The Day My Parents Told Me We Were Moving to Costa Rica.
Ever wonder what it's like to move to Costa Rica as a teenager? This is the story of when my life was drastically changed in an instant. The year was 2015 when my parents told me that they were thinking about moving to Costa Rica. They told me many times before that they were thinking about moving somewhere. Since my mother was always talking about moving, I never thought we were going to actually move. After all, I had lived in the same house my whole life and I had never been out of the country. Within a year of my mother telling me that we were moving to Costa Rica, we had gotten rid of everything except for what could fit in a box that was going into our grandparent's basement.
We were given a carry-on suitcase and a backpack to load with what we wanted to take. We were told that we could buy some new clothes for the different climate, and other necessary items or whatever else we wanted to keep from the house. We ended up selling the house and everything the rest of everything we owned. The next thing I knew I only had a week to say goodbye to my loved ones. Then we where to jump on a plane to a country we have never visited before, in the hopes of living there for the rest of our lives.
The Day We Left for Costa Rica
We had all of our luggage in hand and were in the airport ready Jump aboard a flight to a different country to start our new lives. That does not mean that I was prepared for this experience whatsoever.
I was so excited to see what my new home and life was going to look like. The thought of being able to start over fresh and meet new people and being whoever or whatever I wanted to be from scratch was so exciting to me. Although I was sad that I was going to have to say goodbye to my friends and family for a while, I could not stop the overwhelming feeling of excitement.
My First Day After Moving to Costa Rica
As I sat in the airport with the smell of cleaning supplies and the site of so many different people from different places in the world felt as though this was the place I was meant to be.
I had known the second I had got off the airplane that I was greatly unprepared for the adventure I was starting. As I hit the wall of hot humidity my parents laughed as my brother and I struggled to breathe. After all, we had never been in such a different climate.
Costa Rica Taxi Ride
We got in a taxi that took us to the hotel that we were staying for the next couple of weeks. As I looked out the window of the taxi on the way to the hotel, I couldn't help but feel like I was somehow teleported to an alien planet. The trees and plants were so different from what I had always seen and grown-up looking at.
The people around me only spoke Spanish and broken English and the heat and humidity were unbearable since the taxi did not have AC. We arrived at a beautiful hotel right by the beach and that was the beginning of our new life in Costa Rica.
Starting Homeschool in Costa Rica
After a couple of days of living in Costa Rica, I had had my first birthday in a different country. Without my family members and friends, I just became a 12-year-old. Even though I had my birthday in Costa Rica, I had already celebrated my birthday early with my family in Colorado. Since we were looking at moving not just having a vacation my parents decided to enroll my brother in an online school while homeschooling me for a year, per our requests.
While my brother and I were in school, my parents went around the area looking at places that could be a more permanent residence than the hotel. We found a nice place we could rent for a year. Unlike our home in the U.S., we did have neighbors since it was a condo and not a house, but that was okay. It was just a block away from the beach and that had a pool.
Making New Friends in Costa Rica
After my life had gained some sense of regularity and stability, my dad suggested one day that we go to church like we had done regularly in the United States. So we did. That's where I met my best friend Olivia and a couple of other kids that were a few years younger than me.
Thankfully I am good at hanging out with kids who are younger and way older than me. Although Olivia and the other kids were younger than me, we still hit it off and had a lot of fun. With my new friends, I started feeling a sense of regularity and belonging.
Life is Different
The transition to life in Costa Rica has certainly been an adjustment, but one that has been infinitely worth it. Gone are the stresses and distractions of my old life back home. Instead, I've found myself immersed in a slower, more intentional pace of living. The simple pleasures of connecting with nature, savoring fresh local cuisine, and embracing the pura vida mindset have become the cornerstones of my new reality. While I may have been uprooted from my familiar surroundings, I can honestly say that moving to Costa Rica has transformed me in the most wonderful ways. This is more than just a change of scenery - it's a fundamental shift in how I approach each day, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
