Josh and I met in Costa Rica where we both lived as expats for years. Josh’s family has a bed & breakfast (plus butterfly garden and microbrewery) in Montezuma. Meanwhile, I taught English in a small village near La Fortuna, before eventually marrying Josh and helping with the family business. Leaving Costa Rica wasn’t easy, as there is so much to love about that country and its people! On the other hand we wouldn’t trade the last two years we’ve had here in Taiwan for anything.
We know getting to live in both countries is fairly unique so we thought it might be fun to share the similarities and differences we’ve noticed as expats in these two tropical countries on opposite sides of the world.
Wildlife
By far, one of the things we miss the most about Costa Rica, is the wildlife! At Montezuma Gardens it’s common to see groups of howler & Capuchin monkeys just a few meters off the balcony, along with the occasional basilisk lizard, coati, or agouti. Of course, we don’t expect to have that same experience living on the 5th floor of our Taipei city apartment building. But we still miss it! And the truth is Taiwan just doesn’t have many mammals – especially compared to Costa Rica, which has one of the highest densities of animal diversity in the world.
But, that’s not to say Taiwan doesn’t have anything to offer nature lovers! Both Costa Rica and Taiwan boast an incredible number of butterfly species. Costa Rica hosts almost 20% of the world’s butterfly species! And Taiwan, nicknamed the butterfly kingdom, is home to over 400 different species.
Taiwan and Costa Rica are also both very popular destinations for bird lovers. Actually, because Costa Rica has so much biodiversity to get excited about, the birds and butterflies maybe don’t get as much attention as they do here in Taiwan. I have been amazed and delighted to discover the amount of butterfly enthusiasts here in Taipei!
Food
We miss our Gallo Pinto! Black beans… oh man we miss black beans! There’s plenty of rice here of course, but its not the same as the staple rice and beans of Costa Rica. When Josh goes back to Costa Rica this summer he has strict orders to bring back gallons of Salsa Lizano (a special sauce used to season the rice and beans) plus bags and bags of our favorite Costa Rican coffee (1820 Coffee – less expensive than brands marketed for tourists, but delicious! )
That said though, I know whenever the time comes to leave Taiwan we will have a long list of foods we miss from here. Like dumplings of course! Cold noodles. And, I can’t hardly believe I’m saying it, but tofu! Growing up vegetarian, it took moving to Asia at 35 to get turned on to tofu. But here, I’m a believer.
One similarity that we’ve greatly enjoyed in both countries is the abundance of delicious tropical fruit. Fresh dragon fruit, passion fruit, pineapple, custard apple, papaya,… Costa Rica and Taiwan have them all. Although there are some variations – we don’t get the same exact types of passion fruit here, and they have a wax apple here that looks exactly the same as we the ones in Costa Rica but that tastes completely different! Also I have yet to find zapote or cashew fruit here in Taiwan. But I’ve seen varieties of mango in Taiwan, that I never knew existed! And I have Taiwan to thank for introducing me to kumquats.
Safety
Happily, both Costa Rica and Taiwan as a whole are quite safe. Although honestly, Taiwan is safer. Interestingly I think our friends and family worry a little more for our safety here in Taiwan because of the geopolitical situation in Southeast Asia and Taiwan’s tension with China. But while of course no one knows what could happen in the future, the reality today is that Taiwan has a very stable government situation (as does Costa Rica). And when it comes to crime Taiwan is just unbelievably safe. In my two years here I’ve never been warned about a bad part of Taipei to avoid, or ever been cautioned as a woman not to go out late by myself . And unlike Costa Rica, theft isn’t something you need to be constantly on guard for.
Getting around
Both Taiwan and Costa Rica are fairly small countries (especially compared to my home state of Montana!) But thanks to it’s great train system, Taiwan is much easier to traverse cheaply and quickly. Both countries also have an extensive bus system which will allow you to go all over the country very economically… it’s just not a quick option, especially in Costa Rica. Taiwan also has a lot more super highways than Costa Rica and just generally has more developed road infrastructure. Also Taiwan’s capital city has a world class subway system which is just not something you can expect from San Jose or really any Central American city. On the other hand, sometimes its those challenges that can make the travelling to Central America feel more adventurous and foreign!
Visas
From our experience getting a work visa is much easier in Taiwan than in Costa Rica. And there’s this great thing here in Taiwan where if you are employed on a work visa for 5 years straight, you can then apply for permanent residency which is much easier than Costa Rica! But, here’s the flip side. Unlike Costa Rica, if you have a baby in Taiwan, the child wont be eligible for citizenship, unless one of the parents is a Taiwan citizen. And neither marriage to a Taiwan citizen or having Taiwan babies will get you citizenship. Our understanding is you have to be of Chinese descent in order to get citizenship. So that’s different.
Language
Living in Taiwan, Josh and I are for the first times in our lives functionally illiterate. And that’s because freaking characters. Of course, you expect to be functionally illiterate when you first move to a country whose language you don’t speak. But two years into living here and taking private lessons that entire time?! *sigh* That’s just what happens in a language where there isn’t an alphabet. And that is an adjustment.
Welcome
I know, I’m a little biased… but I feel like Josh and I stumbled onto two of the most hospitable countries in the world! Latino’s in general are known as passionate warm friendly people. And Costa Ricans in particular are especially gracious, kind and welcoming. But then, so are the Taiwanese people! I can’t tell you how many times a stranger has offered to help me when I was clearly struggling to communicate to a clerk in Chinese, or when I just looked confused standing on the street! Both here and in Costa Rica I have been humbled by the generosity of mere acquaintances.
My experiences in both Taiwan and Costa Rica have challenged me to be a more proactively generous and kind host to foreigners I meet in my own country. And I hope some day to be able to put that lesson into action when I am no longer an expat but a regular citizen back in the States.
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