Our application has recently been completed and sent to immigration. Nothing is certain. Sometimes takes six months sometimes years.

It is a much bigger undertaking than we thought. Read lots of books. Lots of YouTube’s in living wherever you choose.
Believe nothing you read. Including me.
Once here we realized everyone’s experience is very different yet very much the same.
You have to be a patient person. Where ever you go there will be expat groups. Ours teaches Spanish for free. Find them.
If you can find one Ex-pat that knows everything it’s a godsend. We lucked out tremendously on that. Them we made one Tico friend that speaks excellent English. Those two and an expat group are the best avenue into the culture.

Edit: LIVING in a new country is 100% different than visiting for a week.