Well I’ve been living in Costa Rica for a month now and I got to say…it’s been miraculous and a steep learning curve.
If you ever want to get to know the real YOU, move to a completely different country, condense your old life into mere suitcases, don’t speak the language, leave family and friends back home, no ready-made-community waiting for you, recreate rituals and routines (everything work differently here!), re-learn ALL the day-to-day-auto-pilot activities like speaking, grocery shopping, banking, driving ..the list is endless!
My ego self just craves familiarity and routine to create a sense of ‘normal’.
So much of life here in Costa Rica is way easier, and some stuff is sooo way harder. Like mind blowing harder. And wayyyy slower. Raining in that North American its-got-to-be-done-yesterday does not work here!
Here are the ‘safe’ activities that keep my feet on the ground:
🙏 got a Costco membership (called price smart) (like a kid in a candy store!)
🙏 finding wifi (every where I go)
🙏 joined a local gym ( no air conditioning!)
🙏 many video chats with my kids (life saver)
🙏 laughing over absolutely everything (with my amazing roommate – and she is from Oakville too – crazy!)
🙏getting regular massages ($25 vs $100 back home!)
🙏swimming in the infinity pool that overlooks jungle (but checking to see if there are any wild creatures swimming too!)
🙏found an amazing coffee shop!
🙏participating in cacao ceremony and soft plant medicine jungle-walks (may sound unsafe but it’s my kind of safe!)
Some bat-shit crazy stuff:
😲checking for scorpions before you sit on your couch or jump into bed
😳 driving on 2 lane, seriously windy roads in the mountains with NO shoulders or protection barriers – of any kind – the view to your death plunge being a spectacular view of the most beautiful mountainous terrain
😲 pot holes the size of meteor creators – and no one calls 311@toronto.ca
😲 not forgetting to put your toilet paper in the garbage can instead of the toilet (I am averaging 50-50)
😳 for some reason my pathetic attempt at Spanish has me reverting to french, which I also don’t speak, but remember from grade school
😳I am allergic to any kind of insect bite (swelling, blistering – see offensive picture)
My most valuable lesson in this crazy idea to give-up-everything-I-know, is this:
-Life is an adventure.
-Life is meant to be spontaneous, joyful, crazy, plenty of ‘WTF-what was I thinking moments’.
-Sweet dreams really are made of this. 🌈 Pura Vida!
Hey, since I’ve been sharing my adventures moving to Costa Rica, so many people have reached out to say that they are inspired by my leap of faith and it’s nudged them closer to their dreams – if you are needing a nudge, PM me!