Where to live?

[HeatherSierra]

I'm from north Carolina. About 4 years ago my parents became missionaries and about 3 years ago I moved with them and my brothers to costa rica. During that time I met my SO of 2 years and counting and 5 months ago I had leave him to come back to NC to go to college. </3

Side note: during the 3 years that I lived in costa rica I got to come back to NC for family reasons like when ny sister (who stayed in NC and who I'm very close to) got married, later when her first son was born (she's currently expecting another), and a few funerals.

My SO and I would like to get married some day but we have no idea where to live! NC, CR, or somewhere else?

We love each other's immediate families and they love us. He would like to visit the US and meet my extended family but has no burning desire to live there permanently but would do it for me. I like costa rica but am not sure about living there for the rest of my life especially because I'm scared of leaving my family and not being able to visit them as often as I'd like because of travelling expenses.

I'm studying to have an associates degree in nursing and we're pretty sure I could work in CR and he's studying to have a bachelor's degree in English teaching and we don't know If he could work here.

And then there's the legal issues we would face for him to be able to live here and/or for me to be able to live there.

We just want to be together!

Comments? Opinions? Ideas? Suggestions? Any input would be appreciated!

Sorry so long! Thanks for reading!

[heylittlekrissy]

Well, you really have to consider the pros and cons of each place. Where would you be able to find jobs, and jobs that would support you living there? How important is it to be near your family, or his family? You may even want to consider other states or cities that might be somewhere in the little, that could end up being a good option too. But you definitely have to consider finding jobs, and being able to support living together, since obviously you can only rely on parents for so long, so that's probaly one of the most important things, I think.

[lucybelle]

Well hello twin! I'm from NC, my SO is a tico and we're living in Costa Rica right now. I have to say I have all the exact same questions! haha!

My SO is not keen on moving to the USA permanently. He lived with me in NC for 6 months, then we moved back down here. What I've been thinking about is the same thing as you. I wouldn't want to leave my family behind forever and what if we have kids? I would want them to know the USA like I do. So right now we're here in CR. We plan to stay here for at least 3 years. But I'm feeling better and better about just staying. I'm a teacher so I have 3 months a year to go to the if I desire.

Anyways, about working here-- it's not easy to find a job. I'm not sure about the medical field but tico companies would rather hire ticos than foreigners. Which makes sense. In order to hire a foreigner they have to prove that you would do the job better than a national. So it would be hard to find a place to work. It would be equally hard for him to find a place to teach English in the states! Perhaps he could do ESL in a school, but again he'd have to first be sponsored by a school (or company) which is really hard. It's pretty difficult for ticos to even get tourist visas to the states, much less work visas!

Well this has turned long, but definitely look into the legal processes. If you want, check out my blog in my signature. It's about me living here, trying to find a job, etc. Also check out this website: https://www.costaricalaw.com/can-i-l...osta-rica.html

[mllebamako]

I often think about the same problem as you and Lucybelle. I am American but live here in Mali with my SO. He'd be content to stay here forever or to go to the States and then come back here for a few years here and there. I just don't know how feasible all of that is.
Anyway, my best advice is: remember that you don't have to have it all figured out right now. Even if you plan it a certain way, it'll change a million times. We were set on going back to the US right away and even had the fiance visa application all ready and what not. Then we both got great jobs here in Mali. So my point is, things change. It's good to think about a plan and have a rough idea of where you want to be but know that something will always pop up and will hopefully help you make your decisions.
Also, remember that any decision you make CAN be changed later. You guys could decide to move to CR and then after a few years, change your mind.

But I totally sympathize with you on this. I am often thinking about being away from my family for so long, etc. But for now, we're just taking it one day at a time and we'll see what comes next!