Survival Skills by Rosemary Rein
In this issue, Rosemary Rein, an international Management Consultant, relates more of the Wilderness Survival Skills she teaches to corporate executives in the United States, to A Successful Transition to Living Abroad in Costa Rica. Ms. Rein serves this year as Co-President of the Newcomers Club of Costa Rica.
In this last segment I will discuss two more important Survival Skills that depend greatly on you personally, as they are generated from within...
Conservation of Energy!
Because a Survival Situation is physically taxing, conserving energy is critical. . In the Wilderness, while searching for materials to build your shelter, you are also looking for possible food and water sources. In the business world, that's where Efficiency Experts come into play, with time and motion studies and new software designed to improve production and minimize wasted human energy.
We've already talked about how a little research will help you save a few steps and mistakes. It would take us an entire day to do one or two errands and we found ourselves physically drained at the end of the day from traffic lines and ignorance of the most basic tasks of daily life.
Clustering and timing errands to traffic patterns has certainly helped. Also walking a call grid in San Jose to explore, those tucked away tiendas that have just about anything you need, if you know where to find them. As for frustration over lines? We now keep our Down Time Survivor Kit in the Car that includes little luxuries like a mini cooler of diet coke and our spanish books, so even a 2-hour delay is time well spent.
Positive Mental Attitude!
Wilderness Training is used with troubled adolescents. I recall one young man enrolled in the Tracker program, who sat shivering on a log, refusing to construct his shelter and seething with misery. "It was all Bull Shit", he screamed at the instructors.
Mr. Brown approached the boy and told him "He was choosing to be cold" It wasn't Tom, the school, the weather...The young man had a choice. He could build a shelter and be warm or sit there on a log and freeze his ass off! Simply put, The boy could have a positive mental attitude or languish in despair As the temperature dropped, be it Tom's inspiring words or physical necessity, a toasty refuge from the elements was constructed and the young boy endured that night and as it turned out adolescence. When I've listened to people grumbling about living here, I've often wanted to be Tom and say, "you are choosing to be miserable and you can choose to be otherwise". On a bad day, I would probably add, "You can choose to leave".
Perhaps the real key to surviving in Costa Rica comes down to just that-- A positive mental choice and don't forget a Sense of Humor. Oh, there will be days of changing conditions, depleted energy and just a feeling of plain incompetence.Chasing a pizote out of the beach house was one of my personal best. . But hey when all is said and done, just think of your resume and skill listing: "Ability to wait in long lines, dodge pedestrians and motorcyclists; survive power outages and brief periods of water contamination. You even passed the exhaustive physical testing required with your new Costa Rican Drivers License.
As an aside, I recommend to my corporate clients the hiring of job candidates who have lived abroad, following studies that such individuals demonstrate creativity, adaptability and resourcefulness! That's Us!
Paradise!... or surviving in the wilderness?!
So here we are thinking we expatriates are retired in paradise, when actually we are surviving in the wilderness? Well I think, that could be disputed, with our fast food chains, designer stores and Direct TV, but you know what? Survival is all about how you define it. I think surviving is also about the quality of life and not only surviving, but thriving in our new environment. I do know our instincts are getting better each day we're here and I'd bet on many of us for surviving life's daily challenges in a foreign country. Who Knows? We might even be lucky enough to find a creative and supportive best friend to get us through the tough times, like Tom Hanks found in a spunky little soccer ball named Wilson!
Rosemary and Barry Rein moved to Costa Rica 3 years ago, upon selling their Boutique Hotels in Philadelphia and Cape May, New Jersey. The Reins bought their dream home in the mountains of Escazú and now own and operate Café de Artistas, a local favorite for breakfast, lunch, and afternoon coffee, located in San Rafael de Escazú.
© El Residente ARCR Administración S.A. San José, Costa Rica N.B. Like all information on the internet, this article may currently be incorrect or out of date.
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