Why Costa Rica?

"Why did you move to Costa Rica?", or "How did you decide on Costa Rica?" are the two most common questions we get asked and for the most part, a common question I also like to ask others.  It is so fun to hear the responses and so fun to hear what has brought so many people from so many countries to this beautiful land.  Everyone has a story, but what makes it so interesting is that we have not only chosen to live in a different culture/country then where we were born or raised, but most of us are doing this while raising our children and for many of us, that is the whole reason we are doing it now....to raise our kids here or to give them an international experience, or for others, to get off the beaten track or to exit the rat race (or a little of all of these!).

"What is different about Costa Rica?" you might ask....well, we get to see, hear and hold many animals that otherwise we would just see in a zoo, on Animal Plant, or in a picture book.  We get to go to the beach every day if we want....the water is warm and the sun shines every day.  Our kids get to focus on being kids....meaning, they get to get dirty, hold wild animals, run thru the grass, ride bikes in the rain, be free of the worry of the labels and styles of clothing, live a life with less material objects, have less homework, less obligations, and very little of a set schedule.  In other words, to live in a place where family comes first.

So, back to the initial question..."Why Costa Rica?"  So, our story goes like this.....When I turned 40 I had dreamed of going to Egypt, but because of the events of 9/11, it was not a good time to travel internationally.  So, my wonderful husband rented me a big 'ole house in Wailea, Maui and I invited a whole slue of girlfriends to become a "Hula Girl" with me.  We not only had a blast that week (many of us, including myself, were leaving our toddlers at home for the very first time), but we all discovered the value of girlfriends, the value of being able to recoup, and that our kids and husbands back home were just fine without us (in the best possible way, of course!).  Many husbands were taking care of the kids 24/7, including mine, for the first time, and we all loved that there were getting to see what we as moms experience everyday with the kids....the good, the bad, and the ugly.

So, we all vowed to keep taking girlfriend trips.....but, when I got home, I discovered I was pregnant with our 3rd, Marissa and soon after that, I was pregnant with our 4th, William.  So, as you can imagine, the girlfriend trips kinda took a hiatus.

But, on my 45th, when I was still nursing William and unable to go away overnight, I planned a whole day of girlfriend fun....starting with yoga on the beach, a kayak trip out to Angel Island, a hike and  picnic, and a sunset sail around the bay to end the day and "Fearless Friends" we became.  I felt rejuvenated and decided to announce my idea for the next year....Costa Rica! 

Front row sitting L-R:  Kayleen (college, came out from Colorado), Casey (college, came out from Colorado)
Middle row kneeling L-R:  Me, Valerie, Lisa, Elizabeth, Kathleen
Back row Standing L-R:  Dear Debbie (RIP), Julie, Deanna (high school, came from Arroyo Grande), Liz, Wendy, Elizabeth, Denise, Leslie, and Marian.....and this was just the sailing crew from the whole day of fun!

And so it was....in 2008, 7 wonderful girlfriends from just about every phase of my life came with me to become "Adventure Girls" in Costa Rica.  Deanna my BFF from high school and her sister Dawna, Valerie my BFF mom friend from San Fran, Kayleen my great friend from college and sorority sister and her friend the wonderful Marcie, and France a friend of Val's who I had been going to Family Camp with for many years.  7 wonderful friends to celebrate my 46th birthday on the 7th of May in sunny (and rainy) Costa Rica.  Amazing.

Kayleen, France, Valeria, me, Dawna, Marcie and Deanna

 Then, after returning home, I knew I had to bring the kids and Kurt to this magical land full of all the animals our kids love so much (our kids are Animal Planet junkies!).  So, I began to contact a bunch of owners from VRBO and Homeaway.com asking for a 2-4 week stay and out of the blue, one of the owners asked us if we wanted to stay longer and housesit their house and take care of his dog.  We took the leap of faith and said YES to a 6 week stay in Play Ocotal, near Playas de Coco on the Pacific side of Costa Rica (I had not traveled to this side with the girls) and in the providence of Guanacaste, or dry zone (which is key when you are traveling to the rain forest).  I booked our tickets using frequent flyer miles (an almost free vacation!) and we left right when school got out in June and returned 8 weeks later in  mid-August giving us 6 weeks in the house and 2 weeks on the road to see the other side of Costa Rica.

