Category Archives: Retirement abroad

Scribblegal signs off

I retired to Costa Rica in 2009 with my husband, Jack Kaiser, his two cats, Hobbes and Noir, and my dog Buddha. A year later, I wrote my first blog. Rereading it today, I’m a little embarrassed, but Scribblegal eventually … Continue reading

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Bitch-slapped by life

Life reached out and gave us a bitch slap recently. We’d taken an overnight trip with friends to Puntarenas, on the west coast of Costa Rica, a couple of hours away from our Puriscal home. At eight that morning, we’d … Continue reading

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Clean, or happy?

Before we moved to Costa Rica, we learned that we could find someone to clean the house for about a dollar an hour. I was ecstatic. Back home, I cleaned when company was coming. It’s not that I don’t love … Continue reading

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Lost and losing it

Jack and I left at quarter to six. The party was about fifteen minutes from our house, and none of our geezer friends is ever fashionably late. As we bounced down the nameless road that connects us with the rest … Continue reading

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A healthy balance on the credit side

Life has taught me to be a little nervous when I’m really happy. I want to knock wood, or refuse to speak of it for fear the feeling will disappear.  I remind myself of the Chinese peasant in The Good … Continue reading

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Goodbye dry season

Every morning my eyes popped open to the same sun-soaked, chirp-filled backdrop of palm and cedar trees. Not that I’m complaining. It’s hard to imagine a better alarm clock. Sun-shy, I wished, to little avail, for a few clouds during … Continue reading

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Puerto Viejo adventure

We planned our first trip to Puerto Viejo, on the Carribbean side, to coincide with the visit of my daughter, Bonnie, and my two granddaughters, Maiya and Bettie Belle. The luscious tropical resort area is a seven-hour trip from our … Continue reading

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Zapote, one church steeple at a time

I can’t remember what we had to pick up the first time we drove the two hours to the postal customs office, in Zapote. What I do remember is trying to find the agency. We’d learned the address: across from … Continue reading

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The Big Box

When we made the decision to retire in Costa Rica, I did my homework. I researched the requirements for residency, and had the application process well in hand before leaving the States. The requirements are onerous, seemingly designed to induce … Continue reading

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Making New Friends

One of the bonuses of retirement in Puriscal, Costa Rica, is the thriving expat community. Don’t think: gated enclave, though there are lots of them nearby. Folks here live the rural life, isolated from each other and scattered across the … Continue reading

Posted in Costa Rica, Current events, Life abroad, Retirement abroad, Rural Living | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments