What We Miss About Costa Rica

We have been gone from our home in Costa Rica for 7 months now and, although we are thoroughly enjoying Asia, there are certainly a few things we miss about the place we called home for 5 years.

Love the seclusion on Costa Rica beaches

Familiarity

The smells, the language, the fruits and flowers, the people; just about everything that started off as new and exciting became commonplace for us in CR.  That familiarity was part of our reason for leaving, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss some things about the ease of stationary life.  There is something very comfortable in knowing how and where to get everything, knowing which road leads where, and being able to communicate in the local language.  Yet it was that same comfort that led us to see we desired a new adventure.

Raw milk delivery

Raw milk delivery

There is nothing that brings you back in time more than having raw milk delivered to your door by way of huge stainless steel drums.  For the last 2 years in Costa Rica we had our milk guy, Guillermo, deliver us fresh and delicious sweet milk 2 times a week.  He has a small dairy farm in our town, where he fed the cows all organic feed, sweet grass, and pineapple and mango husks.  It was the most scrumptious tasting milk we have ever had and we could all feel good about supporting a local farmer -- as well as knowing we were getting the healthiest milk possible.

Fruit and veggie delivery

Veggie truck

As with the milk delivery, we were fortunate enough to find a wonderful man that brought us fresh and organic fruits and vegetables.  If he didn't have something one week he was sure to find a way to get it for the following week.  Having access to great produce is wonderful and only made better by having it delivered right to your door!

My kitchen

The kitchen is definitely the part of having a house of my own that I miss the most.  The calm lifestyle in Costa Rica really ignited a love of cooking and baking, and I had all the tools available to make my dishes with ease.  Now I am lucky to have 1 pot and a stove top, but really when you have to improvise you'd be surprised how things can work out!  That being said, I would love my quick chopper, food processor, and flat skillet one of these evenings!

Friends

Huge group of expat and local friends on Halloween supporting another great friend not there!

We miss our friends.  After living in CR for all that time we built up quite a nice network of people that we spent time with and could rely on for help, insight, and fun!  We have made some new friends, but moving around so much really makes it tough to fully connect.  I think this is especially hard on the kids, particularly my 13 year old.  We can stay in touch on facebook and via email or skype, but it just isn't the same and I know that a disconnect has already started to happen, an inevitable reaction to separation.

Olga

Olga and her amazing smile!

Olga was the housekeeper/nanny that worked with us for the entire time we lived in Costa Rica and I really cannot express in words how much she meant to us.  I think leaving Olga was the hardest part about leaving Costa Rica.  She was a friend, a guide, and a second mom to all of the boys but, in particular, our youngest who she saw practically every day of his life.

She loved the boys like they were her own and we loved and respected her and her family as if they were part of ours.  We often talk about Olga and our 4-year-old asks for her still after 6 months.  We miss her kind spirit, her tender hugs, and her amazing gallo pinto:)

Near perfect weather

Our small town of Atenas has been cited as having the best climate in the world.  Of course that is a relative thing as preference has a lot to do with climate. But aside from a couple of really hot days a year and usually a week of overly rainy weather, it really does have a nice climate.  80-85 nearly everyday and 60-65 every evening.  There was no need for heat or AC, a stark difference from the climate we were used to in Connecticut.  As I sit here sweating in Cambodia, I appreciate the value of having a "perfect" climate!

Our fabulous 4-acre yard

Loved our yard and views

We were fortunate enough to have a really great house and property in Costa Rica.  A huge yard to play baseball and explore, trees to climb, and 2 rivers to cool off in.  But perhaps the best thing, the most exhilarating feeling, was heading down to the fields, chickens following behind waiting for the dumping of compost, where we could pick oranges, mangos, avocados, passion fruit, guava, etc.  You name the fruit and most likely we had it growing right in our yard!

Zumba and Yoga class

I can find yoga classes nearly every place we go and zumba classes are also popping up all around the world, but at $3 a class, and dancing and stretching with my best friends it just can never compare.  I don't stay anywhere long enough to really connect with the class, so I am less inclined to even go.  My exercise class was so fun and affordable and, because of the connections I felt to the teachers and other class mates, I felt a sense of community.  As someone who doesn't really like to exercise that was all I needed to keep motivated!

The wildlife wasn't bad either!

All in all we loved our time in Costa Rica and we miss some things but I have also been surprised at how easy it was to leave.  No real sadness, or longing to return.  I think I have finally accepted these things as part of life, love them while I have them, gracefully say goodbye and hold on to the beautiful memories!