Now, this is where it happened.....the starting point of what is now our Costa Rican life.  During the summer of 2009 when we were housesitting the house in Playa Ocotol, we began to run into families at the beach or in restaurants that lived in Costa Rica and our kids began to ask, "Where do they go to school, how do they do that, can WE do that?" and so began our family discussion of moving to Costa Rica.

Waterslides at Rincon de la Vieja National Park Summer 2009

Having multiple age groups in our family, we consulted with the big boys first....they loved the idea, but wanted to have their first year of high school and then they would go, so we began to think that in a few years, after they each had completed their Freshman years, we would go to Costa Rica for one year.  In hindsight, we should have done it sooner.  Middle school, while tons of fun, was not so successful for our boys....it was lots of homework, lots of activities, and lots of scheduling conflicts.  We found ourselves going in many different directions and doing the whole "divide and conquer" thing most weekends.

But, as Dominic was getting thru his Freshman year and Zack set to enter his Freshman year the following year, we suddenly realized that if we did not do this now, it would be impossible to it make happen.  So, Kurt and I began a stealth campaign....not mentioning a word to the kids or to our friends.  I began with research....how much would it cost us, where would they go to school, where would we live, etc.?  I started with what we knew and what we loved, the area of Ocotal/Coco and began to fan out over the dry zone and stumbled upon this new community school (meaning it is a private school, but it has kids from both the local and the expat communities).  It was not your typical American school (which is the whole reason for going to Costa Rica in the first place) and it was bilingual (another reason).  It was small (perfect), it was new (yes, we seem to be drawn to new schools and schools that build new schools!), it had after school activities and it had sports teams (that I would not have to drive to...yahoo!), and it was in a coastal town right by the beach (perfect!),

We applied immediately.

And we got turned down immediately.

They had room in the grades of our 3 boys, but 4th grade was all full and thus, Marissa was not in.  So, this set us in a tail spin...what do we do?  Do we go anyway?  Do we send the boys, and homeschool Marissa?  Do we homeschool them all?  Not!  We kept the stealth campaign going cleaning out closets, secretly packing things up and taking them to our secret storage unit, holding a garage sale, etc.  And then, while we are away at family camp in July, we get the email that the whole family was in.  Kurt and I had a long, heartfelt conversation via cell phone and we gave ourselves 24 hours to ponder.  When I called him the next day, we both had come to the same conclusion....we had to go, now or never, this was meant to be, this is going to be great!

And so, here we are, not only enjoying our year abroad, but liking it so much that we are staying another year.   "Will we stay longer?", you may now ask.  Truth is, we do not know.  Only time will tell and the beautiful thing about this new life is that we have a lot more time.

 

First Day of school at La Paz, 2012
William (1st), Zack (9th), Marissa (4th), and Dominic (10th)

First Day of school at La Paz, 2nd year in Costa Rica, 2013
Dominic (11th), William (2nd), Zackary (10th) and Marissa (5th)

Pura Vida Gammon Family!



The Rauzi - Gammon Families on the day of their departure....

Tamarindo beach day...
one day last March 2013



Isaiah, Zack and Tucker

As the thunder rumbles outside and I sit here waiting for the rain to begin, I cannot help but feel that Costa Rica is also crying for the loss of our dear friends, The Gammon Family, who left Costa Rica Sept. 5th to begin their next family traveling adventure in Florida.  

Marissa and Seraphina at the Witch's Rock Bon Fire





 

 

 

 

 

We met the Gammon Family at the La Paz school New Parent Orientation last August and felt a connection with them immediately as they too had left a school and community they loved to pursue an international experience for their children.  In fact, their description of the home they left behind had made me cry.  I felt the same.  Sad to see our wonderful life back home "gone," but also thrilled beyond belief  that we were actually here and had actually made this happen for our kids.  I also cried because I could not believe that I was surrounded by so many families who were doing the exact same thing as us....something that others would consider way outside the box, but for us, it was way inside the box...inside the box of adventure!  I will continually wish for more and more adventures for our kids all throughout their lives, no matter where that takes them (and hopefully we can go visit them!).

 

 



William checking in with the big boys.....

One of our favorite "after-the-beach" hangouts.....especially on Friday nights when they have bon fires and Radio Dos reports live with Evan Luck and Joe Welsh (owner of Witch's Rock Surf Camp and Restaurant).  There is no doubt that their cold beers taste good after a long day surfing, but so does their sushi...our favorite is Joe's Barrel roll....kinda like a deep fried California roll with salmon and cream cheese.  Yum!

 

Sushi Boat...that lasted all of 3 minutes before
they asked if they could get another one...NOT!







  



A typical day at the beach for the girls...
Seraphina and Marissa
 (who both wish they had each other as a sister)

 

Over the course of the first half of the year we would run into this family at this beach and we would hang out as our kids were all drawn to each other.  They have 3 kids with similar ages to our kids....Seraphina is 8, Tucker is 12, and Isaiah is 14 and in Zack's class.  Many times we continued the beach fun into the early evening at a restaurant.  Good vibes and good times.

 



Seraphina and Marissa (the posers!)

 

 



 

William the photo bomber!

Then, last March, after a second break-in at their house, but this time in plain view of the kids, they moved into our guest house.  Nate was in the US at the time, so it was great for Mary and the kids to have an alternative to go to as the kids did not want to return "to the scene of the crime."  Nate returned a few weeks later and they spent a couple weeks looking for a new house.  This time they landed just down the street from us (lucky us!) and so began our fun time as neighbors.

The photo bomber strikes again....

 



 



 





A new froggy friend at JT's in Tamarindo
(Isaiah, William., Seraphina and Marissa)



 

 

The big boys even played on the same soccer team together....all of them having a blast.  Mary and I spent many a hot afternoon watching them play while Nate assisted with practices.  So great to see them in action!

 

 

Dominic, Tucker, Zack and Isaiah

 

 

 





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Soccer in the intense heat/humidity of Costa Rica was a new experience for all of us.  Practices started during the dry season, so games were held on rock hard, dead grass fields most of the time.  Water was in high demand and they played their hearts out!

 

 

Soccer practice in the rain!

 

La Paz vs. Cartagena

 



Coco Loco dinner...end of trimester!



Tucker, Dominic and William

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dinners out or dinners in...it was all fun.  Our favorite dinner spots were always on the beach, with a sunset thrown in.  Many times the kids played beach games after dark while we sat and talked.  Hide-and-go-seek, soccer, bowling, sand castle building, Frisbee, etc.  No game was off limits, no matter the age.





 

 

In front of Coco Locos, Playa Flamingo....beach sand dune surfing!



Me, Nate and Mary at the Internet Café
(it's really just our back patio...but, it's where we could all get on-line!

Nate the grill Master and Marissa the Ham!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dance Party!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The kids also flowed seamlessly between the two houses and the one across the street, with lots of bike rides, swim sessions and soccer games in the yard.  We held many an impromptu dinner party and there were plenty of  sleepovers and helping with carpooling the kids...with 7 kids between us (and 4 more across the street with another family!), it was nice to "divide and conquer all the tasks of raising this multi-aged group. 

 

 

 

The kids....William, Tucker, Zack, Isaiah,
Dominic, Seraphina, and Marissa

 

 

Whether it was bike rides to get smoothies, the boys rip-sticking or skateboarding thru our house, a game of tag in the yard or on the beach, games in the pool, dinner parties, dance parties (the girl's favorite), the many shows and fashion parades put on by the girls, sweating at boot camp, hiking, stretching at yoga, bottles of wine or tropical drinks, sunsets in Brasilito, Mary's amazing meals,  fishing, boogie boarding, skim boarding, surfing, sea shell collecting, sand castle making, Nate's masterful grilling, or playing 7 Little Words, it was always fun and always easy.

 

 

Everyone digging in....fish tacos!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary's a-m-a-z-I-n-g taco shells rubbed with Coconut oil!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary and I had an easy friendship....traveling to boot camp, yoga and hikes together.  We loved getting pedicures from Harlan and shared the same wonderful cleaning gal, Argentina.  We walked the beach many a day together and had our share of lunches out while the kids were at school.  We both felt great about our fun workouts and Mary even devised our own boot camp workout down by the bridge by our house over the summer!  Girls just gotta have fun AND work out (when ya live by the beach!). 

 

Mary and I hiking at Las Catalinas

 





Nate, our other neighbor Tony, and Kurt on the beach for sunset

One of our favorite things to do was to run down the street to our local beach for sunset.  It was an easy way to get the kids out of the house for an hour right before dinner, enjoy ourselves and enjoy our beautiful surroundings.  There is just something magical about the sunsets here...even the air is colorful.  But, floating in the warm water with all the kids, at sunset, with a beer in your hand is even more magical!

 

The girls....inseparable friends!

 



Sunset chatting....

 

 

 

The girls at one of our sunset runs....

 

But, as the year ran down, we all felt that it was time to decide....we decided to spend a second year in Costa Rica and the Gammons decided to move to Florida to be near grandmothers and extended family and for Nate to expand on some new ideas for his lumber brokerage business.  Both of our families embarking on another year of travel and family adventure and both of us hoping that this next year (and years to come) will bring us back to the same location....we hope to travel to Florida for Halloween in October and they hope to return in Jan or Feb to visit and have a check-up with the orthodontist.  They have also embarked on a new adventure of home schooling, so we hope the flexibility of this will allow them to travel more and put Costa Rica on their list of destinations!

 

 

The boys...Dominic, Isaiah, William, Tucker and Zack

Marissa and Seraphina....the Peace Twins!

Moving and traveling with your family has it pitfalls and one of them is the short or condensed amount of time one gets to spend with friends and acquaintances.  But, as Nate said to me at our last family dinner together, he did not look at this as a passing friendship, but as a lifelong connection that we will all work hard to maintain.  I actually don't think it will be that hard to maintain and we look forward to traveling hook-ups with this wonderful and fun family.



Mary and I being strong and not crying (yet!)



The wonderful Gammon Family!

But, what else can I say that has not already been said....it was a great, great, year and one we will never, ever forget.  Thank you for sharing it with us.  Pura Vida Gammon Family....until we meet again (very soon I hope!).  xxoo

Shaking things up with Mother Nature (again!)

I still find it hard to believe that mother nature sent us another big earthquake (6.0) on the exact one year anniversary of last year's huge quake (7.6)...and almost at exactly the same time.  Last year was at about 8:30am and this year's was at about 6:30am.  Coincidence?  Whatever you want to call it, it was enough to have one of my kids ask if we could be away on Sept. 5th next year for fear of what it might be next time.

 

Last year's quake was a strong, long lasting (3 minutes!) quake that happened just after the kids arrived at school.  3 of our kids were starting their day and our oldest was at home with Kurt and I working on a proposal for the internships he would be doing that year as part of an elective course he was taking called LEEP...which stands for Lifelong Experiential Education Program.

 

As the earth began to shake and the noise from the rattling windows and doors got louder, the 3 of use stood up and pondered what we should do, but when things began to start flying off the shelves and glass started to break, we suddenly knew that it was time to run outside, which we did...but, the quaking kept going for at least another two minutes.

 

When we darted down to pick up the kids at the lower campus, there was broken glass everywhere, but the kids, just pre-school thru 5th grade, were all well cared for and loved.  The quake had happened during the morning meeting out in the outdoor palapa....far away from any glass....and had found all the teachers close enough to all the kids to give hugs and immediate instructions.  Lots of excitement filled the air and each kid had a story to tell.

 

When we drove up to the upper campus (grades 6-12) we found the kids up the hill/mountain, as a tsunami warning had been issued by then.  Of course, this is more worrisome and fearful to most than the actual earthquake, so reports of this precaution sent a new found fear into our children when they thought it was all over.  Lots of conversations ensued over what all these events meant and what our family plan of re-connection would be.

