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The Bella Blog
- Apr 13
- 1 min
Join Us in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica - Black Expat Meetup
Please join us in beautiful Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica on May 13 - 16th for the 1st Annual Black Expats in Costa Rica Meet Up Bridging the Cultures is our Theme for this year All the info is below Please Click #thatbellalife #blackexpatsincostarica #retiredblackexpats #retiredblackexpatsincostarica #blackincostarica #bridgingcultures #blackexpatslivinglifeabroad
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The Bella Blog
- Mar 29
- 1 min
All Around the Town - Escazú CostaRica - Mirador Tiquicia
In an effort to begin moving around Costa Rica again (on a limited basis) we have been researching some of the restaurants in the area. All are following social distancing guidelines and are open air locations In today's video review Located - Just 20 minutes from San José! Located in the beautiful mountains of Escazú, San José's upscale suburb. In a farmhouse setting you can experience an authentic traditional Costa Rican ambience. The Views are Awesome!!! #thatbellalife #b
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The Bella Blog
- Mar 25
- 2 min
All Around the Town - Dining in Costa Rica
It's no secret --- Costa Rica is NOT known for it's cuisine! I have nothing against rice and beans, and after living here for 5 yrs, I've certainly had my share. Gallo pinto is fine (gallo pinto is a mix of beans, rice, Salsa Lizano, chopped onion, chopped red bell pepper, and chopped cilantro. Usually served alongside a fried egg, ripe plantains, white cheese and homemade tortillas or a piece of toast). Casados are fine too (casados are always offered at sodas (a local resta
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The Bella Blog
- Mar 10
- 1 min
Escape to Tamarindo, Costa Rica - Wrap Up Video
Just a quick post to say that the wrap up for our 4 day trip to Tamamrindo has been uploaded to Youtube Please check it out if you haven't already #thatbellalife #tamarindocostarica #blackexpatsabroad #blackincostarica #blackexpatslivinglifeabroad
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The Bella Blog
- Mar 6
- 1 min
Single & Dating Abroad Pt2
LIVE in The Clubhouse Monday March 8. Please join us. Let me know if you need an invite or if any men would like to participate. Remember you need to have an iPhone. #thatbellalife #blackincostarica #blackexpatsabroad #retiredblackexpatsabroad #retiredblackexpatsincostarica #blackexpatsdatingabroad
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The Bella Blog
- Feb 27
- 2 min
Escape to Tamarindo
We did it! We finally left our condo and ventured out on a trip! Four glorious days in Tamarindo. This was our first trip but will definitely not be our last! The weather cooperated and we have 4 very pleasant days. I was prepared for the oppressive heat and humidity but instead we had fairly hot days but cooling a bit toward the evening and a refreshing ocean breeze. Our condo had air (of course) but during the time we were inside I found it freeezing @ 72 and had to turn it
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The Bella Blog
- Feb 10
- 1 min
Black Expat Relocation Q&A Available via Clubhouse
How many of you are on Clubhouse? How many of you know what Clubhouse is? Clubhouse is an invitation-only audio-chat social networking app launched in 2020 by software developers Alpha Exploration Co. As of December 2020, Currently available only to iPhone users. I was invited to participate as a speaker on one of the 1st Black Expat Relocation forums "Want to Quit America? Ask these Black Expats How" Are you interested in relocation to Costa Rica? Are you on Clubhouse? Join
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The Bella Blog
- Jan 30
- 2 min
It's Summer in Costa Rica!
