Easy to dream, very hard to do
It must be a very common dream to live in another country. Whether it’s Costa Rica, the Bahamas, Spain, Southeast Asia or some island paradise in the South Pacific, many people tend to idealize what life would be like living somewhere else. Escaping the rat race and living the simple life on a tropical beach somewhere is a dream most Americans pine over as they sit in their grey cubicles or dull conference rooms. I know I did.
I wanted out. The thought of spending the rest of my life caught in rush hour traffic every morning and night as I motored to and from the office terrified me, and I saw how easily my life could give way to routine. Just as I spaced out and went into auto-pilot as I headed into the armpit of LA’s freeway network near downtown every morning, I envisioned myself living the good majority of my life just going through the motions. Wake up, eat, drive to work, work, eat, drive home, go to the gym, eat, go to bed… just to wake up and do it all over again.
Like most people, I dreamt of that hammock stretched between two palm trees and the slow paced rhythms of some tropical paradise. I loved the idea of swapping out my corporate wardrobe for bikinis and tank tops, and couldn’t wait to feel the sand beneath my feet.
To be honest, that first year around the world was incredible. The thought that “I could have been at work today” as I sailed in the Caribbean, snorkeled in French Polynesia, skydived in Australia or simply did nothing on countless picture perfect beaches brought me so much joy that I knew life would never get any better. It was the highest I had ever been. My life was extraordinary and everything I ever wanted it to be. But like all good things, it would eventually have to end.
I knew I wasn’t ready to return to the states so when the offer to work in Costa Rica landed in my lap at the end of that first year, it seemed like the likely next step and a good way to avoid the eventual return to the doldrums of everyday life. Costa Rica promised a life that was far sexier than my options in the states. There were rainforests, steamy beaches and a casual culture where high fashion was defined by the latest board short designs by Lost surf wear. It was totally my style and even as I write this now, I can’t believe how hard it was to really live there.
Of course there were great things about living in Costa Rica… things I still miss. But I never could have guessed how challenging and frustrating it would be.
First, forget about all your creature comforts that you had back home. It’s easy to take what we have in the states for granted until you live somewhere else. Things like nicely paved roads, dedicated emergency response, an efficient postal service, consistent public utilities, and secure online banking are first world comforts. If you want to live in the developing world, you’ll have to be able to live without all of the abovementioned luxuries.
Second, don’t ever expect anything to get done on time, or in any efficient manner. Patience is the key when living in the tropics – I think the heat does something to way people operate.
Third, be ready to get rid of all your flashy possessions. If not, someone else will eventually steal them from you. The divide between the haves and the have nots is glaringly evident – you must learn to live with humility or expect to be a target for break ins, robberies, muggings and random acts of injustice. To be safe, you’ll probably also want to live in a gated community with night guard patrols.
Forth, if you have a good-paying job, be ready to fight for it constantly. Tropical beach communities are like microcosms of food chain economics – small pond, lots of sharks. At any given moment, someone is trying to screw someone else out of a commission, pinch a contract or steal a job. And there’s a good chance that whoever is currently screwing you was once your friend or someone you trusted. Trust no one (except maybe your spouse/partner).
And finally, just hope and pray that you don’t get sick or have a life-threatening emergency. It’s almost amusing that real estate agents try to sell these remote beach destinations as good retirement investments. In most cases, there is not a good hospital nearby. If you experience a serious accident or health emergency, chances are slim that you’ll get the treatment you need on time. Don’t expect your real estate agent to warn you about this either.
I write this both as a personal memoir and as an attempt to bring a little reality to the dream. Turns out, it’s really easy to dream about living in another country, but very hard to actually do it.
Filed under: Uncategorized | Leave a Comment
Tags: Costa Rica, living in the tropics, simple life, the good life
No Responses Yet to “Easy to dream, very hard to do”