For the past couple of months I have been trying to find activities in Costa Rica where I am able to connect to intelligent like minded expats, preferably in the 25 to 45 age range. Through my searches I found out there are not very may of these opportunities available in Costa Rica.
If you are a college kid and down here to study Spanish it is quite easy to interact with those that are in the same school and program as yourself. If you are retired in Costa Rica, again there is ARCR and other groups that have formed in which you can interact with those in your community.
As for me I am not really into hanging out with college kids that are on a kind of Spring Break with Spanish lessons mixed in. I experienced that once and it was great, but I hope I have matured at least a little since 15 years ago. Also I am not really into sitting and listening to people tell the stories of their lives as the reminiscing about days gone by. I want to be around people that are focused on the here and now, wanting to experience and form their own life’s stories today.
Most of the groups I found online were just that…..online. I know it is important for some to know where to buy a coffee pot in Atenas and to locate a great breakfast place in Jaco, but for me I want to be able to interact with others, be able to share experiences and get advice from those that are living and doing business currently in Costa Rica. I was referred to InterNations by Corey Coates a Costa Rican entrepreneur that hosts “This Week in Costa Rica” on the Overseas Radio Network.
Like most things in Costa Rica, I go in expecting to be disappointed. I know that is not the right attitude to have but when so many times things do not meet your expectations in the land of “Pura Vida”, it is easier to walk in not expecting much and to be pleasantly surprised. This is exactly what happened with InterNations.
InterNations is a global organization whose motto is Connecting Global Minds. Their goal is to connect people around
the world to help them with moving to or living in various areas. In Costa Rica they are looking to do the same thing with expats that have come here from around the globe. They also have a guide gives you valuable information for your stay in San José, gives you reliable tips on moving to Costa Rica including the expat life in San José.
They also have monthly social events where you can mingle and network with other expats in Costa Rica. At this point it is just in San Jose, but we can only hope it spreads to other areas of Costa Rica. I had the pleasure of attending this event on Tuesday night in Escazu. I was quite surprised with and enjoyed interacting with expats in the age bracket I had mentioned above that were making their lives and leaving their footprints in Costa Rica. I was able to network on a business level with 10 to 15 of the individuals at the event as well as socially interact with many more. It was a nice to spend a night of just speaking English, as gringo as that sounds. There are people of every age and occupation so there is no doubt you will find someone to connect to at the monthly event.
For all of you looking to try to find a way to interact with other expats in Costa Rica this is a great group in which you can become involved.
If you would like to become a part on InterNations go to their website and register. Click Here to Become a Part of this Costa Rica Expat Community.