 

We then drove home to find dad with our property management team cleaning up all the broken bottles and items that had flown off the shelves, mostly in the kitchen.  The neighbors were all out front and we met many of them for the first time as we had just moved in 2 weeks prior.  It was amazing to see a community bond and connect thru such an event.  We, at that moment, knew that our time in Costa Rica would be just fine.  Not to mention the minimal damage sustained by all the buildings, if any.  Kurt and I were living in San Francisco during the Loma Prieta quake of 1989 which registered a close (and lower!) 6.9 which leveled many buildings, including our own, killed 63 people, flattened a second of the Bay Bridge, and stopped the World Series.  So, to see Costa Rica roll with the flow so easily, it made us all feel much better.

 

But, this year, the quake was loud and strong enough to wake us all up and send us again flying out the door in our PJ's.  Well, except for the two teenagers, who woke up and rolled over despite our jumping up and down about the excitement of being woken up that way.  No broken glass or power outages this time.  And many of the kids in the neighborhood were all asking if school would be cancelled again...but, no.  We did have a second really good aftershock a few minutes later and then one again that night....but, they all just seemed fun and not so scary.  Dare I say that after so many quakes this year, that we are actually getting used to them?!

 

But, what this quake did do was remind us again that mother nature is supreme, that the Ring of Fire is real, and that community is everything.

First Day of School, 2nd Year in Cost Rica

Well, I guess it is now official....we loved our year in Costa Rica so much that we are turning it into a two year adventure!  With the exception of our oldest, this new life suits all of us just perfectly and we are beginning to hear requests to either stay here permanently or to at least continue to travel.  Dominic, our oldest, still desires to return to his high school in the states for his senior year next year and we have assured him that he can.  Secretly, I hope this year turns out even better for him as he should be now settled in and into the Pura Vida routine and that maybe he will desire to finish out here...but, we will see.  With the newly acquired International Bachelorette (IB) designation at the school, it is kinda hard to pass up an IB International World School Diploma for a regular old California State Diploma (cause we all know what that means).  But, it will be up to him and time will tell.

 

Our wonderful neighbors, the Gammons, are moving back to Florida (sob!) in a few days and started a home school on-line program a few weeks ago and a few of our kids have been very interested in the concept of this (I personally think they just like the idea of doing school in their PJ's and not having to wear a uniform!).  Dominic and Zack will get to try this out soon as they will both take World History on-line to keep up with the requirements of the high school back in the states.  History/Social Studies here at La Paz is taught in Spanish and is place-based and mostly about Costa Rica and the Latin American countries.   Cool in itself, but not cool enough to qualify as World History per the state of California. 

 

In the car this morning on the way to the first day back, we all talked about how different this year feels compared to this time last year.  Last year, we were new, still figuring it all out and had only met a handful of friends in the weeks before school started.  We were all new, in a new land, and attending a new school....this year, Dominic's class (11th) is the highest grade at the high school and thus the upper classmen of the colegio (what they call high school here), and Marissa's class (5th) is the highest grade at her campus and both are excited to be leaders and the oldest.  William is excited to be in a 2nd-3rd grade blended class (especially cause it is with Ms. Kelly...the wife of Marissa's teacher last year....we have all been saying that we are going form one Dodge to the next and so excited to still be in the magic of the Dodge family teaching circle).  Zack's class lost several of his favorite friends this past year, so he is excited to meet the new students and get back to playing some soccer (along with acquiring some advancement in some video game he wants to conquer this year).

 

I find myself personally slipping seamlessly back into my volunteer ways as I will be co-coordinating the new La Paz Community Council (a hybrid of the American version of the PTA) after helping to form the group last year.  After preparing a much needed Welcome Packet for the new families, it gave me the honor to get to know many new families even before they arrived and helped them with a few questions, logistics, and details of moving a whole family to a new country.  It has helped my own second year feel like home, familiar and welcoming.  And of course, I will keep up with my yoga classes (with the exciting addition of an aerial yoga class in Tamarindo!), tennis lessons, and I hope I can keep up with "Mary's boot camp" class (as we call our little work out down at the bridge) even after she leaves for Florida.

