Things I Will Miss about Costa Rica…and Some that I Won’t

I wrote this post while still in Costa Rica, but just never published it because my husband and I got so sick with sinusitis the last week and half of our trip, and then we topped that off with a pinched nerve in my neck and pneumonia and a ruptured ear drum for my husband. Ugh. Not a fun way to end our trip. Anyway…here are some things that I will miss and a few that I won’t:

What I’ll Miss

The Beach!!!

Living in Nashville these last six years, after growing up in Southern California, I have really missed the beach. Even just SEEING the ocean. And in Costa Rica, unlike SoCal, the ocean is warm! I have loved surfing, playing in the water with my kids, gathering shells as my special souvenir of our trip, and seeing Luke so stoked to be surfing again (and getting Devon out on a board).

The View

Seriously, the view from our house is amazing.

Monkeys in our Backyard

Back in Nashville, we will no longer see monkeys right outside our door. Going to look for the monkeys will no longer be a regular activity. Aria will no longer be talking to the monkeys…except maybe at the zoo, which simply can’t compare to seeing a dozen or two outside your house.

Delicious Tropical Fruits

Pineapple, papaya, mangoes, bananas, plantains, watermelon, avocados….all sooooo good here. We have definitely been taking advantage of the fruit. We even bought a juicer upon arrival and have been enjoying fresh juice and fruit smoothies. Yum!

The Adventure

We have so many stories and special memories from this trip. Almost every day, it seems, we have some kind of adventure: beach-going, surfing, exploring, experiencing the animal kingdom (monkeys right outside our door even as I type this), locking keys in the car, traveling on dirt roads, navigating without street names or addresses, and the list goes on and on.

Gorgeous Sunsets

We’ve taken a ton of sunset pictures here. We can’t help ourselves. So gorgeous.

Perspective

Getting out of our regular routine, especially in a “second-world” country, helps me see my life a little differently. It helps me really appreciate things that I can easily take for granted at home (e.g. air conditioning, a big house, access to just about anything I could want). It reminds me that the rest of the world is not like my little circle. Things that would normally be easy can be very difficult here, so you better be creative and resourceful. I’ve also been thinking about how life is what we make of it. I mean, we can find adventure in Nashville, too. We can do family stuff during the day in Nashville, too. (We’ve done that a little bit, but could sure do more since Luke can make his own schedule.) We can go to the beach….um….at the lake? Hmmm…NOT the same, but we can give it a shot and explore other things Nashville has to offer.

Speaking Spanish

I really enjoy practicing my Spanish. Although there are plenty of Spanish-speakers in Nashville, I would have to consciously seek them out rather than having opportunities regularly presenting themselve like they do in Costa Rica.

Devon’s Awesome Daycare

Though we didn’t plan on putting Devon in daycare, that’s what we ended up doing. Five mornings per week. They only speak Spanish there, so Devon has been learning the language via immersion. They do all sorts of crafts and fun stuff and Devon always says, “I had so much fun!” when I pick him up.

Fresh Fish

Our neighbor spearfishes for a hobby, so we’ve loaded up on just-caught fish. Super good, healthy AND super cheap. Can’t beat that.

Geckos

They’re like pets that take care of themselves. They hang out on our ceiling, and watching them hunt bugs provides nightly entertainment.

What I Won’t Miss

Bugs, Bugs, Bugs!

Centipedes, beetles, spiders, mosquitoes, wasps, all different kinds of ants and a plethora of other insects. And that’s INSIDE the house. I will especially not miss the tiny ants crawling on me almost continuously and appearing en masse on any particle of food that sits on the counter/sink/floor for more than two minutes (NOT exaggerating!). And I won’t miss the tarantulas and scorpions. Egad!

Our Rental Car

A 1992 Jeep Grand Cherokee with 244,000 miles on it, no air conditioning, manual locks and windows, passenger door lock that the key won’t open, headlights that don’t work, windshield wipers that barely work….and did I mention no air conditioning in the heat and humidity? At least it got us from point A to point B, and for that we are very grateful. (In case you’re wondering, this was rented from a friend, not a rental car company.)

A “Backyard” Dangerous for our Kids

The “backyard” here is just a deck with an unsafe railing and a pool. We had to watch our kids (ages 3 and 1, especially the 1yo) like hawks to make sure they didn’t fall off the back deck or into the pool or down a crazy set of stairs. Since it’s so hot here and the house does not have central air conditioning, we had to keep the doors open to keep the house cool (relatively speaking!), so we didn’t have the built-in safety of closed doors. Looking forward to being “off-duty” in that regard.

Washing Dishes by Hand

Yes…I miss my dishwasher. Call me spoiled. Whatever.

Living out of a Suitcase

Everyone knows living out of a suitcase gets old after awhile. Ten weeks is a long time.

Being Away from our Friends Back Home

We’ve made friends here in Costa Rica, but I’m definitely looking forward to seeing our loved ones back in Nashville. Two months is a long time to be away from all of those relationships.

We’ve had a great trip, but yes….I am looking forward to going home.

Learning to Decompress

Ten weeks in Costa Rica. Lots of time at the beach, in the pool and relaxing. We are four and a half weeks in with five and a half weeks to go. It has been a wonderful time for our family–experiencing the culture, practicing the language, going to the beach (oh how we’ve missed the beach while living in Tennessee!), enjoying the tropical fruit and just getting out of our regular routine. Always good to change things up every once in awhile to keep the spice in life.

We’re already talking about doing another trip like this, whether it’s back to Costa Rica or to a new destination. From our time working in ministry with Every Nation Ministries, we know people all over the world. Why not go visit? Let’s see new places, experience new things, make some more memories! My husband can work from anywhere as long as he has Internet access, so we want to take advantage of that while we can.

This adventure has definitely been an opportunity for me to learn how to decompress. I’m a “type-A” personality. I love to accomplish things. It makes me feel good. Checking things off my to-do list has almost entirely been put on hold while we’re here. I find myself looking for things to do. I get antsy if I don’t have something to do. There’s not much to do here except go to the beach, go in the pool, surf the web and read. I know, I know….you must be thinking, “Poor you. Life is rough!”

Maybe it would be easier if I didn’t have two small children to entertain without their own toys and at a very non-child-friendly property (house on the side of a steep mountain with a dangerous deck and pool). Watching my kids like a hawk to make sure they don’t fall off the deck or into the pool has replaced other activities of mine. Thank goodness that we got Devon into daycare five mornings a week or I would really be going bonkers trying to entertain him here.

My need to accomplish something has driven me to finally start blogging. My hubby has been encouraging me for months to start a blog, so here we go. I’ve found that the writing process helps me really chew on my thoughts and digest what I’m thinking/feeling/experiencing, which can help me learn more about myself and make adjustments to my thoughts and attitudes as necessary. What a great added benefit.

So have I decompressed after four and a half weeks? Well….that’s probably an ongoing process. I still feel a bit antsy, so I think the answer is no. At least not fully. Has it been good for me? Absolutely. Would I do it again? Absolutely, and hopefully not too far in the future. But I am looking forward to “normal life” again–living in our own house with our own things, being back in a house that’s set up for kids and having access to…almost anything (except the beach; there are trade-offs to everything).

I have loved, loved, loved all the time we’ve been able to spend at the beach. Playing with the kids in the water, picking up shells, enjoying the beauty of God’s creation. (The beach has always been a reminder to me of the majesty, power and magnitude of God.) And we plan to make the most of the rest of our time here and spend as much time at the beach as possible.

The to-do list will still be there when I get home.