State( aka Apostilled) in their state of origin. Lucky for us, as of December of last year, the hague convintion passed between Costa Rica and the United States so we no longer needed to pay to have all the documents authenticated by the Costa Rican consulate at our embassy! Whew!
Now the thing that’s got me up at night is hoping that these documents don’t expire before we can start the application for residency. Why that would have me worried is becuase the Apostille expires 6 months after it was stamped and we cannot submit an application until we actually have a 1st degree releative in our family, and she’s not due for another couple of months. We are giving ourselves a little cushion as far as time, but we are counting on her birth certificate for the last piece of the puzzle. Luckily you can google almost anything these days and I found a couple of bits of information from a woman who’s done this whole song and dance before.
As far as packing and consolidating our stuff we have been doing pretty good. We’ve had two garage sales, the first being more successful due to the “big ticket” items going first. I’ve constantly had stuff selling on Craigslist since the end of December, and that has been by far the most money making route to go. I’ve sold everything from 1960′s Schwinn bikes to houseplants to Heely’s roller shoes to handbags and snowboards.
We decided we are going to get a storage unit for our items that we can’t part with and may ship down in a container at a later date although we are trying to unload as much stuff as possible. I have found this part rather gratifying in some way as I’ve never been the type of person to need to much “stuff”. It is hard to decide what to part with, what to store, and what needs to travel down with us. We are inventorying everything in a spreadsheet in the case that once we get there we decide we want to ship down certain items and leave others.Here’s a rundown of the current list of things we will be storing in our unit:
- Box of books
- Box of Wall Art
- Box of Tools
- Box of photos/picture frames
- Box of Blankets/linens
- Box of Kitchen Supplies
- Box of Small Kitchen Appliances
- Box of Sewing Supplies
- Box of Art Supplies
- Box of Clothing Ricky
- Box of Clothing Lyndsey
- Box of C.D.s
- Box of Board Games/Miscellaneous
- Box of Office Supplies
- Large File Cabnit
- Keyboard
- Water Cooler
- Guitars/small amp
- Desk
- Coffee Table/Chest
- Skateboards/Indoboard
- Toychest/Toys/Books
- Small Dresser
- Crib
- Glider Chair
- T.V./D.V.D. player
- Speakers/Receiver
- Holiday Decorations
- Christmas Decorations
- King Mattress/ Frame
We’ve been switching any bills to paperless and have forwarded all our mail to a P.O. Box until we have a more permanent residence in Costa Rica. Oh yeah, we don’t know where exactly we will be staying at yet, but that’s a personal decision we’ve made because we’re the type of people that like adventure and have a problem signing a lease “sight unseen”. We plan on staying at a hotel for a couple of days or with a friend who lives in the area while we check out properties. There are some beautiful places at great rates online, so we feel like our chances of finding a great home to accommodate all of us plus my mom for a few months near the city are good.
The pregnancy up to this point has been going great! I am currently 25 weeks preggo and everything is flying by much quicker than with Eli. Aside from the typical heartburn and uncomfortableness of being bigger than I normally am, I’m feeling great. On my last doctor appointment I scheduled a final visit right before I leave to have my glucose screening as well as get a copy of my medical records. When Ricky was in Costa for his “recon mission”, he got a couple of references for OB/GYNs and everyone recommended the same guy, Dr. Adam Paer. I called his office last week but due to my current lack of Spanish speaking it didn’t pan out well with the automated options menu. Luckily after I emailed his office from the contact us portion of his website, the doctor himself responded to me personally a couple of hours later! He explained that his secretary does not speak English so to call his cell phone when I get to Costa and he will schedule an appointment then! WOW, I’m already liking this Doctor!
So now the plan for the next week is to finish packing up, move stuff to the storage unit, have a baby shower/going away party with all of our friends, and tie up a few loose ends. On Wednesday morning Eli and I will be flying to Oklahoma to stay with my parents for a week. Ricky will be driving the Escape (we are selling his van to a good friend) with Judah and all of our luggage to meet us after his 27 hour road trip. We decided it would be more economical to fly us seeing as how Eli and I need many more rest breaks than Ricky and Judah alone would. Also, the additional space it creates by eliminating the stroller and car seat alone make it worth it. We will then leave Judah with my folks and drive to Dallas for another week to spend with our family there. We fly out of Dallas on the 13th with a direct flight to San Jose and will have TONS of luggage with us! After we find a home and get settled in my Mom will fly out with Judah around a week before my due date to be there for the baby’s birth.
We are SO excited to finally start this next phase of our lives! When people ask me why we are going to Costa Rica the first thing that I usually say is that it has been a dream/goal of ours since we started seriously dating over 12 years ago. It has only recently become something we could make a reality due to the fact that we have downsized our way of life and can maintain an income virtually anywhere there is a communications network. We both love the unhurried lifestyle of living in a smaller Country and getting back to the bare bones of living off the land. It will be a simpler way of life and we expect and welcome the many changes it will bring.
