Mondassur met Patricia Richer, an expatriate in Costa Rica who has opened a French restaurant in Costa Rica. She talks to us about her expatriation experience and her experience of the healthcare system in South America and specifically in Costa Rica.
Why did you choose to move to Costa Rica?
It’s a question I’m often asked: why Costa Rica and why did you leave such a beautiful country as France to settle here?
As an entrepreneur, I found that the situation in France was becoming more and more restrictive, both socially and economically, and was complicating my attempts at entrepreneurship. Costa Ricans are astonished by this move, because France represents a model of achievement, success and the future. They are very respectful of our choice.
They’re very admiring. For them, it’s a form of courage, of deep respect, to leave one’s roots, friends and family behind, to launch out into the unknown in order to realize one’s own dreams.
Could you tell us about your restaurant in Costa Rica?
Through my French gastronomy company La Terrasse, I wanted to bring abroad a style of cuisine that was my own, modern, democratized; carried by a passion intact for many years with my restaurants in the Var region. My own business in Costa Rica was a new breath of fresh air. To offer a Costa Rican clientele a distinctive approach to French cuisine, where the aesthetics and quality of each product take precedence. A far cry from the race for quantity.
Uniqueness is a requirement. Here, every ingredient is of the highest quality. I always like to remind people that we’re free to create, to constantly imagine, to invent on a daily basis and to push the limits of each ingredient. Unexpected combinations of spices and flavours. Nothing is impossible; each person embodies his or her own philosophy.
What do you like about Costa Rica?
I was seduced by the historic district of San José where I live, off the beaten tourist track. I felt that my life here corresponded to my desires. Sometimes, when you’re looking for a place to settle down, you know this is where you have to put down your bags. It just happens. This is where my husband and I embark on projects that are as exciting as they are daring.
It was while walking around town that I discovered this pretty house, built in 1927. Creative to the core, we’ve turned this place into a little corner of France. I’ve learned so much here in Costa Rica, received so much that I wanted to give back a little of what it’s given me. As my friends know, opening my home is part of my daily routine. So welcoming Costa Ricans and sharing our experience and traditions with them is wonderful!
Tell us about an experience in Costa Rica
Travel opens us up to diversity and seems useful to our development and fulfillment. Moving to a foreign country means putting our knowledge into practice, giving our certainties new life and discovering new experiences.
Knowing how to get involved, finding a new joie de vivre in a different culture.
Initially, you’re in a period of curiosity and interest in the new country: discovery, enthusiasm, fascination. Then you are really confronted with the realities of daily life and the difficulties of the country: you feel an emptiness and very often nostalgia. Gradually, after 2 years, you come to terms with your new lifestyle and adapt your habits to the new culture. You feel reassured, finally replacing your old habits with new ones. You’re more objective in dealing with situations and able to function freely.
The support of Costa Ricans, in the sense of the country, is essential and necessary if we are to find our own equilibrium. We therefore need to successfully organize this approach in order to build ambitious projects. We can’t change our country or our culture without this approach. Today, we’re more objective and thoughtful. We look with more distance at those things that we missed so much or that shocked us. And in this way, open-mindedness creates beautiful Franco-Costa Rican relations.
What was your experience of the Costa Rican healthcare system?
When it comes to healthcare, consultations and medicines are poorly reimbursed and excessively expensive, even if you join the country’s social security system. It’s true that private medical insurance is an option for people living abroad. But annual premiums are very high. For my part, I try to stay healthy! If I have to go to hospital for an emergency, the treatment is free, as I’ve already experienced: a cut on my finger and a few stitches.