 

Kurt just headed back to the states early yesterday morning after United has cut their flights into Liberia to one flight in on Saturdays and one flight out on Sundays per week....yep...just two flight a week to choose from...such a bummer.  But, he was here for our little vacation last week and now he is back working hard on the launch of his new business, Dedicated Capital.  I just love the title, cause out of all the people I know, Kurt is by far the most DEDICATED husband, father and provided I have ever met.  Go Kurt Go!

 

So, I can't pass up an opportunity to show a picture of the kids from last year and this year....who do you think has grown/changed the most?  Just love their adventurous spirit (not to mention their newly acquired Spanish speaking skills.....they are now my translators!).  Go kids go!

Frequently Asked Questions

On a regular basis I get asked a series of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ's), so I thought that I would try to put together a few of them to help out anyone considering a move or considering Costa Rica or La Paz Community School.....

In an earlier post I answered the two most frequently asked questions..."Why did you move to Costa Rica?", or "How did you decide on Costa Rica?"  If you want to read these answers, go to this post......"Why Costa Rica?"

1.  We could never leave our family and friends behind, how did you do it?
We just went for it!  There will never be the perfect time or the perfect situation....so once you have the desire, just set the date and go.  Yes, it is a leap of faith, but one you will never regret.  You will only regret it if you do not do it.  And on that note....the only thing we regret is that we did not do it sooner.  Traveling with 2 teenagers was difficult at times, so we wish we would have come during middle school and not at the beginning of high school.  But, we really seriously will never regret doing this and will be glad we did it our whole lives.

2.  We could never leave our pets behind, what did you do?
We had only two pets when we were moving.....a guinea pig and a hamster.  We gave both to friends of the kids to "babysit" while we were gone.  Both passed that year as they were already a couple years old, but we all felt so glad they were with their new loving families.  Many people we know have brought their cats and dogs with them on the plane in crates, or left elderly pets with elderly family members or friends who needed or wanted a pet.  Then, we got a cat once we got here!

3.  How did you decide on the area you moved to?
This question was answered in an earlier post called "Why Costa Rica?" but the simple answer is that we wanted to be by the beach and we wanted to be in an area with less rain.  But, an even bigger influence was the school.  Once we found La Paz, we knew we had found our place.

4.  How did you decide and choose the school your kids attend?
We began looking on-line for schools in the Guanacaste region (dry zone!) and found very few schools that fit our needs....we wanted a bilingual school and not an American School (we felt we could do this in the states and that it defeated the whole purpose to give our kids and international experience by attending a school just like ours back home).  Once we found La Paz and watched the video about the school, we knew we had found the place for us.  Guanacaste...check.   Bilingual....check.  International...check.  Amazing....check.  See the video here if you are interested in this amazing school.....

5.  Did you consider homeschooling or other schools?
Not seriously.  I just know that I am not cut out for being an at home teacher/mom.  I am just not disciplined enough, frankly and with my husband, Kurt, going back and forth to the states and only here part time, I knew that I could not do this alone.  And also with our varied ages of our 4 kids, I knew that it would be super hard....so we did not consider this option.

6.  Did you brings things down via suitcases or via a container?
Because we were just moving here for a year (or so we thought!), we wanted to travel light and pair down.  We came with a carry-on suitcase each (filled with the heaviest stuff), a backpack each and everyone had something under their arm, like a guitar, soccer ball, basketball, teddy bear, etc.  We then each had two checked suitcases and two checked car seat bags that I used to again put the heaviest things in with the car seats cause these bags are free and they don't weigh them.  When we got to Costa Rica, I promptly gave the car seats to families in need with little kids.  We also checked a couple baseball bags (again, at that time, they were considered free sporting equipment bags), an ice chest filled with heavy stuff, and a couple boxes (bankers boxes) each cause at that time you could bring one free box each.  Those days of free bags are gone, so if we ever return, the trick will be to buy business or first class tickets for everyone and get the maximum free baggage allowance per person (usually 3-70 pound suitcases for first class) and leave the rest behind.

