At The Costa Rica News, we stay focused on Costa Ricans and non-Costa Ricans who have been successful in the country, what inspires them, and how they have accomplished their endeavors.
It is interesting how people decide to come to live in the Central American country, perhaps on the advice of friends or relatives and even because of their conviction. For many, it will be an example and it will be very helpful or motivating to learn about the experience of migrants in Costa Rica.
You will wonder who we are talking about this time and it is Noam Mercedes Kostucki, born in Belgium and whose grandparents were Polish Jewish refugees. Noam told us about her family, childhood, and the teachings that they left her.
A family of migrant survivors of the Second World War. Our interviewee today considers that her childhood was beautiful, with her grandparents and loving parents.
Her mom signed her up for all kinds of sports, as well as activities related to the arts: music, painting, sculpture, computer stuff, and languages. In childhood, she went through a difficult emotional situation, attended by a psychologist, changed schools five times due to bad behavior, went from being one of the best students to be one of the worst. Until she arrived at an international school where the teachers were different and everything changed, helped improve her life.
Judo, source of inspiration
In the sports discipline Judo, her teacher taught self-confidence, being strong, respecting herself and other people, when she started practicing she was five years old, a few years later, she taught children; At the age of 15, she was already teaching Judo to adults. Today: “It is the basis of my career as a business coach and business trainer.”
Her curiosity allowed learning a little of everything
At the age of 18 she went to study in England, a civil engineering career, during her preparation she contributed to charitable organizations and gave workshops on how to speak to the public, to work in a team, innovate and how to communicate with people from different cultures, the success was so evident that she was invited to give lectures in the United States and even in Malta, which for her was incredible.
After leaving the university, she decided to start a business of giving corporate workshops, business coaching, strategy consulting and marketing. Her training has been focused on that, in courses, programs, where she has been self-taught and curious.
Always traveling…
What she has learned from all the trips is that human beings are the same all over the world, “even if we have different languages, physical appearance, or gastronomy, there are the same fears, desires and struggles to work. We are similar, even with different customs, various rules, social norms that go hand in hand with their cultures and believes”.
Hobbies and projects
Today, she says many of what she considered hobbies have turned into jobs. Part of her entertainment has been Judo, painting, taking pictures, reading, writing books, traveling, acting and with the process of her transition dressing and putting on makeup. “I am in a project to build a restaurant in Guanacaste, after building a hotel. I want to travel again, which is also in my plans,” Kostucki emphasized.
Costa Rica: Nature, warm people and successes
Noam told us that she fell in love with Costa Rica by chance, since some people constantly told her that she needed to come because it was a country for her, and it is worth noting that she has always kept in mind as a rule that if something happens three times, she has to pay attention to it.
Living in Costa Rica for 8 years, she was first in Jacó, on a tour getting to know La Fortuna, Arenal, Montezuma, then returning to San José. She lived in Tamarindo, and currently lives between Tamarindo and Playa Avellanas, in Guanacaste.
All the places she has visited in Costa Rica, admits are fabulous, but Tamarindo has definitely captivated her, although she would like to spend more time in San José and visit other places.
This artist, chef and business coach highlights that what has most impacted her about Costa Rica is the nature that is not comparable to any other country and neither are the people.
“I remember a lady that I met when I was on a bus returning from the airport started talking to her, she was with her daughter and was explaining to me that when her daughter finished university two years ago, she, who had a beauty salon in San José, was going to move it to Jacó. As a business coach, I told her that’s great! A woman growing her business, willing to open a second location, and suddenly she says no, that she would close the one in San José. I was confused, then she added, that one beauty salon was enough.”
What the lady said to Noam was unbelievable for her, since she was arriving from New York, “months before I had a conversation with a couple who work in banks, who together earn $650,000 a year and they complained that they were not earning enough money and they were looking for a new job where they could earn more and the lady tells me that with a beauty salon in Costa Rica, it was enough money…”.
Leaving footprints as a gourmet chef in Costa Rica
She did not study to be a chef in academic subjects, because she keeps learning empirically and being self-taught. The cooking school were her parents, who took her to various restaurants in different countries, traveling and eating at home always something new, seeing how people cook from different cultures.
It is worth adding that when she arrived in Costa Rica, her plan was to set up a business coaching center, but she did not have internet, but she insisted on hergoal. While she managed to attract clients as a coach, she focused on cooking very relaxed, with a small restaurant, “in a month I saw something wonderful and that is that it becomes number 1 of the gourmet food restaurants in Tamarindo; in five months I received an international award for cooking and I realized that this was a business, people like what I cook. I’m still on the couching thing, but I’m also about to launch my clothing line too.”
We definitely feel honored to interview people like Noam, who always thinks about the importance of taking time, connecting with the spiritual, what we want, where we want to go. Keep our body, our temple, well cared for. Focus on solving problems and also help people to pursue their dreams. Well done, Pure Life!.