Hey everyone! I know it's been a minute but it's been pretty quiet in our life and since we are staying home most of the time, I haven't had much to report -- but I'm back today with a few pics. Still loving our new city even if we rarely get out! The rainy season ended around the end of November and with it came the "dry" season and the wind! The winds can really get gusty during this time of year. Time to secure your plants and patio furniture!!! Its now offically summer
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The Bella Blog
- Nov 29, 2020
- 1 min
Costa Rica Military Abolition Day
I'm a few days early as the official date is December 1st. That is the national holiday in celebration of Army Abolition Day. This is Costa Rica's 1st annual celebration. President Carlos Alvarado signed the law on May 20, 2020 and established the new holiday. Since it is a 3 day holiday, I decided to post on Sunday. On December 1, 1948, President José Figueres Ferrer of Costa Rica abolished the military of Costa Rica after achieving victory in the civil war that year. The bu
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The Bella Blog
- Nov 27, 2020
- 2 min
Do they even care about us?
As I have often mentioned, Costa Rica is an excellent jump off point for travel to all of Latin America. We've had the opportunity to travel to several of the countries closest to Costa Rica, along with Peru. We have not yet traveled to Brazil, Argentina or Uruguay, which are also on our bucket list, once travel normalizes. I recently came across a powerful video (which has actually been around a few months) but it hit me hard because it is so closely linked with the struggle
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The Bella Blog
- Nov 13, 2020
- 4 min
Black Hair Care Products and Services in Costa Rica
*Special Post Today's post is directed to those women (black & brown - w/curly/kinky/tightly coiled hair) currently living n Costa Rica and/or relocating to Costa. When i set out to research the availability of products and services in Costa Rica specifically designed to address the needs of hair care for the black community, I was cautiously optimistic. After having lived in Grecia, (a small agricultural town in Costa Rica's Central Valley), for 4 years I was aware of the d
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The Bella Blog
- Nov 11, 2020
- 1 min
Life on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica (video)
Below is a recent interview we had with expats, Penny & Paul McPherson, as we sat down to discuss their travels and their life in Puerto Viejo, Costa Rica!! Be sure to check Penny out on IG #plantbasedpennylife Big Thanks to Paul & Penny!!! #ThatBellaLife #BlackInCostaRica #BlackExpatsinCostaRica #BlackExpatsLivingLifeAbroad #PlantBasedPennyLife
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The Bella Blog
- Oct 24, 2020
- 1 min
Our Interview with International Living Magazine - Our Life in Costa Rica
Blaxit: 5 Black American Expats Share Their Experiences Living Overseas BTW - After the article was published we discovered that we happen to know 2 of the other couples who were interviewed for the article. Riley & His wife who live in Grecia and Michelle and her husband who we visited on our trip to San Miguel de Allende - Congrats to both!!! Please check us out (small error - Some of you may know, but the above photo is actually in Escazu) #ThatBellaLife #BlackExpatsLiving
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The Bella Blog
- Sep 15, 2020
- 2 min
Costa Rica, A Day in the life
Today is September 15th It's Costa Rica Independence Day Some of you may remember this video, which we posted back in 2018 on our old vimeo channel. Now that we have moved from Grecia, it's fun to look back on those days, so, from time to time I'll upload one of the old videos and repost it to our new Youtube channel -- and you can also view it here. I think this will be helpful to our newer subscribers -- and for those of you who have been around for a while, you might like
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The Bella Blog
- Aug 15, 2020
- 3 min
The"hygge” life
It all started with the concept of hygee. But, what is hygee? Pronounced hooga - hue-guh): a concept of living, derived from the Danish word “hygge”. ... It was created as a concept and lifestyle by the Danish in the 18th century and is now a fundamental part of their culture. The hygge concept cannot be translated to one single word but it encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoyment of the simple things in life and as the Danish put it “the goo
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The Bella Blog
- Jul 24, 2020
- 5 min
Why We Moved to Escazú
This seems to be the question I am asked most often, so I thought I would take a few minutes and explain how we decided on Escazú. First, let's do a quick rewind, some of you are new to our journey and many of you who have followed us since the beginning have probably forgotten when we made our due diligence trip to Costa Rica in March 2015. (BTW I encourage anyone thinking of relocating to make a due diligence trip) The Gang of 5 (The Aspiring Expats 2015) One of the first s
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