The desk I sit at is an odd shape, making
it uncomfortable and sometimes difficult to move from one task to another. My
computer screen sits at a jaunty angle, the keyboard slides out on a tray that
is just a little bit too high in relation to the height of my chair, and my
elbows are constantly hitting the backrest of the chair as I type. Despite all
of this discomfort, these are not the things that distract me and prevent me
from being productive while I am here at work; instead, it is the constant day-dreaming of world travel that persuades my mind to neglect my priorities and
obligations.
My interest in travel began when I studied
abroad in college – I know, how cliché and common. I had a terrible first year
at University, which acted as a catalyst for me to get out of California and
see what this world had to offer – because there HAD to be more to life than
the constant demolition of hopes and dreams that I was experiencing at that
time. I enrolled at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. It was
great; I moved into a co-ed college just off campus (colleges in Australia are
equivalent to dorms in the US). I made some great friends, had some awesome
experiences (and some not-so-awesome ones as well), and came home a year later
with a better knowledge of the world, an appreciation for other cultures, a
smile on my face and newfound optimism for life.
Australia Zoo
I went back to Australia, about 4 years
later, after I had completed my BBA, but the real “travel bug” hadn’t hit me
yet. I still enjoyed traveling, but my desire
to travel didn’t develop until September 2012; 5 years after returning from my
second Australian visit.
The little plane from San Jose to Tambor, Costa Rica
The bug was planted in March 2012 when I
went to Costa Rica for a surf camp package that my Mom had bought for me as an
early birthday present. I hate to admit it, but I was terrified to be flying to Costa Rica alone! I was a victim of
social stereotypes and skewed government hype. In my mind,
Central America was a hostile, scary, dangerous, and dirty place, full of drugs, guns, and kidnappings. I pictured me, a little blonde, white girl, stepping off the plane, welcomed by banditos pointing rifles and semi-automatics at me. Regardless of this perception, I packed my bags and flew south. When I arrived in Tambor on the Nicoya Peninsula of Costa Rica, the warm, humid air hit my face and from that point on, the smile upon it never disappeared.
The view from inside the plane of the "airport" landing strip in Tambor, Costa Rica
I fell in love with Central America and its diverse cultures. I have since returned to Costa Rica, taking my Mom down for Thanksgiving 2012, celebrating the holiday at a beach party, complete with bonfire. I have also visited (twice) Bocas del Toro in Panama. The last time I was there, I almost didn't come back to California. I was determined to find a way to not only return, but create a sustainable life for myself there. I wanted to live in Central America... or so I thought.
Thanksgiving, Costa Rica style
I came home, completely infected with Wanderlust. I sat at my desk and instead of running the constituent reports that I was tasked with, my internet browser was open to a dozen tabs, each with more information and blogs about traveling in Central and South America. This then spread to the Caribbean... and then the South Pacific... and Asia...
My viral desire to get up and go was unstoppable.
Our living room in Bocas del Toro, Panama
I began planning another surf trip with the girls I had met from the camp in Costa Rica, and we made arrangements to rent a house in San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua, for Thanksgiving week 2013. I was so excited to be visiting another country in Central America, but then I remembered how hard it is to leave at the end of the trip. It is truly heartbreaking, and each time I go back there, it is more difficult to leave.
Ticos & Ticas in Costa Rica
So, two weeks ago, I took the plunge. I quit my job.
Sunset in Santa Teresa, Costa Rica
I leave tomorrow for a week-long sailing trip from Cabo San Lucas to La Paz in Mexico, fly home with 4 days to do laundry, repack, and prepare my house to be rented before I head back to the airport to board my flight to Nicaragua. After the surf trip, I will be making my way from San Juan del Sur to Cartagena, Colombia (that's the plan, anyway).
I hope to keep this journal updated (I hate the term blog) to document the inevitably numerous adventures that will come.
Rope swing at Montezuma Falls in Costa Rica
Thanks for reading :-)
Hangin' with the locals
