It’s really interesting how different a social life can be here in Costa Rica. For my first year-and-a-half I really didn’t socialize with any other gringos. Between grad school, learning Spanish and getting settled in my new home, I didn’t have a lot of spare time.

But this last six months I’ve really been making an effort to get to know more people. As the number of people we have to choose from to hang out with is severely diminished by the fact that there are just less gringos here than in the US, the relationships seem to be a bit amplified. Add to that the number of nut cases who move here, it takes a bit of time weeding through folks to find some like-minded people. (For an interesting article published on a travel site of my friend, Doug, about the crazy people who live in Costa Rica click here.)

I’m thrilled to say that there have been several people I’ve met that I really like and can relate to. My friend Colin has had a more "colorful" experience, as he lives in Puerto Viejo. He just wrote a blog entry about his experience in Costa Rica as a gay man and some of the personalities he comes up across. It’s a good read and gives you a pretty good idea of what it’s like living in Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side of the country as an open-minded, gay person.

I went to a gathering last night of the Costa Rica Young Expats and was surprised at what a great time I had. Almost all of us have had the same experiences in getting used to our new home. It felt good to blow off a little steam and commiserate with each other. It wasn’t all complaining though. Most of it was tongue-in-cheek, as we are all here because we love Costa Rica.

I am starting to realize, though, how nice it is to build up a handful of English-speaking friends. It’s not that I miss home so much, but rather the connection with other people who really understand me and what I’m going through.

If you’re thinking about moving to Costa Rica, I’d really recommend getting out of the house and networking with other people from your home country — or who at least speak the same native language. You’ll find you’re much more sane when you do!