hey guys I'm michael alan from TravelcostaRicaNOW.com Sorry about this shady sun thing, but man it's just too
sunny here. Anyway guys if you've never seen another video we've ever done, this
is the one for you,if you are planning on living in Costa Rica. This is the 10
commandments, the word from God. I'm telling you if you expect to make it, and
live in Costa Rica. Now you're probably asking well Michael what makes you God?
how do you know these things? I'll tell you. Well not only do I have like
empirical knowledge just from my own experiences, I you know I blogged for a
long time, I've made you know about 400 videos, I talked to a lot of people about
a lot of things, and that is how I think I can tell you these Commandments will
say. Now to me these are the things if if things go wrong, you can literally lose
everything you ever made, you could go back to your home country with your tail
between your legs, these are it. There's other little nuance things, but these
are like the commandments. Now I understand, and actually like the
regular Commandments there are exceptions to the rule. Which I like
exceptions to the rule right? I mean you don't want everything black and white, we
live in the gray right? So there's always that little thing that that nuance that
might work for you. You might become the exception, but that's not normally the
case in the odds of you were becoming the exception, it's probably not the case,
but therein lies the problem. The only people I'm not talking to, that are
the exception to the rule, and most rules are rich people. This video is not for
you, you can turn it off now all right. Anyway guys, two things, when I say Tico,
I'm talking about locals, the people that live here, that's what they call
themselves. Tico's and when I say Gringo we'll just
say that that's everybody else okay? All right commandment number one, if
you're gonna live in Costa Rica you need to know how to have an understanding and
know the Tico culture. You have to have an understanding, you have to understand
the Pura Vida attitude, the simple life. You have to know about kind of gringo
pricing.You need to kind of know things like when they say yes they might eat
really mean no. You are not in your country anymore.
This is their country, not your country. Keep your preconceptions and how you
think things are supposed to be in your head. They don't care. They don't want to
hear it. They don't care so you have to have a knowledge of the Tico culture, and
believe it or not, that's one of the, one of the main reasons people do end up
leaving here. All right so now number two commandment, number two, do not get
married here. I know all you guys coming down here looking for the Tica girl.
Well you're usually marrying or liking the girl that's below you, and in the
money and the economic. We'll say she makes less than you.
Women have kind of more rights than you. They will take you. There are just too
many bad stories about you marry the Tica girl and you losing everything you
ever had. Alright? Now the Gringa girls that come down here looking for
the guy... They're usually also they also end up
hooking up with guys that don't make as much money as they do. So now a couple
things. If you are going to get married, you're just love is so strong, and you
are the exception to this rule, you need to get a prenup. You need you can get him
here you need a good good prenup a good lawyer, do whatever you have to do to get
you know to get that prenup women rule here women rule. I would even say if
you're gonna have a girlfriend a serious girlfriend here
I personally wouldn't I would still have her live somewhere else, keep give her an
apartment if you want, but you know the common-law thing works here too, all of a
sudden you may not know you're married, you might kind of be married. You know
what I mean? You're gonna lose man you're going to lose. A woman scorned here is
about 10 times as it is in the States trust me. You're probably not the exception. All
right number three commandment number three, do not build here, do not buy here.
Rent rent rent rent. Don't why you wasting your money why are you taking
$300,000 in building a place, and doing all that? You're not gonna get your money
back all right? There's all kinds of reasons why you should not do this all
right. Now, if you do have to buy oh my god mike
I gotta buy... Buy an existing property so the bigger one in this commandment is
don't build here. For a variety of reasons. It is never like a kid you not
it's never been a good story. I've never I've heard the outcome they're happy
with the outcome eventually, but the story to get there, always sucks, and it's
always way more. It's fraught with danger, guys don't do it, and I guarantee you
won't be the exception on that if you end up building. Now if you are gonna go
that route and purchase something, maybe a container type home and save your
money, rent you know have a place of where you kind of lay your you know your
head, and then you could travel around stay here six months, rent over here, for
you you know do something don't but don't don't do the buying a buying land,
buying property thing. All right now number five, secure your property
okay, I'm not trying to scare you okay, because, what I'm about to say sounds
like oh my god it's around every corner. I don't care, cameras probably a must
you probably should get cameras because that's kind of the way now. They're good to
have. If you have to get a dog get a dog if you have to get a safe in the hidden
place in your house, get a safe in in place, if you have to get gates over your
windows, get the gates over you over your windows. It will cut your odds of being
your stuff taken down to almost zero. All right, but you've got to protect it
you've got to protect that you just can't don't learn this one the hard way.