We have a little over three weeks left in San Diego before we start our adventure halfway across the Untied States to visit family, then we make the big move down to Costa Rica in the middle of February. Lyndsey has diligently been going through all of our belongings and separating them into three major categories:
- Coming With Us
- Going to Storage
- Sell or Donate.
I have to admit, there is quite a bit of satisfaction that you get when you realize how unimportant many of the objects that you have been holding onto really are. Moving isn’t just about carting stuff across borders. Moving teaches us how to respond to change with agility and grace. It forces us to be present for the now and the new. So far there has not been a feeling of doubt or regret when I see that old bike or surfboard that I never ride go to a new owner but instead a feeling of joy and relief. Kind of like what the hens must feel when they molt away there old feathers and replace them with new ones. I am sad to see some of our plants go, but that is the way the tide rolls when you move to a new country. Not to mention I should be able to grow just about anything I want in the new climate.
Last Saturday morning we had a garage sale and sold off allot of our un-needed/used goods. With all of the items that Lyndsey has been selling on Craigs List we will probably just have one more garage sale and not have to set up at the local swap meet, like we had originally planned.
 Pile of clothes that we are getting rid of! Just yesterday we went through our clothes and made the three piles, plus one subcategory of stuff that we will take out to our families and leave so that we have warm clothes for future visits. Lyndsey will first take our pile of “Sell or Donate” items to Buffalo Exchange to see if we can get any money for them. The rest will be given away or donated to local charities.
When going through our things, including our clothing we are using the Pareto Principle also known as the 80-20 rule. The 80-20 rule states that “for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.” For countries this 80-20 rule can be related to wealth distribution, for business this can relate to customers or even vendors, for example:
- 80% of your sales come from 20% of your customers
- 80% of your complaints come from 20% of your customers
- 80% of your profits come from 20% of the time you spend working
- 80% of your sales come from 20% of your products
As an entrepreneur I have found that this principle is indeed true and understanding how it effects your business and work habits can save you allot of time and unnecessary stress with problem accounts. When we apply this principle to our current situation, packing and moving countries, this means that we use 20% of our stuff 80% of the time. That means that the other 80% of our stuff we only use 20% of the time or never. Clothing can be broken down the same way. As a guy I wear the same three pair of jeans, three pair of shorts and seven t-shirts 80% of the time. The rest of my clothing just takes up space. (Wow, this is pretty crazy to admit considering I own over 75 t-shirts. You would think I was in the garment buis. or something)
So how did we choose what to keep?
First we separated out that 20% of our wardrobe that we wear all of the time. Then we separated out the clothes that will do us no good in a tropical temperature I.E., pretty much any type of outerwear, long pants or long sleeves. These items we put in a bag that will stay with our families. The other items out of the 20% that we wear 80% of the time are coming to Costa Rica with us. With the rest of the clothing we asked ourselves three questions.
- Do I ever wear it? If the answer is No, then it goes to the donation/sale pile. If the answer is yes then I go to question two
- Will I ever wear it again? If the answer is No, then it goes to the donation/sale pile. If the answer is yes then I go to question three
- Is it worth keeping? If the answer is Yes, then it goes to the Keep Box, if the answer is No, then it goes to the donation/sale pile.
These three questions were also used for just about any object in our possession, just worded a bit differently.
- Do I ever use it? If the answer is No, then it goes to the donation/sale pile. If the answer is yes then I go to question two
- Will I ever use it again? If the answer is No, then it goes to the donation/sale pile. If the answer is yes then I go to question three
- Is it worth keeping? If the answer is Yes, then it goes to the Keep Box, if the answer is No, then it goes to the donation/sale pile.
However for some items we also asked ourselves the question
- How easy is it to replace? If it is something that is difficult to replace, we keep it. If it is easy to replace, we let it go. For example a toaster oven or a coffee maker. We will most likely purchase these needed items before we have time to send our container down. If that is the case… let it go.
So far the everything has been going pretty smoothly and we are surprised how many things keep falling into place. We still have quite a bit left to do… so we will keep you posted!
 When I was in Costa Rica last month I noticed that some of the nicer restaurants were using Tilapia as their fish protien when they made their ceviche. Ceviche is a dish typical to many Latin American countries with some slight variations on how it is prepared. In some countries like Mexico, Ceviche is often prepared and served with a tomato base, in other Caribbean countries, and Costa Rica, it is served with vegetables, minus the tomato base. The main similarity is how the fish is prepared. Instead of cooking it on a fire, you let it sit in lime juice and the acid from the juice cooks the fish. This is not to be mistaken for sushi, where the fish is served raw, in ceviche the fish is actually cooked i the lime juice as it changes texture and color when it is done. With all of the fresh sea food in Costa Rica I was a little shocked that they used Tilapia until I found out why. They used the Tilapia becasue of the light meet and texture that is so common with Tilapia fillets, also becasue of its ability to absorb flavor. So needless to say, the other day I gave it the ol’ college try and made some Tilapia ceviche for our friends to munch on while we watched the Rose bowl game at one of our neighbors homes. I grabbed the recipe off of the internet then added my own special touches to make it unique. With the exception of the lime wedges, avocado, chips and cucumber everything else we grew in our garden. I was really blown away on how good it tasted and so were a few others.
