Change your life, why?

Can we also speak of a change of life since in fact this expatriation is only the continuity of our life path? But let's not get into philosophical debates... My wife and I have been married for over 30 years, have 3 children and 4 granddaughters: a beautiful family as they say, united, loving but where everyone respects each other's freedoms .

We have always loved traveling and moving (Ile de France, Sarthe, Brittany, Occitanie). We realized that we had this need for geographical change every 7 years, it's our life cycle in fact. On the travel side, we visited quite a few European countries, the United States and, in 2013, Costa Rica! A real favorite! Then life continued until four years ago, sitting on a beach in the sun, we looked at each other and, without having to talk too much, we said to each other that life in the sun would be nice! My wife was going to retire in a few months, I was an employee with still 10 years to go but I no longer wanted to think about that, to stress myself out by saying to myself "it's not reasonable, your retirement will be miserable. ...": for me life was now and not tomorrow! (“Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift” – Eleanor Roosevelt)

So in 2020 we returned to Costa Rica with the plan of finding our little paradise on the Pacific coast. The village of Potrero caught our eye. After exploring we found THE house we needed located 50 meters from the beach. Our first offer was refused, the second as well....and fortunately because two days later we returned to France and we announced COVID and its confinement... Back to square one but two years later we did it again .

The obstacles to changing your life...

Selling the house and all its contents, we left with 4 suitcases! You also had to announce it to friends, easy, and to family, more complicated...Especially when your parents are old and this kind of project goes beyond their vision of life. But after the shock came understanding: since our arrival we have been doing video sessions every week (what a great invention!) and casually it brings us closer together. The children also understood our approach. In the same way that one of them one day told us that he was moving to the United States, we respected his choice. So yes, as a parent we always have this feeling that we must stay close to them, see each other often, be able to help them if necessary...But should we as parents put our dreams aside? I don't think so: love is not attachment but respect for each person's life. So thanks again to Whatsapp which allows us to communicate with them regularly. We just see ourselves differently when they come: this is the only obligation we had for this project, to be able to help them financially to come and see us!

Money? Let’s admit it, my wife’s retirement made this change of life easier! It would allow us to cover the daily costs associated with the sale of the house. For my part, I didn't want to ask myself too many questions: I left my company without thinking about my retirement. Our project in Costa Rica was to build our house with a lodge whose income would improve our financial situation. And I really wanted to make a living from my passions once in my life. And then the default change is not irremediable: if we realized that the expatriation was a failure we could always return to France. Our relationship has always worked very spontaneously, whether for small or large projects, and each time we were able to bounce back and find solutions!

In my opinion, this is one of the elements that contributes to the success of such a project: the solidity of the couple, love. Because from one day to the next we find ourselves together 24 hours a day in a country that we know little about and of which we do not master the habits and customs and even less the language. So it’s better to get along!