You are probably wondering, “why Costa Rica?” It’s also a common question we expats ask each other. When we meet someone new, one of the first questions heard is “what made you move?” and it’s always the same answer. “We wanted a better life for our children and the chance to live differently.” You are probably thinking but how can that be? The United States has everything, why would you move to a third world, developing country? People are dying to get into this country and you want out? Honestly, I can’t really explain it, but it was a calling that I couldn’t ignore. A calling that when I listened, all the planets aligned and the transition to get here was seamless. Even as a single mom, making this huge decision for my son and I, I didn’t think twice. I knew I needed to move him out of the country or he would be a nightmare when he became a teenager. I didn’t like what society was exposing our kids to. I didn’t like where our food and water were coming from. I didn’t like the agendas being pushed. I didn’t like the division in America. It was all so exhausting. I felt in my bones that we needed to get away from it. But let’s rewind to when I started to really manifest living differently without knowing it would take us to Costa Rica.
December 31st 2022, 9pm. It was time to write down my new year resolutions for 2023. As I was laying by the fire, tears streaming down my face, all I knew was that I wanted a new life. I wrote, “Universe, I want to live differently. I want to LIVE. I want new experiences. I want new friends that are just like me and I want my son to live from a heart that is filled with unconditional happiness. I want true freedom. That’s it.”
January 1, 2023. I woke up to a feeling I never felt before. A feeling that I couldn’t ignore. Little did I know it was about to change our lives forever. It was a deep desire for adventure. Did the Universe hear me and the next phase of life was now set in motion? I finally had clear visions of what living differently meant to me, I became obsessed with it. I didn’t know where it would lead me and I didn’t even know where to begin. I started to daydream about being in nature, hiking, building fires, walking barefoot on the Earth with my dogs along flowing rivers, foraging for food, and going on great adventures in the wild. That sounded like an epic next chapter to me. I didn’t know where these feelings of living differently were coming from, but every day since waking up to this new idea of living, they were only growing stronger.
One evening in early January, I turned on a motivational documentary I had watched a few times before. I felt called to watch it again as I cooked my son and I dinner. It was called We Rise Up. I was chopping veggies, not really paying attention to what was being said and happened to look up to see a man talking with a caption that read “Community in Costa Rica.” I stopped what I was doing as if the biggest lightbulb just exploded in my head. I immediately googled the community. As I read their website, everything I had dreamed of, nature, hiking by rivers, food in the jungle, like-minded people, holy smokes. I knew where we were moving; Costa Rica. I immediately texted my mom the website and said “I am going to sell my house and move to Costa Rica.” Well, wild ideas don’t fall far from the tree when it comes to my mom and I. She responded, ”Ok! maybe we will move with you!” My mom also loves a good wild idea.
You know you are on the right path when everything flows magically. Not that prepping for a new country is by any means easy, but it happened. My house sold for the price I wanted without my having to list it. Lexus bought my car back from me for more than I paid for it. Things just happened, and quickly.
August 15th 2023. Eight months, two weeks and one day since my New Years’ resolution was written down, we were boarding the plane for our move to Costa Rica. The Universe heard, opened doors I never saw coming, and I ran through them like my life depended on it. With my son, our 3 dogs, and 9 suitcases in tow, and my friend, Terrena, for extra hands and excitement for this wild adventure. WE WERE OFF!
We have now been in Costa Rica for well over a year. Everything I knew my son and I needed, we got in Costa Rica. The first few months were rough. But of course, moving to a new country not knowing the language or how to reprogram our old way of life to live differently was challenging. Now, my son is the happiest I have ever seen him. Recently, I found a drawing on my dry erase board with an arrow pointing to the stick figure saying, ”happy.” Mom for the win.
Connecting within is where the journey begins. I invite you on this journey with us as I share the ups and downs and the wild ride as this adventure keeps unfolding here in Costa Rica. Pura Vida!
Oscar s says:
Bold AND BEAUTIFUL! THAT INNER VOICE DIDN’T GET DROWNED OUT BY UNHEALTHY NOISE. WAY TO GO KIDDO! (Good thing I sold you the right car!!)