Tilapia Ceviche Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds tilapia, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 red onion, thinly sliced
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, (about 14 limes), plus wedges for serving
2 tomatoes, seeded and coarsely chopped
2 avocados, halved, pitted and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup freshly chopped cilantro
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Hot sauce
Small tostadas, for serving (optional)
Directions
Combine fish and lime juice in a large bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and marinate for about 8 minutes; drain, pressing into strainer to remove excess liquid. Return fish mixture to bowl. Stir in onion, tomatoes, avocado, cucumbers, and cilantro. Season with salt, pepper, and hot sauce. Serve immediately with tostadas and lime wedges.
So after 9 years of talking about it, we are going to take the rest of the steps to make the move from San Diego, California to Costa Rica. Lyndsey and I are both nervous, excited but are trying to make the most effective plans possible. So far they have changed a bit, and I am certain that they will again but as for today this is what we are planning on doing.
Time line
We have a timeline because Lyndsey can’t fly with the baby after a certain date. With this in mind it looks like we are going to fly out no later that the 15th of February. This gives us just under 5 weeks, because we plan on being out of our San Diego place by the 1st of the February.
Since we are planning on having our baby in Costa Rica we will also apply for residency because our little girl will be a Costa Rican Citizen. A friend of mine from childhood lives in Costa Rica and just got through processing the papers so that his Mom and Dad could retire down there. He is fluent in Spanish and is also a pretty smart fellow when it comes to understanding how things work down there. He sent me a list of things that need to be done to before coming down, since we are leaving in a few weeks we have to get everything done as fast as possible.
Required Documents to Obtain Residency In Costa Rica for A North American:
Here is Jason’s translation (highlighted the stuff we have to do in the U.S.):
1. Fill out the form.
2. Letter requesting residency. Follows a template they have.
3. $50 deposit
4. Some stamps
5. 2 pictures
6. Fingerprints – done in Costa Rica main police station
7. Registration with consulate – this is a new requirement and might be something you both have to do in L.A.
8. Birth Certificate – Legalized: i.e. Notarized, stamped by Sec. of State, stamped by Consulate, then stamped by CR Foreign relations office here and translated by an official translator. Since this is such a hassle I would recommend getting two copies done. I’m not sure if you’ll need to present a 2nd copy to CR Social Security down the road is why it would be a good idea.
9. Criminal Record from where you’ve been living – get this in San Diego, same legalization process as for birth certificate, i.e. Notary Public, stamped by Sec. of State, stamped by Consulate, then stamped by CR Foreign relations office here and translated by an official translator.
10. Photocopy of all pages of your passport
11. Birth certificate of your Costa Rican born baby from the Costa Rican civil registry
Important Notes: (I’m only translating the important ones, the others say the same as I said above or don’t pertain to you.)
1. Application must be done while you still have a valid tourist visa
2. If you come in to the country on a tourist visa, they’ll ask for a $200 deposit to change to permanent resident. On the website they talk about a Visa de posible residente that doesn’t require that $200 change fee, but I don’t know how you get that. I doubt saying we’re going there to have our kid there would be a good basis.
9. All documents are good for up to 6 months.
11. Present receipts for the $50 app fee and $200 deposit (this is just the start, they’ll find other amounts for you to deposit once you get going. Probably another $500 each total… but its still cheaper than leaving the country every 3 months.)
12. Present the application between 8am and 12pm
14. Once your application is approved you will need to register yourselves with Costa Rican social security and pay for public health care. This is what you will need your Marriage Certificate for.
We are going to try to get everything done as far as paper work as well as decide what to keep and what to sell. What we decide to keep we will put in storage to ship by container to Costa Rica at a later date. By the beginning of February we plan on heading out to Oklahoma and dropping Judah the dog off with Grandma and Grandpa. He will stay with them until the baby is born giving us a little time to settle in, and then come down and stay with us in Costa Rica. After visiting Lyndsey’s folks in Oklahoma and dropping off the dog we will drive down to visit my Mom and Dad in Dallas, leave our car with my folks and fly out of DFW.
What to keep, What to Sale?
The good thing is that we already downsized a lot on our last move. We are going to find some good homes for our rabbit and chickens, but just in case we don’t there is a local farm that we can take them to not to far from where we live. Lyndsey has already began listing and selling a few things on craiglist. What doesn’t sale on craigslist or make it into the storage unit I will take up to the local swapmeet and see what we can get for it there the Saturday before we head out of San Diego. The rest gets donated to a charity.
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