For four years my husband and I had planned our move down to Old Mexico. We love Mexico; we love the tropics, the surf, and the lifestyle. We thrive on adventure and strive for change. We didn’t want starting a family to change that; rather, we wanted to share our passions with our children.

Previous to having children we traveled a lot. Right before we “settled down” we were living on a sail boat in the South Pacific. The time came, however, when nature started to speak to me. We needed roots; we wanted community and we longed for children. We packed it all up and moved to Albuquerque, NM. There we started our reign in the Domestic Kingdom, complete with a mortgage, a vacuum and two cell phones, two cars and two beautiful sons.

We were happy in our domestic bliss, partially because we saw that it was temporary. We had a plan: make some money, have some kids, buy some real estate and then sell it all and move to Mexico. And, we were cruising along right on schedule. People thought we were nuts or delusional. After all, how do you raise an American kid in a third world country? And really, why would you want to? And what about all the stuff?

I hated the stuff, or so I said. For years I had felt suffocated by all the toys and the shoes and sleds hanging in the garage, by the boxes that said “Fall Décor” and “Winter Clothes”. However, when our plan started to come to fruition, I found myself feeling oddly attached as we started to sell our things that we had accumulated.

First, it was the big, beautiful house that we had built completely off the grid, and then it was the furniture and the toys, the sporting equipment, the books and the cars. Everything was slowly going away. It was as if the weight of these things were keeping me grounded and secure and I was slowly losing my ties.

I would wake up at night, my kids tucked into their beds safe and sound, my husband and I sleeping in our king bed, with fine linen, the city twinkling below us and I would think, “what am I doing? Everyone is so safe and secure here, why am I moving us into insecurities and danger?” So, as our dream started to manifest, I began to question the dream.

Mexico after all was no longer the country it was and we were no longer the people we were. The days of sleeping on surfboard bags at random beaches were long gone. We were now grown-ups and parents to two precious boys.

Our beloved Mexico had also changed. The country had been plagued by violence stemming from the drug cartel’s business of providing America with her party favors.

The more research I was doing online, the more uncertain I felt and the more anxiety I began to have. After all, we did not have to do this. We already had a great life but we wanted it to be better. I was thinking of my boys and how my sole purpose in life was to raise them right and keep them safe.

Our house was already under contract. We needed to move out and move on within weeks. I was, however, not ready. Daily I would talk to my husband about other options. I would bring up Hawaii or California or Costa Rica and then the next day decide that Mexico would be easiest since that is what we had been planning for. We knew Mexico, we had friends there, it was affordable and relatively close.

Then I would wake up the next morning, read the newspaper about another decapitation in Mexico and change my mind again.

My indecisiveness was weighing on my husband. While he is a patient and loving man, one day he sternly reminded me, “We are not talking about where to eat dinner, this is our life. We already sold the house and we need to commit to a plan. Lets make a decision and stick to it.”

I told him, about the research I had done and that Costa Rica had seemed ideal. It had a low crime rate, a better health care system and was voted the “Happiest Place on the Planet”.

There was surf, it was warm and the schools were decent. He agreed to consider it, if I agreed to make a decision. Intellectually Costa Rica seemed right, but I need something more. I needed a sign from God, so I prayed for one.

That very day while we were all settling in for our daily nap, my cell phone rang. During my many Internet searches, I had come across a video on YouTube of golden children surrounded by palm tree, singing about the virtues of peace. It moved me so much that I had sent my resume to the school that had produced it, aptly named “La Paz Community School”.

Months later the Principal from the school was calling. “I don’t normally make cold calls, but, we have a part time Kindergarten teacher position open and I think you would make a good match”. I looked up and thanked God for the sign he sent my way.

We announced that our going away party, which was two days away, had been changed from “Viva Mexico” to “Pura Vida, Costa Rica Here We Come!”

Three weeks later my aunt dropped all of us off at the airport. We had our exact allotment of luggage, two boxes each, 2 carry-ons each and we were willing to pay a fee for the surfboards.

In her truck fit all of our worldly possessions and, I was more than okay with that. I felt liberated and excited and ready to start our new life. Because in the end we had sold our things and we had bought the opportunity to have more time together, warm weather, good surf and adventure in Costa Rica, “The Happiest Place on the Planet”.

What We Do Now

We absolutely love our life down here in Costa Rica. In fact, you would have to drag me back kicking and screaming.

The kids attend the best school I could possible imagine, La Paz Community School, where I also teach part time. We have made great friends and love the community, the weather, the culture, the life style down here in Pura Vida Land.

We spend lots of time surfing or at the beach with friends. Brad has found a balance between working as a Realtor in Costa Rica and being Captain Brad, he has really found his niche doing boat charters and Real Estate.

We are also in the beginning phases of planning The CREA Institute, Costa Rica Education and Adventure, a program which will bring high school students down from the US for a week long science, culture and adventure program.

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Andrew Makarik

to@welovecostarica.com

Andrew Makarik is the main editor of WeLoveCostaRica, a fan of this sunny country. He is also a loving husband and a has a lovely daughter. By being a devoted family man and the biggest Costa Rica fan, he wants to make more people feel at home there. WeLoveCostaRica unites people and helps them find new home or a new travel destination. This website is a friendly community where everyone can find not only information, but also new friends and travel pals. Andrew is also passionate about IT and programming, so he himself maintains a friendly atmosphere in this cozy environment of WeLoveCostaRica.com.