7.  What are the top three things you are glad you brought with you?
As we started packing, I began a list of the things we used in everyday life or started a pile with them.  I would say that I am really glad we brought down 1)  Office supplies and printer, 2)  Favorite medical supplies (like bubble gum Tylenol, which is not available here) and ankle and wrist wraps for sports injuries, 3)  Photos of families and friends (in frames, cause frames are hard to find here!) and 4) Holiday items.  Remember, most American holidays are not recognized here, so it was nice to have a few knickknacks and kitchen towels for holidays like Easter, Halloween, Valentines Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I actually brought down my favorite things from those holidays....place mats, table cloths, centerpieces, Easter baskets (cloth ones that fold up), plastic eggs, stockings and Christmas ornaments (non-breakable ones).  I wanted a bit of home in our new home and I am so glad to see the kids faces when I bring these items out each holiday as they not only represent home, they represent memories that we are glad to build upon.  Other items I am glad I brought are a beach bag, reusable bags, re-usable double insulated water bottles, Sharpie pens, scissors, my favorite kitchen knife, sporting equipment and gear, camping gear, flashlights, batteries, nightlights, bug repellent, sunscreen, favorite hair products.  Ok...that is way more than 3 items....but, I hope you get the idea....bring the things you can't live without.

8.  What 3 things do you wish you did not bring?
I think that everyone will tell you that they brought 1)  TOO MANY CLOTHES.  We had never had school uniforms, so I did not really quite understand that my kids would live in their uniforms, swimsuits, and PJ's the majority of the time.  2)  I brought slippers and tall leather boots which I have worn only when I have returned to the states.  3)  Books.  I brought a slew of books for the kids and some I am really glad I brought (the special ones for birthdays, etc.), but just like schools in the states, there is library day each week, so they bring books home from the library and from their classrooms.  Books here also disintegrate really fast due to the humidity. We have all switched to Kindles or the Kindle App on our computers for reading.  I know that I will end up donating most of these books when we leave and many of the reference books and books I brought for casual reading are just collecting dust on the shelves.

9.  Are weekend getaways possible?
Absolutely!  Because we have not filed for residency (yet), we leave every 90 days to keep our Tourist Visa and Drivers Licences current.  We have gone to nearby Nicaragua a half dozen times or more now (only 2 hours away) and have traveled to Florida and the East Coast multiple times.  Being a family from the West Coast, we have taken every opportunity we have had to travel to new places and the East Coast is not only easy to get to (2-4 hours), but also cheap (about $300 or so each r/t).  We have gone to Orlando (Disney World!), Sarasota, Tampa, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Boca Raton, Washington DC, New York City, Boston, etc.  We even flew one time to Florida for a One Direction concert!  Yep, we did!

10.  What are your favorite places you have visited in Costa Rica?
Not in any particular order.....Arenal Volcano (love Los Lagos Resort), Monteverde Cloud Forest, Manuel Antonio National Park, Rincon de la Viejo National Park, San Jose (Capital City), Tortuguero, and Puerto Viejo on the Caribbean side.  La Carolina Lodge/Rio Celeste and my recent trips to spend the night in a cave and hike a volcano on Ometepe Island in Nicaragua with the Mom's Club have become my personal favorites.

Let me know if you have more questions!

Making New Friends

Everyone asks....have you made friends?  Are you lonely?  How do you meet new people?  Well, the answer is yes, sometimes, and easily!  We have met many friends thru our kids and the kid's school, so it has been easy in that we kinda have a built-in social vehicle.  But, we also find ourselves meeting and making friends with people everywhere we go.  Restaurant owners love to know their locals, so do rental places and shop owners.  We have gotten to know the regular faces at yoga class or at our favorite beaches.  Many sit and talk with us for hours at the beach and others just know our  names or faces when we come in, which is a very comforting feeling when making a new home in a new country.

