How expats can avoid boredom by taking advantage of all that Costa Rica has to offer

The other day I was talking to an expat friend who is very well off financially. He has a beautiful home and a new Costa Rican wife and stepdaughter. Nevertheless, he complained that he has too much time on his hands and gets bored easily. Interestingly, he has lived here for almost 20 years and still has not found a way to keep himself occupied which should not be the case.

Costa Rica has a myriad of activities both outdoor and indoor, to keep anyone busy and happy.

Making new friends and doing things with them is easy. The numerous online groups give one the opportunity meet a whole slew of fellow English-speakers. The social networks are another vehicle for meeting others with similar interests.

For the outdoor enthusiast, there are birding clubs, hiking groups for all levels of fitness, fishing, Zumba and Latin dance classes, cycling groups, excursions to different parts of the country, swimming pools, and water aerobics for keeping fit, and both beaches and mountains to explore. Surfing lessons are also available. In addition, there are also year-round weekend fairs, festivals, and parades.

Here is an example of just one recent outdoor activity that was published in El Residente (a magazine published by the Association of Residents of Costa Rica ARCR):

Pet Fest

“On March 24th in La Garita de Alajuela there will be a day-long event with all kinds of information and activities concerning cats and dogs. It is free and you can take your canines and even win prizes in one of the many events. (A friend’s Chihuahua won the fattest dog award last year.) The Markat cat sanctuary’s crew will let you take selfies with a Sphinx (a hairless breed) cat for a slight fee, which is used to help them care for several hundred cats. Besides contests in several categories, there will be shows of pet products, talks on pet care, and samples of some products. Food trucks will be available for people and pets. Stay the day or just drop in; it’s fun and it’s free. The entrance is across from the church of La Garita, next to the American outlet store, and diagonal from the popular Fiesta de Maíz restaurant in La Garita, on the way to the mountain town of Atenas. (Between Highway 1 and Atenas).”

Indoor activities include Spanish conversation groups for all levels, cooking clubs, a writer’s club, a wine-tasting club, volunteer work, gyms, first-run movies, and more.

At times you can stay at home and enjoy streaming your favorite movies, series, and sporting events. Virtually everything you have in North America can be viewed here.

You also have the option of using Kindle to keep up on your reading.

Here is a partial list of clubs for expats to stay active (Courtesy of the ARCR):

Alcoholics Anonymous
Groups meet daily throughout the country; times and places change frequently. Schedules for meetings and their locations can be found at: www.costarica.com.

Al-Anon
English language meetings areopen to anyone whose life has been/is affected by someone else’s problem with alcohol. Meeting information can be found at: www.costaricaaa.com

American Legion Post 10
Meets the first Thursday of the month at 11 a.m. at Casa de España (across from the Palma Real Hotel and Casino) in Sabana Norte, San José. For more information call Matt Loper, at 8968-6935, or Craig Carlson, at 6042-9921

American Legion Post 12-Golfito
Currently inactive. For information contact Mel Goldberg at 8870-6756

Amigos of Costa Rica
A US-based non-profit organization established in 1999. Amigos of Costa Rica has the mission of connecting global resources to Costa Rican Organizations. Amigos currently works with over 120 Costa Rican nonprofits and is happy to connect with donors who wish to explore how they can contribute to Costa Rica. U.S. Government tax-payers donations are deductible. For more information go to: www.amigosofcostarica.org or email to: admin@amigosofcostarica.org

The Atenas Book Club
Formed in 2004, meets the first Wednesday monthly at 10:30 am, at alternating locations and with discussion leaders among the members. The group reads a variety of books and authors, reading both fiction and non-fiction. All books must be available on Kindle or some electronic reader. Currently, there is a waiting list to join. For more information contact Mary Martin Mason at: marymason1946@gmail.com.

Birding Club Costa Rica
A private group that travels around Costa Rica to observe and identify the 900+ species of birds found here, learn about different parts of the country and enjoy the company of like-minded and interested people. For more information, visit the website: www.birdingclubcr.org or email: info@birdingclubcr.org.

Canadian Club
Canadian Club welcomes everyone to join us for our monthly luncheons and at our special annual events. No passport is required. There are no fees or dues to pay, just sign up with your email address and we will keep you informed of Canadian events. For information and to sign up, email Renée-Claude at: canadianclubcr@gmail.com.

Central Valley Golf Association
Meets every Tuesday morning between 6-7 a.m. at the Valle Del Sol golf course in Santa Ana. Both individual and two-person events with different formats every week. We invite all men and women with all handicaps to join us and enjoy golf on a picturesque course. No membership is required. For more information, contact: Larry Goldman at 8933-3333, or email to: nylarryg@yahoo.com.

Costa Rica Writers Group
Writers, authors, and anyone who would like to write can benefit from this group. Members read and evaluate or critique each other’s work, or present what they write. Any aspect of writing can be discussed. We have access to resources for editing, publishing, and the whole writing process. We meet by ZOOM on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of each month at 11:30 a.m. For more information contact Edie Bakker at: edierainforest@yahoo.com

Democrats Abroad Costa Rica
Provides information about voting in the US and voting issues of interest to US citizens living in Costa Rica. For more information or to join email: or visit our website at: www.democratsabroad.org/cr Register to vote absentee at: votefromabroad.org

Marine Corps League
Meets the second Saturday of the month at 11 a.m. at the Tap House in City Place Mall in Santa Ana. We are looking for new members. Former Marines and Navy Corpsmen can be regular members. All other service members are welcome to join as associate members. For information call Andy Pucek at 8721-6636 or email: andy@marinecorpsleaguecr.com, andypucek@live.com

Pérez Zeledón
International Women’sClub Formed in November 2009 to promote friendship between English-speaking women in Pérez Zeledón and, through friendship, to make a positive contribution to our local community. The Club meets for lunch on the second Tuesday of each month in different restaurants around the canton. We also host a Ramblers group, a Games group and currently have a team working in the Municipal Gardens. For more information, please send an email to: pzwomansclub@gmail.com or visit our website at: www.pziwc.org.

Professional Women’s Network
PWN provides its members with opportunities to network with other professional women to aid the personal and professional development of entrepreneurs, students, and professionals. PWN sponsors service and outreach programs to “give back” to the community. Meeting schedules vary. For info on the speaker for the month and to register, call Sarah Joy at 8868-6990 or email us at info@pwncr.com. The PWN website is: http://www.pwncr.com

San Vito Bird Club
A community-based birding/nature group centered in the diverse southern zone of Costa Rica. We also facilitate nature education to local elementary schools through Cornell University’s Bird Sleuth program. Twice monthly bird walks through the Wilson Botanical Garden and other sites are open to all; binoculars are available as needed. Please visit our website: www.sanvitobirdclub.org or email: eltangaral@gmail.com for more information.

The Umbrella Club of Costa Rica (Formerly called the Newcomers of Costa Rica)
Is a group for English-speaking women living in Costa Rica to share experiences, ideas, and common interests, and to promote fellowship among members. The core of the Umbrella Club is the Interest Groups which meet monthly. There are two to three general meetings a year. There are no dues. For more information, contact: Grace at 2249-1208 or 8369-7992, or send an email to: jaygracefernandes@gmail.com or Kelly at: kclayton2003@yahoo.com

Bottom line: A person has no excuse for being lazy or bored in Costa Rica since there is an abundance of things to do like the ones listed above.