LIFE’S A BLOCK PARTY

Cost of Living Update: One bottle of something that resembles Windex—$3.20

My husband loves to talk about block parties he had as a kid growing up in Bensonhurst, Brooklyn. The men would race with balloons between their knees, and kids would bob for apples. None of it was very complicated or expensive. The main goal was to get everyone together to encourage a strong community.

Living in row houses may have been congested, but if you were running low on salt or sugar, you could easily get a cup by knocking on the wall and calling out to your neighbor. Everyone helped each other out, and the evenings were full of people sitting in their yards together enjoying glasses of lemonade.

Although Costa Rica has wide open spaces, it has a sense of community that reminds my husband of his youth. People are friendly, and are willing to lend a hand when needed. Their block parties are simple affairs. Children dance to music in the streets while women ladle out gallo pinto. Men on horses show off their skills; the horses decked out with braided manes and fancy saddles.

I get this same feeling when we are out on the town. It’s never complicated here, the dress code is always the same: shorts, T-shirt, and flip-flops. Everyone knows each other and is excited when they see their friends walk through the door. It’s as if I stepped back in time and walked into my old college bar. The familiarity makes me remember a moment that I almost forgot, that intimate feeling when people are excited that you showed up to join the fun.

The other night I went out to see a popular band, Local Legend, play in Potrero. The restaurant was right on the beach, with plenty of tables and a large swimming pool. I don’t go out much in the evening, but was surprised when I noticed so many of my friends were there. And it wasn’t just the adults having fun, they brought their children who were busy playing Marco Polo in the pool and singing along to the songs.

There were people of all ages dancing to the music. I noticed that there was a lack of pretense. Maybe it’s because we all face the same issues: mysterious car problems, intermittent utilities, and bureaucratic red tape. Much of this you can’t throw money at; it gets fixed on its own schedule. All you can do is nod your head in agreement when you hear of someone who has been waiting on a car part for two months. You just laugh, because you know that will most likely be you in the near future.

As the night went on, the restaurant became more crowded and I realized that this was the most people I’ve seen in this small beach town in a long time. It occurred to me that the entire community showed up to support the band and the restaurant that just recently reopened.

Toward the end of the night, my husband turned to me and said, “Doesn’t this feel like a block party? We all know each other; everyone is being friendly and considerate as they walk through the crowd. It just feels so much different than going to a club in the states. It’s as if people accept you here and are more concerned about your character than what you have to offer.” It was then the rain came and many of us ran into it and cooled ourselves off. The kids just jumped back into the pool.

We stayed until the last song before driving home. The rain subsided but left a misty fog across the road, making the potholes even harder to avoid. When I first moved here, it was hard to quantify all the things that made Costa Rica so attractive. Some were easy: the weather, friendly Ticos, and a lower cost of living. Others were more subtle, like the camaraderie I experienced that night.

Maybe I was searching for one big block party; one that had me dancing in the rain.

By | 2018-04-15T18:19:32-04:00 June 20th, 2012|Categories: Neighbors|Tags: , , |28 Comments

About the Author:

Nadine is the author of the best-selling series, Happier Than A Billionaire. Join her as she navigates living as an expat in the sometimes confusing, always beautiful, country of Costa Rica.

28 Comments

  1. Mardy Murray July 29, 2017 at 11:18 am - Reply

    Love your stuff! Thanks for everything you write!

    • Nadine Hays Pisani October 19, 2017 at 6:42 pm - Reply

      That’s so sweet Mardy. I enjoy writing so much, and especially sharing it with people. This county is so darn beautiful, I want to tell the world!

  2. Terri Trickett September 23, 2012 at 9:08 pm - Reply

    Hi , my husband and I have been at the place you and Rob were at for about 4 years now. The stress and pace of life here (Toronto, Canada) is killing us. We are both so very tired, in our bodies, our souls and our minds. We really need to make our escape. We have looked at a lot of places and compared and we feel CR is the place for us. My husband is an artist and I am a photographer and also taking an online TESL course (teaching English as a second language). We have been researching CR but are worried about making a living there. Everything we read seems to say we have to have a lot of money in the bank or a monthly income we can prove. Is this true? What did you two do when you first got there and what do you do now? We are hoping to come and live there for a few months to figure out where we want to live. Can you give me any advise. I have started reading your book and love it. I wrote similar things when i lived and travelled on a 50′ sailboat in the Caribbean. It was an adventure. But that was long ago and we need to start living our lives before its too late. My husband is suffering health problems due to a hiatus hernia that just gets worse and worse. He hardly sleeps any more due to stress and worry about money and our lack of a life we feel joy and hope in. I am getting so depressed I don’t want to leave the house. This North American lifestyle of working yourself to death doing something you hate is absurd. When I read your words they describe how we feel to a tee. Any thoughts and advise you have would be so appreciated. Thanks and warm thoughts, Terri

    • admin October 3, 2012 at 5:57 pm - Reply

      Hi Terri,

      Boy oh boy do I know how you feel! I would first take a much needed vacation and come travel the country for a bit. Check out the mountains and beach and see if this is a lifestyle you would like. It’s not for everyone, but it was perfect for me. I love so much about this country, the slower pace, the friendly people, it would be hard to go back to the rat race again.
      As for residency, check out a website called residency in costa rica and you can see which category you fit in and how much you would need to be residents.

