www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Having just completed a 17 day whirlwind tour of various US cities and states (longest US visit in almost 4 years), I can only say..."thank God and Greyhound...I'm gone". While its always nice to see family and friends, each year that passes living "offshore" I get increasingly removed from the hustle. bustle and politics of American living. And woman wise...I see happier more smiley faces on the Latinas in the Delrey (women working HARD for the $) than I do in the churches and bars of US of A. I'm seeing very little of the "life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness" the US bill of rights ensured. Will post more on this when I have more time, but in general...I am concerned for my USA friends and family...if only for their diet and cancer riddled consumption program. Jeesh...I had cousins I hadnt seen in 5 years who had gained 150 to my 20 ...

Just glad to be back with the GF and the fellowship of CRT ...

Welcome back Tman. I am working diligently towards getting the hell out of here myself. Hopefully within a year.
sparky

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Sparky
Get in line to ride the lightning!!!


Almost legally single again! Voy a Colombia otra vece!!

Tman, looking forward to more details on your views of life in the US after living in CR for several years...

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Living well is the best revenge
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MwUtj_YnNoY

Tman,
If I had known you were out of the country while I was in San Jose I would have looked up your lady just to see how she was doing.

Hell, outside of the improvement, she wouldn't have noticed the difference!

See you next week.

Wit

Thanks gents for the feedback and affirmation. I almost wrote "positive feedback", but to be honest I am saddened to have to write what I did. I grew up in a land of opportunity and information, but some of that info and opportunity has led me to the knowledge and awareness of what I term a better life. It's not neccessarily a life of security and political "correctness", but if life is to be measured by the freedom to live and let live, to express one's unique views and take on life, and to live and love according to one's own "humanistic" tendencies...then I have found a better life outside of the land of my fathers. But then again, it wasnt too many generations ago (my grandparents) when the "tired and worn" of the world were welcomed to make a "better life" in America. Now the remnants of those immigrants of this past century are putting up walls and boundaries to "protect" their ways of life from other races, religions and political persuasions. Are we beginning to see the reverse exodus in such a short 100 years of people who truly want to live in peace and prosperity...and cant find it in "America"?

I know this is a deep and varied subject which can breed many varieties of reaction and emotion...but my guess is that many of our members here come to Costa Rica as often as possible to experience a breath of "fresh air" culturally and otherwise. Surely there are imperfections wherever you go in this shrinking world of ours...but my recent sojourne reinforced my motivations to work and prosper as an expat. More and more, the English I speak there sounds foreign to the friends and family I left behind to pursue a freer life. They listen to my experiences and ideas as if I came from Mars. Most cannot handle the expat life immediately, but I predict you will see more and more the wave of discontents moving to this and other foreign destinations to once again sense the freedom that they were born to serve in the America that once was...amd better use of the money they made in the "land of opportunity"...

TMAN;
WELCOME BACK TO PARADISE AMIGO.
"A BREATH OF FRESH AIR". MY MAN, YOU HIT THE NAIL RIGHT ON THE HEAD!
ORIGINALLY, I GOT OUT BECAUSE I COULD NO LONGER AFFORD IT BUT I NOW REALIZE THERE WAS A DEEPER REASON WHICH YOU SO APTLEY DESCRIBED. I FEEL FREER HERE THAN I DID THERE - DOES THAT MAKE SENSE?
LVSTEVE

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Just an old horney, fat gambler.

I am also saddened by what the USA has become but I must be honest. The freedom I feel in CR and other places is because of the passport I have in my pocket. I was told this by an uncle before he died and as I get older the truth unfolds.

Great Posts Tman,

Its refreshing to see others post thoughts and feelings very similar to how I am seeing things. I know I am not the only one who feels this way, but I think I am still in the minority on this.

When trying to explain to others out there (that seem hell bent on being the following sheep type or worker-bee/drone type) how I feel ....I constantly get this look of puzzlement and confusion.

At this point it doesn't even matter whether other people get it or not, but I do appreciate those that do and am always interested to hear how they are approaching life and what their plans and strategies are in order to get out of the mainstream American lifestyle that is constantly forcing itself upon its people whether they buy into it or not.

Keep up the good posts and perspectives.

Excellent posts Tman! I could not agree with you more, as a few of my past posts indicate. I saw it coming many years ago, and the situation seems to get worse as time progresses.

Can you say 'Supersize me'

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"In a nation ruled by swine, all pigs are upwardly mobile, and the rest of us are phucked until we can put our acts together; not necessarily to win, but mainly to keep from losing completely"...Hunter S. Thompson (RIP)

"God bless America...land that I love...." hahahahahahahaha no mas..no mas Tman I couldn't have said it better myself. If not to visit family,I would NEVER go back.

Tman, great post. See you 9/29 through 10/6. Traveling solo this time. Staying at the prez but will be at SL for dinner and drinks. My wife Deb says Hi.
I agree that the USA is going downhill fast. See you soon.

kenj8

Alot of good input here.

Twarag......I especially liked that line from your uncle. I'm going to remember that one.

Zebra

Tman,

Outstanding post. I also have been an expat for several years now and your experience is exactly what I see every time I go back home. My first trip to Central America was to El Salvador and my experience there changed the way I will look at the USA forever. I saw people with virtually nothing who just completed a brutal civil war, and they were the happiest, friendliest people I had ever seen. Everyone had a radiant smile, there were parties and music playing in virtually every house, the Ch*ldren playing and laughing in the street. It was amazing. These people have perspective and are truly happy.

When I returned home to Chicago, I looked at the people and it was depressing. Everybody was in a hurry, talking on cell phones, looking at their watches, trying to get to that next meeting. After work I'd go to the bars and see everyone in their business suits getting drunk, trying to forget about the stress of their daily lives. We have everything and yet we are miserable. The sad part is that we don't even realize we are miserable. In the US we have a society where the ultimate goal in life is the accumulation of wealth, and that is sad.

As far as the lack of freedom goes, as much as I'd like to blame the group of clowns who are in charge right now, I think we have been doing it to ourselves for many years now. We demand a high rate of return on our investments and therefore in turn we spend the majority of our existence at work. We sue the hell out of the local park district when our son hurts himself on the swings, so they end up closing the park and developing condominiums. We demand that our neighborhoods be protected against hoodlums and crime and we in turn we get locked out of other neighborhoods. It's a self fulfilling prophecy. If you want freedom, there is still plenty of it in the country to the north and the country to the south, but it definitely is disappearing in the US.

I personally wouldn't mind if I never have to return to the USA again. This is a great topic Tman, I definitely feel your pain. Shit, and I haven't even talked about the gringas.

These are some great posts. What I have always found so ironic is that alot of us guys crave what is offered in less developed countries. Ie..CR, Mexico, Caribbean islands. While the inhabitants of the less developed countries crave what we have. Assumed wealth, freedom to travel the world w/1 passport etc.. Seems we are all envious of the other for one reason or another. I must pose one question and it is MY OWN curiousity since I have never lived abroad. Do you think you would be just as happy living in CR if you lived at the locals economic standards of living? I have been told by friends that I, as a reasonably successful gringo would never be able to adapt to the typical Tico lifestyle. Maybe yes, maybe no. But, I do wonder if living abroad would be as appealing if you had to live at the level of the average native. Yes or no? Again, this is only my curiousity.

dapanz1

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Paradise= Sitting outside the Bodega in Panama City about 1 am. Drinking cool Balboas with cool friends and blazin' hot Colombianas. I want to be there..RIGHT NOW!

Take away the young, cheap pu*sy and you'll see how the members would go to other destinations in search of "fresh pu*sy", I mean, "air"