Why I Came to Costa Rica / Por que yo vení a Costa Rica

Aquiares, CR.

After a month living Pura Vida and relishing in Tico Time, it's time to return to the U.S. of A. And after a month of living Pura Vida and meeting and talking with people from around the world, I'm realizing that I came to Costa Rica for all the wrong reasons.

I thought I was coming to learn Spanish by working por la mañana and studying por la noche.
I thought I would help to heal, to offer my recently acquired education as a physical therapist to the people of Turrialba.
I thought I was here to take a vacation from work and school.

Yes, I did all of those things and much more, but that's not why I came to Costa Rica.

I learned some Spanish. I worked in a PT clinic. I vacationed and relaxed. But the reason I came to Costa Rica was because of stereotypes.

I grew up in a small town, in a conservative family, with an established routine. It wasn't until I was 21 that I realized I'd been living a pre-determined life plan: elementary school, boarding academy, attend and graduate from college, get a job near home, get married and have beautiful children. All of these things seemed the "right" thing to do, and I never dreamed beyond this perfectly wonderful life plan.

I'm not too good at thinking outside of the box. There's a reason certain tried-and-true methods have survived the ages. I hate failure; it's much easier to follow a path that's been paved and marked than to venture out on the mudpath that few have taken. But after a few friends and colleagues suggested that I take some of this 3-month hiatus from school and work to travel, I allowed myself to dream.

The funny thing about dreams is that once you start to entertain them, they grow...quickly.


I came to Costa Rica to prove to myself that I could. That I could do something not completely "responsible" or "purposeful". That I could fend for myself. That I could build a new box, a new paradigm from which to view the world. That I could step out into the unknown and embrace discomfort in order to be stretched and changed and grown. That I could dream big and achieve bigger.

It feels good to daydream. To decide to travel the world, and do it. To grab hold of adventure and jump right in. To choose to run a race, and finish it. To dream to write a song, and sing it.

Now, I'm feeling like the inevitable "grown up" stage is arriving in just a few moments. A slew of interviews, including one in Colorado on Wednesday; I'm hoping one of these will yield a job. But when it does, I'll be back in a routine, one that will lend itself to falling back into the stereotype.


Esta es mi lucha, mi meta: To continue dreaming. To ditch the stereotype, the status quo, the Joneses' Pinterest account. To continually ask, What do I want? To avoid the should-dos and embrace the would-dos.

Feel free to join me.

Chillin' on the top of a Costa Rican waterfall with my Dutch and Swedish friends.