      It sounds like you need a change, and the hardest part is the actual “change” part. But once I got my feet on the ground I was determined to make it work. Perhaps you will feel the same way.

      • Amy May 16, 2013 at 7:09 pm - Reply

        Hope you don’t mind my chiming in. :0)
        A lot of people don’t qualify for residency anymore and simply come on a tourist visa. You have to leave Costa Rica every 90 days to renew your visa. If you settle in the northern region its a simple drive to the Nicaraguan border. You can just go across the border for a couple hours or make a weekend out of it. Nothing like a little forced vacation every 3 months 🙂

        As far as making a living down here, I don’t think it’s easy. Some people do for sure, but I think it takes a lot of work and some luck.

  3. Nora Rogowski August 19, 2012 at 12:43 pm - Reply

    I have been wanting to visit Costa Rica for a long time. Read your book and thoroughly enjoyed it. Lots of LOL moments. My husband and I are almost ready to retire. Sick of the politics and crime in US. Live in south Florida. Need a change. I am 60 and my hubby is 64. Do u meet many “older” people who choose to relocate? Wha area would you recommend if u cannot tolerate the heat and humidity where I currently live? Looking forward to hearing from u and possibly meeting u one day!

    Nora

    • admin August 21, 2012 at 8:49 am - Reply

      Most expats we meet are older here. If you are looking for a nice temperate region, I would definitely look into Grecia. It is still one of the prettiest parts of the country and will always hold a special place in my heart. If you live up in the mountains, it is in the 70’s most days.

  4. Carla July 13, 2012 at 4:15 pm - Reply

    Oh, this sounds glorious! I would rather go to a block party and get caught in the rain than go to a club in the US any day (who wants to stand in line to get in one while wearing stilettos, anyway? Barf.). Now I want to go run and frolic in the rain!

    • admin July 14, 2012 at 8:16 am - Reply

      You are absolutely right! Just flip flop here and sand between your toes. And most important—-no cover charge!

  5. Kimberly Rebchook July 9, 2012 at 2:35 pm - Reply

    Thank you so much for writing such a fun and funny book. I could barely put it down
    and have insisted that my husband read it! We are taking our daughter to Costa Rica
    to celebrate her 16th birthday and I wanted to read something about the country other than the typical travel books. While you have managed to make me very nervous about bullet ants, at least I know about them now. I somehow doubt my husband will rescue me if I am “shot.” He will be too busy running away. But, now I am forewarned. I will not tell my daughter about them since she would spend the entire trip staring at the ground. I might skip mentioning the scorpion nests as well! Nevertheless, thank you so much for a great book. I laughed out loud over again. Loved Delores’ peeing dogs. Although, I’m sure they are funnier on paper, than in person. I admire you determination to not live a life of drudgery . Thanks again.

    • admin July 14, 2012 at 8:14 am - Reply

      Thanks so much Kimberly for the kind words. I can only imagine how much fun your daughter will have. What a wonderful mother you are to give her the gift of travel. It’s my biggest regret that I did not backpack across Europe in college. I think I might have looked at the world differently and learned that it was a big, awesome place to explore at a younger age.

      As for the life of drudgery, I think you said it the best–determined. I was…so much that I did something as crazy as sell off everything and move down here. It was like a fork in the road, was I going to the right, and continue in that office….or veer off to the left into the unknown.

      There hasn’t been one day I regretted it. And I’ve been through some crazy obstacles here, but always at the end of the day, I’m so thankful I’m waking up to howler monkeys and the sounds of parrots overhead. I will never forget that pit in my stomach I had every morning knowing I had to go into the office. And that’s what keeps me determined to stay and make this whole thing work!

  6. Evan July 9, 2012 at 2:33 pm - Reply

    I appreciate your blog and am happy you transitioned to Costa Rica. Please come visit and help me promote my blog! -Evan

    • admin July 14, 2012 at 8:09 am - Reply

      Thanks Evan, I’ll stop by.

