pura vida

In the spirit of clickbait, because you know that is always something that needs revisiting, I put together this little top ten list of my favorite things about living in Costa Rica. Of course I got totally overwhelmed gathering photos for all 10 in one place, so this is only the top 5. Stay tuned for 6-10! That’s so uncompelling I realize but there is some good stuff in there, I promise.

1. Can I start with 1? Not sure! If you are sticking around for number 1 and then bouncing, I’ve made it pretty easy on you because here it is: The #1 thing about living here is the friendly culture. It’s so noticeable. People here are really friendly. Saying hi is a must! Saying bye is a must! Saying good morning, good night, and good afternoon is a must! It’s just a genuinely friendly place, and it has made a huge difference in our move. I was reflecting on our less successful trips and I would say that one of the primary reasons for fair results was that we could not connect to the people who lived there, for whatever reason. So it is really a gift to live here and to know our neighbors, a little bit about their lives, food, family, language, all of which they have shared with us because, ya know, the culture is really friendly.

2. The Water. I’m putting that in caps because it’s so important. The Water. When I was moving, people kept saying my trip ‘sounded healing’ which I kind of dismissed because my woo-dar is pretty strong and as a scientist I usually dismiss things that sound too good to be true. But you know what? The Water here IS healing. And if you don’t believe that (because you really shouldn’t), just take my word for the fact that The Water is warm, gentle, clear, full of life, and perfect in almost every way. Going into The Water on a Friday afternoon is like being born again into a new week, washing away your ills and reviving your hope in all the possibilities of the future.

3. Slower pace of life. Right now, I’m sitting on a hanging chair at 4pm as the sun is starting to set. I’m listening to birds and watching the leaves’ shadows undulate on the side of my house. Are mosquitos swarming me? Yes. Am I extremely hot? Yes. Am I on vacation mode a bit? Probably. But I’m too relaxed to do anything about it. In general, I am certainly making less money and pushing less at work, investing less in my kids’ musical futures, and making less extravagant meals. But I’m also realizing that slowing down might be the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.

4. The ideals. I can’t describe how different the values and political system feel here. There are presidential elections in February, and there are government-sponsered ads on the radio encouraging people to vote. My jaw dropped when I heard them for the first time. They were something like this: “Protect our peace and what our country stands for. You have a voice so you should use it in the election. Go vote.” Wow! On Costa Rica’s independence day, there was a parade where people were carrying big signs with trees on them (one of the national symbols of Costa Rica is a Guanacaste tree, along with a coffee strainer and a butterfly … again wow). Another holiday celebrated here is the day the military was abolished. Just wow.

5. The breakfasts. OK I know I was dumping on the food here, which was hard to navigate and I definitely still struggle with. But Costa Rica has an amazing breakfast that I enjoy cooking for myself at 8:15 am and savoring for a full 30 minutes before I start my workday. It doesn’t hurt that I feel that it is the healthiest blue-zone breakfast I could possibly feed myself, or that it is totally delicious and fills me up until 1pm. It’s probably mostly psychological, but I do love this breakfast every time I make it for myself, and when I don’t eat it, I feel something is missing from my day.