This experience has already pushed me outside of my comfort zone in so many ways. On one hand there are things like living without AC and driving an hour and a half for groceries. But then there are the emotional and mental aspects of it too. At the risk of sounding like a total weirdo, I’ll tell you that I don’t meet new people very often. I have grown up and lived in the same area of OKC my whole life, and some of my best friends are the same girls that I’ve known since tee-ball. Danny and I made great friends in college that we still hang out with all the time, but that was 6 years ago - and since I work from home and don’t have any coworkers, I can honestly say that was the last time I’ve really been in a situation where I didn’t know anyone and had to meet new people.
When we decided to come here I started researching everything I could about Zancudo, Costa Rica. I assumed we were going to be totally by ourselves, and truly I was mentally preparing myself to not have any other human interaction besides Danny for 3 months. Everything I read said “it feels like the end of the world” and “you can walk for miles on the beach and not see a single person”.
While that’s all definitely true, there’s also a little community of people here that I didn’t read about in my googling. Our neighbor owns a restaurant so she bakes pizza and bread for us every week, and we chat daily about how things are going. Another neighbor hosts “Bloody Sundays” and makes delicious bloody marys with grilled cheese sandwiches on top for brunch. I’ve been going to a great yoga class at one of the cabinas down the street, and Danny plays Texas hold ‘em at Coquitos on Friday nights. Everyone we’ve met has been super helpful and for a tiny town in the off season, there’s a lot going on.
We still feel pretty secluded because there’s only one dirt road and a small handful of people, but it’s pushing me out of the shell that I’ve always felt so comfortable in and opening me up to new people and new experiences. It’s 100% different from what I expected, but it’s exactly what I needed.
