Leaving Costa Rica

Rainbow outside my window after work 

Well, my first remote work adventure wraps up today. I'm really going to miss this view and the crisp, cool air that blows in my windows every morning over these ridiculously green treetops.

I'd call my first stab at being a digital nomad a success for sure, and something I'm ready to do again. The most important factors necessary to working remotely for me turned out to be:

1. A really good Internet connection
2. A quiet atmosphere to work
3. Proximity to a town/things to do

I include #3 because here at my apartment in Costa Rica, I'm a bit isolated. It's not that I'm far from town (it's only about a 20-minute walk) but the roads there are not very safe. I can get there two ways, but my options are basically a busy main road in one direction (with no sidewalk and cars zipping by), or a remote country road the other direction (which locals have warned me to avoid). So after a long work day at home in front of my computer, when I want to get out and be around people, I feel a bit stuck here. It also rains in the afternoons this time of year in CR, so again, stuck.  I didn't have this problem in Antigua because in that centrally-located house, everything was right outside my door and it didn't rain anywhere near as hard or as often.

I don't know what the future holds as far as where I'll work next. Lots of things are up in the air right now for me (i.e. no home) so I'm hoping when I get back to St. Pete and Mike, things will fall into place. However, I don't see myself signing a year-long lease in St. Pete and throwing money away on rent when I could be living abroad and saving up some cash– not to mention having a fun adventure and hopefully improving my Spanish more. Lots of possibilities!

Tonight I'm having a last get-together with Greta and Tausha (and maybe Georgia?) We're going to this place called Cholo, a tapas bar where we used to go after work when we were teachers. I have to hand it to them for being so up for hanging out when they each have kids. Here are those kids, by the way, each looking adorable (shoot, I don't have a picture of Mateo, Tausha's older boy!).

Tausha's youngest, Lucas

Greta's son, Tavi

So that's the plan, and my Uber arrives at 4:30 in the morning for a 7:00 a.m. flight to my least favorite airport, Miami. Adios, Costa Rica— but let's not forget that here that can mean both goodbye and hello... so you never know.

Money spent today: 
None yet, but I plan to blow some cash at Cholo!