14 June 2010
The Institute of Cellular Medicine (ICM) in San Jose, Costa Rica, which opened in 2006 and has treated hundreds of people, recently shut down its clinic. Stem cell treatments, which introduce new cells into damaged tissue in order to treat a disease or injury, have both been hailed as the new wave in medicine and vilified [...]
Posted in medical tourism0 Comments
12 May 2010
Our Man in Boquete advises clearing customs in the city of David, where "they probably won't charge you exotic fees like 'Quarantine exemption fee for wooden furniture' or 'Fee for unusually extensive customs inspection' that might (and did) occur at other customs offices."
Posted in before you go4 Comments
27 April 2010
It’s not a decision made lightly, and it’s not, as some might imagine, usually motivated by politics. But more and more expats abroad are giving up their U.S. citizenship, fueled by frustrations over tax and banking questions.
Posted in true expat tales, working abroad0 Comments
21 February 2010
The builder went over budget and there were construction delays, but when the Hideaway Hotel opened its doors in 2008, it all seemed worth it. "Local realtors couldn't believe it," says co-owner Doug Ancel. They said, 'You guys actually opened! So many projects end up unfinished ruins.'"
Posted in true expat tales, working abroad0 Comments
15 February 2010
Costa Rica is known for high-quality medical care at affordable prices. But what's it like to be in the belly of the beast--to be a patient in the country's private and public hospitals? Here, four expats describe their experiences.
Posted in life abroad, medical tourism, true expat tales0 Comments
09 February 2010
On Feb 7th Costa Ricans went to the polls and overwhelmingly elected Laura Chinchilla president for the next 4 years. Chinchilla, who is 50 an has one teenage son, takes office in May.
Posted in world culture1 Comment
27 January 2010
This week, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested that the state might outsource incarceration by opening prisons in Mexico. Photo of prison in Durango by flickr user Dexter Perrin.
Posted in world culture0 Comments
27 January 2010
In The Geography of Bliss, NPR foreign correspondent Eric Weiner travels the world to find happiness. Is that so different from what the rest of us are doing? Well, yes and no. Wiener makes a science of it. He goes about it with more deliberation than most of us wanderers. Before he takes on the geography angle, [...]
Posted in travel bookshelf4 Comments
26 January 2010
A taste for bridge-burning seems to go hand-in-hand with being a serial relocator. Most of us tend towards one of two poles: the smoother-over, who never wants to make any kind of break or change, or the bridge burner, who’s always itching to strike that match.
Posted in before you go2 Comments
25 January 2010
One of the pleasures of living abroad is starting to see world history and events from another–often radically different–angle. You can start to make that shift pretty much anywhere–reading the local newspaper at your favorite expat cafe, exploring a crumbling castle, or talking politics with the guy who repairs your car with tin foil and fishing [...]
Posted in life abroad0 Comments
