If I don’t book a round trip flight from Sea-Tac to Costa Rica (which I don’t want to do), I need to book another ticket for 90 days after I arrive that I can show the authorities at the airports in Sea-Tac and in Costa Rica showing that I have a confirmed scheduled trip out of CR 90 days later even though I’m planning to make CR my forever home.

So, I found a bus service where I can get a ticket from San Jose to Managua, Nicaragua for just $30. It’s non-refundable but I can lose $30 without a big headache. (I expect to have my immigration papers submitted long before the 90 days runs out, so I won’t have to make that trip to get my passport stamped in Nicaragua showing that I left CR and then returned.)

These red tape type requirements are the roadblocks that can trip somebody up who’s moving to Costa Rica (or even visiting, if they plan to stay more than 90 days). The other challenge will be getting Charli seen within ten days of the flight to get a clean bill of health so she can fly with me.  I will be getting her shots in plenty of time, but she also has to be treated for internal and external parasites by a USDA vet (even though she doesn’t have any!) just before she flies so they can certify that she is free of contaminating diseases and parasites. The USDA vets may also need to get a regional USDA/APHIS vet (in Sacramento CA, two states away!) to review the paperwork and sign off on it, approving the trip…

I also have to look into international health insurance so I’ll have something to fall back on if I become ill or need extraordinary medical services before the pensionado residency is established, which can take six months to a year.  I estimate just six months for mine, as I have never been married or changed my name and my required docs (FBI backgroudn check, birth certificate, proof of guaranteed monthly income of $1K/month) are clean and green — no red flags in them to cause authorities to think I’ll become a financial burden to the country or a criminal.

After I become a pensionado resident, I can (in fact, I must) join the CR caja health care system and then my medical care will be taken care of by that program for under $100/month. (No deductibles, co-pays or drug expenses.)  Some residents also get private health insurance, but it isn’t expensive there. I have options, for sure. I can drop Part B of Medicare since I don’t ever plan to return to the US, even for medical care. (And I can get it back if I have to, but there will be a financial penalty depending on how long I went without paying into the Plan B part of Medicare.)

It’s all a jigsaw puzzle.Fortunately, I have an immigration coach (Margaret Aliff) who has helped numerous US expats navigate through the system. I won’t be doing any of it alone.

I’m newly tuned into a Spanish language radio station

I figure it’s a good idea to start immersing myself in the language in addition to reading about and practicing it. Unfortunately, the radio hosts speak so fast that I can’t make heads or tails of most of what they’re saying, but the musicians and singers speak/sing very clearly, so I can understand about a quarter of what they’re singing about  (corazon-heart; le quiero (I love), and other palabras. Over time, the number of words I understand will improve and I should be able to “listen faster” and make sense even of the rapid-fire hosts! Right now I’m better at reading and understanding Spanish (as long as I can take my own sweet time) than I am at speaking it.

It’s a pretty decent start!