Not only do I love to read, write, and dream, I'm an extrovert. I enjoy being around people and am always trying to understand what makes them tick. My books must have a happily ever after, and I need characters I can relate to. My men are wonderful, dynamic, smart, strong, and the best lovers in the world (of course).
I love to sleep in late and write into the wee hours. I also love FB, so you'll find me on there, too!
I believe I am the luckiest woman. I do what I love and I have a wonderful, supportive husband, who happens to be hot!
Fun facts about me
(1) I'm a math nerd who loves spreadsheets. Give me numbers and I'll find a pattern.
(2) My husband and I recently moved to Costa Rica where we are trying to learn Spanish while we enjoy the beautiful beaches!! [see article below]
I love hearing from readers either on FB or via email (hint, hint). [[email protected]]
In case you didn't know, I also used to write as Melody Snow Monroe --erotic romance for Siren Publishing. See the tab above for those books.
Being an ex-pat in Costa Rica
By Vella Day
By Vella Day
Because I write books for a living, and my husband is self-employed, we decided we could live anywhere in the world that had good Internet. You might ask why leave sunny Florida and go to an unknown place where you don’t speak the language? Simple: my husband wanted to learn Spanish, and he wanted an adventure. I’m more of a “take classes” type of gal, but I’m always up for an adventure.
Playa Hermosa at sunset. We LOVE walking on the beach. The sand is really soft.
Was it easy to move? No, but we decided to go all in. We sold our house and moved to an apartment in the same town while we applied for residency. We flew down to Costa Rica (I’d been there twice before to visit a fellow expat who is also an author living there) and my husband had been once. We took a weekend course in San Jose—the capitol of Costa Rica—about the pitfalls of moving to a new country. It was invaluable. We received a list of good attorneys, people who would ship our furniture, and who to use to buy a car.
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Playa Hermosa |
We’d done our research as to where we wanted to live, but had never been to the west coast of Costa Rica. So, we rented a car and drove there—about 5 hours from the capitol. We’d already found a realtor (a woman who happened to have lived in Florida for 10 years) and ended up buying property overlooking the ocean (did I mention we were going all in?). Was it expensive? Yes. Can you live in a cheaper part of Costa Rica? Absolutely.
Is there anything that is cheap in the country? Taxes are cheaper in Costa Rica. Yes, we still pay taxes in the US, but at least in Costa Rica when we build our house, we’ll “only” pay 1% tax on our home versus 2.6% in Florida.
Is there anything that is cheap in the country? Taxes are cheaper in Costa Rica. Yes, we still pay taxes in the US, but at least in Costa Rica when we build our house, we’ll “only” pay 1% tax on our home versus 2.6% in Florida.
You can’t beat our sunsets!
While still living in the States, we pursued getting our residency. Online we found the name of an attorney who came highly recommended. Could we have done it ourselves and saved a lot of money? Sure, but since we didn’t speak Spanish, who knows how long it would have taken. It cost about $4000 for the two of us and we received our residency a year later[By having our residency we are no longer required to leave the country every 90 days]. The best part was that it was hassle free—other than collecting all of our documents. [Note: even though I had my original birth certificate, I had to apply for a new one. Same with the marriage certificate. Ugh]
What about health care? Once we received our residency, we had to pay $50 a month for our health care for the two of us. I’ve never been to a “walk-in clinic for locals” but I’ve heard you wait forever. One story I heard was that a person without means needed to have a gall stone removed. Apparently, the first available appointment was in two years. Not for me.
What about health care? Once we received our residency, we had to pay $50 a month for our health care for the two of us. I’ve never been to a “walk-in clinic for locals” but I’ve heard you wait forever. One story I heard was that a person without means needed to have a gall stone removed. Apparently, the first available appointment was in two years. Not for me.
While in our neck of the woods, there can be traffic, most of the time it’s because of bicycles and cows.
I did hear all meds are free if you go to this clinic, so that is good. I’m only on one medication, so for that I go to WalMart and get it much cheaper than in the States. Plus, I just walk in without a prescription and ask for it. In fact, I can ask for almost anything without a prescription and they give it to you. I do love that!!
I did become ill with double pneumonia. Not wanting to deal with the local clinic (I still don’t speak Spanish), I went to a private ER (great hospital). I was the only one there. They took X-Rays and then admitted me for four days. I had my own respiratory specialist, a lovely room, and a ton of attention. By day two, someone else came, so the place then had two patients. By the time I left, I was in good shape. Cost without any insurance? Four thousand dollars. While steep, I bet if I had been in the States without insurance, it would have cost a lot more.
I have gone twice to the private walk-in clinic. Each visit was $50. Again I had no insurance.
I did become ill with double pneumonia. Not wanting to deal with the local clinic (I still don’t speak Spanish), I went to a private ER (great hospital). I was the only one there. They took X-Rays and then admitted me for four days. I had my own respiratory specialist, a lovely room, and a ton of attention. By day two, someone else came, so the place then had two patients. By the time I left, I was in good shape. Cost without any insurance? Four thousand dollars. While steep, I bet if I had been in the States without insurance, it would have cost a lot more.
I have gone twice to the private walk-in clinic. Each visit was $50. Again I had no insurance.
On the west coast, we have a ton of iguanas and howler monkeys.
Other costs? Food. I don’t think Costa Rica manufactures much, so almost everything is imported. A jar of Jif peanut butter is $7 and a bar of cheese is $12. Ouch. However, chicken and eggs are cheap as is some produce. We do shop in a “gringo” store, and I’m sure we pay more. It looks just like something in the States—right down to the Betty Crocker cake mixes. LOL.
We also bought a car since renting was really expensive. We might have bought used, but not knowing anything about mechanics, we went with new. Okay, that was expensive!!! I’m guessing the truck had a 30% upcharge. Most of the locals take a bus, ride a scooter or bicycle, or walk. They are adept at riding their bikes in a width of four inches.
We also bought a car since renting was really expensive. We might have bought used, but not knowing anything about mechanics, we went with new. Okay, that was expensive!!! I’m guessing the truck had a 30% upcharge. Most of the locals take a bus, ride a scooter or bicycle, or walk. They are adept at riding their bikes in a width of four inches.
We have two seasons: wet and dry. This is the dry season (not so pretty), but the water color is really blue. This is a view of Coco Beach, about ten minutes from Playa Hermosa.
Living can be expensive, but don’t despair. My ex pat friend lives in the middle of the country and has a two bedroom apartment for $100 a month (including utilities). I have another ex pat friend who rents a cute one bedroom for $400 a month in a tourist town. She takes a cab everywhere, and she claims she has a lot of money left over from her Social Security check each month. So, one can live cheaply.
I hope that helps. We love Costa Rica and have no plans to return. Do note, that to go back to the States, our airport is only 25 minutes from our condo. We take a flight to Houston and then to Florida. We have direct flights to LA, Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta, New York, and a host of other places.
We even have fiber optic cable!!
One of the best perks? Living on the beach and eating freshly caught seafood whenever we want.
I hope that helps. We love Costa Rica and have no plans to return. Do note, that to go back to the States, our airport is only 25 minutes from our condo. We take a flight to Houston and then to Florida. We have direct flights to LA, Chicago, Toronto, Atlanta, New York, and a host of other places.
We even have fiber optic cable!!
One of the best perks? Living on the beach and eating freshly caught seafood whenever we want.
Sunset at Sentido Norte Restaurant.
Come visit!!