When I say brilliant jobs, I think I need to qualify that statement. Yes, they were very good jobs that we were fortunate to get a real kick out of and got paid well for doing them BUT there is a price to pay that you don’t mind paying before having a family. TIME…..all of it during the week and then some more, often late into the night and at weekends. I truly didn’t mind putting in the hours and even had a hunger for the work ethic because ‘that’s what you do’ and there is nothing like feeling part of a team that is working together late into the night to get an outstanding piece of work together. This appetite diminished after having Leon and then vanished when pregnant with Delilah. When I was on maternity leave, my husband Jeremy, would leave each morning (having not seen his new little girl that morning) and return at night (to still not see his little girl). Weekends became the only family time we had. For some people this is a price worth paying and that is obviously right for them, but not us.
You might also think that giving up two salaries, pensions, health insurance, etc. etc. and taking Leon out of one of the top north London state schools was crazy but we felt that it was the perfect time to take a chance.
The recession was getting into full flow in the summer of 2009. So, it seemed like a good time to get out of the city and head for somewhere slower, smaller, and sunnier.
The aim was a round the world trip calling at Costa Rica, New Zealand, Tonga, and Australia. We were really excited especially about Tonga, as we were going to spend time with some good friends who had started an eco-community on an island they had rented from the local Tongan chief. There was absolutely nothing on the island except some tents to live in and we were going to help build the infrastructure. It seemed like a once in a lifetime adventure.
We chose to start our trip in Costa Rica because we had visited parts of it five years previously, before having children. Loved it and knew we wanted to come back to spend a little more time here to try and learn a little Spanish.
What we didn’t expect was to find a place like where we are now. It’s still relatively under developed: no mains water, electricity was only put in about five years ago and there are no telephone lines in some parts. This might turn off a lot of people as a place to live but you only have to walk along one of the exceptional beaches, go for a surf, or drive along some incredible coastline to fall in love with it.
It was about a month into our stay in Manzanillo that we found out that there were long delays to the Tongan project. Knowing that a substantial part of our trip was a possible no-go, was gutting but this chain of events led us to cancelling the rest of the trip and we have since settled here, in Hermosa on the Nicoya Peninsula. We debated for weeks about whether to continue on with the trip or stay here. We thought we had found somewhere that would allow us to get the work-life balance right, somewhere with a growing community of young families but we had no idea of what we would do for incomes as well as really basic Spanish. We were even undecided 48 hours before our flight to Auckland was due to leave San Jose, made even harder in light of knowing that cancelling the trip meant losing almost all of the money we spent on the flights.
Leon now goes to a local bi-lingual school on the beach and both of my children understand everything spoken to them in Spanish. I wish I could say the same for me and Jeremy. It’s much harder for us but we are getting there.
We have spent hours and hours working on ideas for businesses over here. We were not looking to earn the kind of salaries we brought in back in London, we just needed enough to sustain the basic but gorgeous lifestyle here. To say that we were petrified at the thought of starting a business from scratch with hardly any cash, no real language skills, no internet or phone line is an understatement.
But we have, and I now manage some lovely beachfront holiday homes as well as offering a concierge service to my guests. My website is called www.costaricanvacation.com. Please have a look and let me know what you think.
More exciting though is the project my partner is launching in the next month. It is called www.purasonica.com and is a community radio station based in Santa Teresa which believes in the power of music, community, creativity and well being to nurture a more conscious, considered and prosperous way of life for everyone.
Their vision is to provide a never ending stream of beautiful music from some of the most talented DJ’s and artists around the world while raising awareness of the sustainability challenges we face, exploring solutions and supporting local environmental movements and community initiatives through events and programs.
It’s aim is to promote local music and musicians, surfing, and the ‘pura vida’ lifestyle here on the Nicoya peninsula in Costa Rica.
We have had lots of ups and downs. The downs are mostly mine as I worry about everything. From struggling with the insects (especially the scorpions) to not earning any cash yet but this is the rub of trying to set up a new life in the tropics. We have missed some happy family times back home. Leon misses his cousins, I have missed seeing my two sisters' pregnancies and me and Jeremy have missed one of our best friend’s wedding but thank god for Skype!
There are so many things that I am looking forward to writing about as the Costa Rican editor of wanderingeducators.com – how this place has grown, how good it is for all sorts of holiday go-ers, eco-tourism, surfing, yoga, the health system and education etc etc ….but I hope for now, that this piece gives you a better understanding of why we came out here. Here are a few pictures too:
All of us with Jeremy’s mum who has been out twice to see us on Manzanillo beach:
Mornings in the hammock
boutique hotel kensington london The Pelham Hotel is a haven in one of London’s most desirable locations: South Kensington.
hotel 3 stelle roma Current management has proudly run this enchanting property since the year 1977. During its history this lovely hotel has become a popular landmark in the area of old central Rome
hotel campania The charm of each hand-cut stone.The heat of roofs covered by ancient tiles.Then the nostalgia glued on nineteenth-century ceiling beams resist the newspapers of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies .
apartments warsaw St Andrews Palace allows guests to believe that Warsaw is their home city. The residence presents world class hotel service and design combined with the freedom and distinctive seclusion of a private apartment.
hotel naples italy The Ramada Naples hotel is a 4 star hotel in Naples Italy center. This hotel is ideally located and it�s close to the major city attractions.
hotel 4 stelle venezia 4 star hotel in Venice, the Best Western Premier Hotel Sant�Elena is the perfect place to stay in order to visit and enjoy Venice.
hotel 4 stelle jesolo Facing the sea, this 4 star hotel is located in the East zone of Lido di Jesolo and it is close to the famous promenade with shops and restaurants.
hotel 4 stelle milano The Crowne Plaze Milan City is a design hotel in Milan center. This hotel is ideally located, close to the major city attractions and central station.
hotel roma centro The Felice Casati hotel is a 4 star hotel in Milan center. This hotel is ideally located, close to the famous Corso Buenos Aires and the major city attractions.
luxury hotel florence hotel lusso firenze
golf como luxury hotels lake como
