So, what did we trade our normal lives for: Taking a machete to work every day, having a Nicaraguan boss that speaks really fast (Spanish only) and is obsessed with punctuality, eating oranges right off the tree…under the tree, meeting friendly and interesting people from around the world, fending off tarantulas several times a day, no phones, buying our produce off the truck each week, fashionable shoes for knee-high rubber boots, learning how to do things in an organic and sustainable way, eating coffee “bean” right off the plant, amazing mountain views
cold showers, trimming banana trees, really good and cheap Costa Rican food and coffee, learning to use two sticks as a pitch fork, crazy taxi rides, trimming and re-planting 100’s of hibiscus, laying cement, no air conditioning, making our own tea from the garden and guava juice from the tree, hang-drying our clothes, walking 1/2 hour into town to check email – and this is only the first week.
Was it worth it? Absolutely. We strongly believe it has been. We still have some adjusting to do – some country-specific but some just in lifestyle – but we feel we have gotten familiar and acquainted enough with the immediate area to connect with it and take it all in. It is a new kind of beautiful here.