Our 4 kids have had great success at meeting new friends right from the first day of school and mostly because there are so many new families each year at their school, La Paz, due to transient students (families visiting for just one year or so) or families moving from another school, town, or foreign country, and due to the fact that this school is growing by leaps and bounds.  Their school is approx. 40% local kids and 60% from 25 different countries, so there is always a fair amount of new kids, new families, and those figuring it all out just like us.  This creates a bond in itself and makes it easy cause so many of us are in the same boat (far from "home", family, and old friends).

Another thing that really helped us to settle in and not feel lonely is that we ported our old home phone number to Magic Jack.  Now we just plug in our Magic Jack and the phone is a free US phone.  Friends call us and we call them for a nominal fee (5 years was just $200).  No toll charges at all and it has allowed all of us to stay in close touch with old friends and family members, making the distance not feel so far and has allowed the kids to share their experiences with their friends back in the states.  The older boys do a fair amount of Skyping and video chatting on Facebook, too.  It has really been a great way to stay connected.

 

The kid's school is also rich in after school offerings.  Honestly, they each do something every single day and mostly cause it is so fun, right there at their school (no carpooling!), and great exercise.  They take gymnastics, ballet, jazz, baton twirling, soccer, basketball, homework club, spanish practice and even a knitting class.  Now, we moved out of the rat race to not get ourselves back into another rat race, so I have to say that these activities just basically extend their school day and not mine.  I just show up at 4 or 5:00 when the classes are over and there is no additional driving or work needed on my part for them to participate and many times the class is even free (with the most expensive being $30 for the month).  This is a key feature and something that more schools should master.  Nothing builds friendships and community more than haning out after school together...kinda like a very long recess.

 

The other surprising feature from this area where we chose to live, is that there are tons and tons of families just like us.  Families and retirees who have all moved here from somewhere else and who we all share the common bond of leaning to navigate our lives in this new Pura Vida beach community.  Who would have thought?  My favorite questions are...where are you originally from, how long have you been here, and how did you decide to move here?  The answer, 9 out of 10 times is that it all started with a vacation visit (like us!).  Sharing of info is a very common topic that starts a quick bond and exchange of phone numbers.  Nothing beats sharing rides to far away shopping areas for establishing new friendships, also.

Without the Internet and Magic Jack, it would have been much harder to stay in touch, but because of these amazing technologies we have been free to make new friends and keep the old.  Cause we all know that one is silver and the other is gold.

Miss ya and adore ya old friends....and love ya new friends!

Time to Be

It is no secret that we are contemplating staying here in Costa Rica longer than our "one year plan."  We have settled into a new family vibe that is suiting us all very well and we have had many pleasant unexpected surprises given to us along the way that are making us just not wanting it to end.

For one, we are living with less (and we like it).  

There are times when we say that we wish we had this or that, but not having this or that has not brought us any unhappiness....and so we just wish and move on.  It amazing how much time we spent in the states organizing our stuff.   Cleaning the garage, sorting the clothes the kids out-grew, clearing out toy bins, etc.  I know you all know what I mean.  Here, we have very little, so we get to spend our time on the important things....like us.

We also do MORE.  

We have less homework, less sports commitments, less of everything in general that is pulling at our schedule.  With 4 kids, we had double the activities of a regular family with only 2 kids, and with both girls and boys, and a very wide age gap (10 year difference between oldest and youngest), we also had a wider berth of activities and demands that were, frankly, sucking us dry back in the states and we just did not even know it cause it was the norm of everyone around us.

What we have here is more than a Pura Vida lifestyle, 

it is a true family centered lifestyle.  

One that we had been dreaming of and working on back in the states, but it constantly got sabotaged with our massive schedule.  We not only have free time to do activities as a family, we also have free time to just BE.  One of my favorite things is that we, on a regular basis, wake up on a Saturday morning and say, "what do you want to do today?"  How lovely is that?  And how sad is it that our life in the states had taken away this fundamental feeling of freedom.

Time to BE is key.

So, if you are contemplating a move abroad, contemplate what you are looking for in this relocation and change.  Because I can guarantee that you will get what you are looking for and more cause there will be so many things you just did not imagine or think possible.

And it will be wonderful.