We’re slowly getting ourselves up-to-speed down here. But the reality is that things are not happening at anywhere near the speed we’re used to. This was something we were warned about — you need to relax and allow things to take their time. Things do not happen quickly here, and getting all bent out of shape only makes things go more slowly. (And no, totally slacking off doesn’t cause the reverse.)

For us up-tight North Americans, this is the single hardest thing to contend with. Uncertainty is the name of our game, so unknown things aren’t a problem. It’s the ability to do simple little things.

Like call each other. Hard to do when you have no phone.

(more…)

One part of moving to any other country is the act of applying for a work visa. It’s pretty much a requirement where treaties (e.g. the European Union) aren’t there to ease the situation. A necessary evil, if you will. Because in most cases, the process is not really well documented and you’re going to spend a lot of time trying to figure out exactly what you need.

And believe me, we are far from actually getting this one sorted out. Jason’s been a massive force in getting us some iota closer to having it done, but the reality is that we’re going to be flying by the seats of our pants until documentation is actually done.

(more…)

Yeah, I’m back in Calgary, but this is only for the last bit before moving down (semi-)permanently. We have a place to live. That’s important, because it’s a place to go to. That would make this move even harder. But let’s not mistake one key detail:

There’s only two weeks left (10 business days, at that). And I’ve got a lot to do.

Among them:

• Sell my car (and other things — a post for that is coming soon!)
• Arrange for property management (almost done)
• Ensure financials are sorted out (notably the bank accounts, and get a wire transfer to Costa Rica for our place)
• Get my working visa sorted out
• Meet with the tax guy up here (and he hasn’t set a meeting yet)
• Ensure the renovations will be finished (they’re nowhere near done)
• Make sure the movers are arranged (as they’ll need to clean the house out when I come back for Alex and the Wee One, herein known as Mi Pequeña Niña, or MPN for short)
• and probably a million other things I can’t think of right now

Needless to say, I’ve got a lot on my plate. There’s a lot to do, and not much time to do it. Let the fun begin…