okay so this is a hard and fast rule protect your property. Now number six
commandment number six, do not get in business, sign contracts, do business with
a Tico. Let that sink in for a minute. I know right now you're going oh my god
Mike that is the most racist racist comment I've ever heard.
uh hold on okay think of this as kind of like doing you
know loaning a family member or a large amount of money, or going in business
with the family member. When it goes south, it goes way sout,h and here you are
going to lose. You're going to lose if it goes south, and it almost always goes
south eventually and you're gonna lose. I'm not saying Tico's are bad people,
it's got nothing to do with that so. Don't go with that race thing, I'm
talking about think of it as kind of like lending your you know your brother
50 grand, and thinking you're gonna see it again.
So it's kind of that more of that concept go south, it goes way south, don't
do it. If you want to go on business do your business. You throw it on me all
right now. This also a contract, or kind of along the same lines, just because
somebody is white, or from where you're from, oh my god you're from Baltimore? me
too! They're not they're not necessarily your
friend. Matter of fact, you probably got more
chances of being ripped off by a gringo, than you do at Tico. So how's that for a
little bit more racism? white privilege no. Okay so got that one? Now a number I
don't know what number we're on doesn't matter. You do not want to do legal
litigation here. You don't want a lawyer I'm not talking about getting a lawyer
you know to like set up a business, or set up your you know for things like of
that nature, Just things that you kind of need a lawyer, you know I'm buying a
house, and doing this. I want you know a business name, I want to set up my
business. I'm not talking about that I'm talking about like when you say stuff
like, then I'm gonna sue him, well like most lawyers everywhere in the frickin
world. You're gonna lose, you you gotta you know
walk it off, do whatever you can you do not want to get into a legal battle or
litigation. I bought that property you didn't give
that to me, or you do this you don't want it you don't want it you're gonna lose
that or you're gonna lose your hat. You're gonna lose everything you had
trying to win all right. and that's pretty common anywhere to get
a lawyer but again I I think even a little bit more so here okay.
All right the next commandment, If you are going to employ, or have Tico people
work for you, in any capacity, any capacity, first you might want to get the
advice of a lawyer what you should do. I'm telling you, even if it's your
gardener, that comes once a week, you want to make sure you're doing things right.
I'm telling you that guy that comes hey man I can I just work in the back of
your restaurant? You know I'll just clean dishes if you could just pay me on the
side man? They got so many rights, you will get
burned on that too. You can't fire that dude, he will go right to the ministry,
and you owe that dude so much money, he'll own your place soon all right.
So if you're gonna have people Tico's work for you, make it legal. All right now
next one or mine one of the last ones I see okay, always have your passport on
your car, actually a copy of your passport on your phone, with your stamp
your last stamped out date. Okay it's just good, a lot of things back happen if
you don't, if you do get pulled over, things happen there's high fees for that.
Not be able to show who you are type of thing so you want your pet a copy of
your passport, and your last stamp, you know the last page of your stamped copy
on your phone nowadays is very easy. Alright guys those those are it man. If
you follow those you're probably gonna make it here, without not too much
trouble. You do those think you're the exception, which hey maybe you are I'm
telling you the stories aren't good and you'll probably write me eventually
going mike i should have listened to you. oh one more is from my good friend
Amanda Stewart and this actually applied to me this was one of my commandments if
you get too drunk, you don't want to be walking home man, take a taxi, because I'm
telling you, the infrastructure here you can find yourself with a lot of broken
parts on your body man with the rebar sticking up there holes here drainage
ditches over there it's not a pretty picture so if you get drunk get a taxi
anyway guys I'm michael alan TravelCostaRicaNOW.com peace guys adios
