Mr. Miyagi, meet Princess Leia

At first meeting, you don’t have any way of knowing who Brooke Bishop will turn out to be. Sure, you’re dazzled by her fluency in Spanish, her mastery of Costa Rican roads, her ease of movement in this new world that seems so mysterious and overwhelming to you. 

You simply think, “there’s a lot to like about this woman.” She’s cheerful, laughs a lot, reveres nature and art, reads good books and tells great stories. Plus, she’s not afraid to mix it up when a situation warrants. (Fortunately, that need doesn’t arise very often here.)

It’s only after you’ve met with her a few times that it hits you - this woman is a powerful mage, the love child of Mr. Miyagi and Princess Leia. She’s kind, compassionate, smart, and funny. She’s brave.

In short, she’s your Costa Rica life coach. She’s your real estate broker, sure, but to define her that way does such a grave disservice. She does sell homes, yes, and lands you in the one that’s perfect for you. She knows which one that is even before you do because she’s mindful and has taken note of who you are, why you’re moving to Costa Rica and what kind of budget you’re bringing with you. 

But what makes her truly special is what happens after the papers are signed and the sale is done. That’s when Brooke becomes Mother Hen and you her precious chick.

“It really is fun to watch people blossom and figure it out and to be happy,” she says. “You’re my little chicks, then you’ll go off and be teenagers and grow up.”

Brooke is a human ATM machine for information. She’s got someone for everything you need - an appliance guy, a plumber, a few contractors, a doctor, a dentist, a lawyer. She’s happy to share their contacts with you. She also knows how to get from here to there, knows where the best place is to buy this or that, can maybe swing a good deal for you. 

Even more than we say “habla ingles?” or “buenas dias,” or even “hola,” the word we’ve used most in Costa Rica is “Brooke.” It has several variations - “call Brooke” or “let’s ask Brooke” or “I bet Brooke knows,” or “what does Brooke think?” Sometimes we create a “Brooke list” for when we see her next.

It’s not just us. Brooke is inundated with phone calls, emails and texts, all filled with different needs from different clients. She answers questions cheerfully because she just genuinely wants to help. (For the number of people who are surely using these phrases, I should sell silicon bracelets that say, “What Would Brooke Do?” with her phone number.)

All she really wants is for you to love your new country as much as she does. She wants you to treat it as it should be, to appreciate the way of life here, and to understand all that it offers.

Her philosophy, straight from the source: “It’s my life, man. I don’t have kids. I do it because I like to do it but also because it’s part of my job. It isn’t just selling somebody a house. How could I just leave people? If I make sure they know everything, have good workers, what they need, they can be as happy here as I am. That’s all I want. I love it here, I want to share that.

“The best way that I can do that,” she continues, “is to help you guys make the adjustment in the best and easiest way possible. You have to do so many things before you even get here that you’re already exhausted and you haven’t even really started. You just have to live it, you’ve got to do it, and it’s a privilege to be able to help.”

She knows it’s a complicated move and wants to ease the burden of all the things that must be done. “I want to see you get to the place where your main decisions are what color you want your flowers to be.”

And then with a shrug, “I’m grateful, too, that I am trusted with your life savings. I take that very seriously. I want you to buy something that you are going to love and that is good for you.I really do just want to help.”

Admittedly, we may have made her reconsider her desire to be helpful. In the beginning, we called her every single day.

What about bank accounts?

Phone minutes?

We need a mechanic.

Where can we shop for cotton sheets? Or organic food? 

Can you come with us and translate?

How do the one-way bridges work?

Once I texted Brooke to ask if she knew where we could secure a pressure washer. 

“Actually, I have one you can borrow, I’ll bring it over,” she answered.

“Is there no end to your kindness?” I asked.

Came her answer, “There is no end.”

Even before we moved here, she saved us repeatedly. On an early trip here, Melanie lost her phone in a driver’s car on her way back to the airport. When she discovered it, Melanie called me from an airport phone, and I called Brooke from Florida. Brooke went so far as to orchestrate finding the phone (which involved calling the driver of the car where the phone was lost) and sent the driver back to the airport. He was unable to get there before Melanie’s flight, so Brooke re-retrieved the phone and sent it to back to the States with clients who were in Costa Rica finding property. They brought the phone back and mailed it to Melanie - within a week of losing her phone in Costa Rica, she had it back in Florida. 

Miraculous.

My ultimate call for Brooke’s help came from the car on a Saturday morning. 

“Um, Brooke? I think I broke my ankle and we’re not sure what to do. Just show up at hospital emergency?”

(We have since asked her more “what if” questions so we’re better prepared for things before they happen.)

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How Brooke came to Costa Rica is an interesting story in itself, one in which her mom, Loraine, is the hero.

Brooke had applied for the Peace Corps out of college but when her assignment came back as Haiti, the danger and risks were too high. (“I’m not that good of a person,” she now says dryly.)

She ended up as a YMCA camp nature instructor for Michigan fifth-graders. The travel itch persisted, though, and when the opportunity came to take the YMCA camp instructor gig international, Brooke jumped at it. She combined her interest in jungles with wanting to visit Central America - “it always sounded very intriguing to me, a little bit dangerous.”

Her mom, being a mom, said, “Why don’t you think about Costa Rica? I’ve heard Costa Rica’s pretty safe.” (Thanks, Loraine; I love you for that.) 

So the first-ever YMCA camp opening in Costa Rica went to Brooke, and she started planting and propagating trees. In the program, she fell in love with a Tico, and they were married for 17 years. 

Her life here changed when, a single day after she’d quit a low-paying job, a chance meeting in a coffee shop offered up another one. A real estate broker Brooke was friendly with said, “Hey, what are you doing these days?” 

“I just quit my job.”

“Don’t you speak Spanish? I need somebody to sell real estate for me in Grecia.” 

Interestingly, Brooke initially rebuffed the idea. “I don’t want to sell Costa Rica to Gringos. I like Costa Rica the way it is,” she told the broker. Funny, that - she still feels that way but understands there are Gringos, like her, who come here to respect and love the country, and after all, someone has to shepherd them through the process.

The broker offered, “Just let me tell you about it, see what you think.”

As these things go, one step and then another, and before she knew it, just after quitting a job, Brooke was selling real estate.

“I’m very lucky,” she rightly declares. “The Universe loves me.”

The Universe loves her so much that she’s the broker now, having started Brooke Bishop Realty last September. Now people work for her. 

We know that some of you were afraid for us to come here, worried about how we’d get along. Now that you know Brooke, I hope this helps you understand that it’s really ok.

Life coach, friend, family. Also, it should be noted that Loraine now lives with Brooke here, so she’s Tribe, too. 

Recently, I mentioned to Brooke my wonder and awe at the beauty that I see every single day just looking out the window of the house or car.

Beaming, she said, “I still feel that way (after 25 years.) I never get tired of it. I’m so very grateful.”

We're grateful, too, for all we have learned in Costa Rica and for Brooke, who has taught us everything.

Turns out the Universe loves us too.