  7. Connie Brentford July 7, 2012 at 8:37 pm - Reply

    Great post on the sense of community you get living in a foreign country. I think a lot of people presume that things will be too different and you’ll never fit in when you decide to leave your home country. I have not found this to be the case. After living in Mexico and Belize, I found the sense of home and neighborly friendliness started with in a few days. Invitations to eat over and go bar hopping came easily. You feel proud to be a representative of the community and in no time you’re welcoming the newcomers.
    In San Pedro, Belize, (my favorite place) when the power is out, Jose will get to it when he’s finished “sleeping it off” and can climb up the pole to fix it. It will be fixed on island time and somehow that’s ok.

    • admin July 14, 2012 at 8:00 am - Reply

      Don’t you know it. The electricity is always going off and on here. Sometimes it’s just for a few minutes, sometimes most of the day. But what can you do? Can’t complain because that’s not going to change anything.

      Like you mentioned, I love being a representative of my country as well. It’s easy to find friends as well. Expats are usually very open and always inviting new people for parties. By the way, Belize sounds AWESOME!

  8. Dan D June 26, 2012 at 10:31 pm - Reply

    First let me just say that my best friend and I just finished your book, and we both thoroughly enjoyed it. I find your writing style to be both deliciously comedic, sprinkled with hints of your own self awareness, and also very informative with a positive message. One might describe your writing style as being somewhere in between Justin Halpern (Sh*t My Dad Says), and Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie)… I loved both of these books as well , and I hope you aren’t put off by my comparison.
    Congratulations, and I look forward to your next adventure!!
    P.S.
    Are there any (Licensed)Pest Control Companies in CR??

    • admin June 29, 2012 at 9:18 am - Reply

      Thanks so much for your kind words! “Deliciously Comedic” is such a fabulous description, I should put that as a blurb on my back cover!

      I have to read Justin Halpern because that’s the third time someone compared me to him. Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. And yes, there are pest control companies. Licensed….not sure. But I know they will put boa constrictors up in your attic if you have bat problems.

      Please don’t ask why I know that little piece of information.

  9. Mitchel June 22, 2012 at 12:55 pm - Reply

    Got my wife hooked on this site! We are heading back to Guanacaste provence to experience the rainy season.

    I have been sharing my journey of exiting full time clinical practice & just posted an interview with a chiropractor friend who is branching off into other areas.

    I would love to interview you & Rob on skype to share your story with others in health care who are seeking happiness by walking a different path.

    One never knows what is around the next corner if they don’t take a step and look!

    Mitchel

    • admin June 29, 2012 at 9:14 am - Reply

      Hi Mitchel! My internet is to lousy to use Skype right now, but maybe we can meet up once you are here. Safe Travels!

      • Mitchel July 5, 2012 at 7:21 pm - Reply

        That would be fantastic. My kids are already counting down the days.

  10. Brett June 21, 2012 at 9:44 pm - Reply

    Love block parties. When we moved to our new house three years ago when we found out they had a block party each year I joined the committee. I can only imagine what it was like for you. Was it a warm rain? I love walking out in a warm rain.

    • admin June 29, 2012 at 9:13 am - Reply

      There is always the sun in every little raindrop in Costa Rica.

  11. Lori June 20, 2012 at 9:29 pm - Reply

    This sounds absolutely wonderful. I wrote about that feeling of community from my childhood in my short story anthology. I sure do miss it. How great that you have done something with your lives to actually live it. Good for you.

    • admin June 29, 2012 at 9:11 am - Reply

      It feels a lot like that down here, more of a community feeling. I don’t know why we lost so much of that in the states. Maybe too much rush…rush…rush has made us cold to the people around us.

  12. Patrick B June 20, 2012 at 12:21 pm - Reply

    I am with Robin , can’t wait to get there…
    February can’t come fast enough. Life here in the States is still good, but its the none stop elections, and the lack of personal touch that is driving me nuts…

    • admin June 29, 2012 at 9:04 am - Reply

      I’ve been keeping away from all news and I am so much happier. I couldn’t even imagine getting into a political conversation with anyone….just too many other fun things to do.

  13. Robin June 20, 2012 at 11:01 am - Reply

    WOW I can’t wait to be there. Sounds like you just have to let things roll off your back and just go with the flow. Now that I know what will happen and know it will get fixed than hay..life is good. I pray that God see fit to let this happen in my life and I may live in a place were things are slower and easier…less STRESS! Can’t wait for your New Book to come out. Be in CR August 11-18th can’t wait! Have a Sunny day!
    Robin

    • admin June 29, 2012 at 9:03 am - Reply

      Hi Robin. My husband is a much more laid back guy than me. But I have learned to roll with the punches. It makes things so much easier here when you don’t expect too much. If something doesn’t get fixed….then manana!

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