Victoria Schwarz

Victoria Schwarz: Teaching the body and mind

Where and what Victoria was BCR (Before Costa Rica)
She lived in San Francisco with her husband. She did many kinds of work, including massage.

How Victoria came to be in Costa Rica and what she's doing now
Victoria does massage, teaches English, and attends graduate school. She sees herself as a sort of interpreter, whether "translating the needs of the body" or helping her students understand the complexities of the English language. And recently, she's become a student herself, attended a Masters program in Education at the University of Costa Rica. "I am having such a great time with this!" she tells me "It is a lot of work, but I think everyone should go back to school in their fifties."  She also points out that earning her Masters here will cost her around $5000, while her sister's Masters, obtained in the U.S., ended up costing around $28,000.

Victoria, do you have any advice for people thinking of moving to Costa Rica?
"In doing business in Costa Rica, there are some frustrations. For instance, it's common for Ticos to just not show up for an appointment. And unless they've dealt with a lot of gringos, they don't even call to say they won't be there. I'm busy, and their slot could have been filled by one of many others. Ticos here tell me it's just something you have to get used to. I think it's about them not wanting to disappoint, or have any sort of confrontation.

"Another thing is that you have to stay on top of people you hire. If you're out of sight, you're out of their minds. Sometimes it seems as if to get anything done here, you either have to do it yourself or keep pushing and pushing for someone else to do it."

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