People always are asking what I am doing. When are you coming back is a normal question. Well basically I am living life. I spend a lot of time alone but then again I spend a lot of time with people that I care about. I am happy here in a simple way.
I am working to get back to the United State but first and foremost I need to complete a project I committed to. It was not the expected project. It is a wabi sabi restoration of a home in central Londres, Costa Rica. I did not know how interesting and difficult this project would be when I agreed. It has taken me deep into a lake of learning on many levels, which I would never have had the opportunity to understand life in Costa Rica, otherwise.
I am not a house builder but I am capable and have experience. I am working with four Ticos, three of which only speak Spanish. I have a modest budget and materials are difficult to acquire because of the time it takes. For instance, anywhere in United States if I wanted a Kohler faucet I would go to Home Depot and if they did not have it I would order the specific one online. These are not options here. Certainly there is a hardware store within walking distance (5 Kms) but they have one type of faucet. A store in San Jose (3 hour drive) may have it but not likely, and the internet forget about it.
My Spanish is getting better and I am learning the nature of Tico life or “Pura Vida.” That is for you to experience. I consider the dilemma of Costa Ricans today: is modernization the right path or maintaining traditional values and culture? I can say this, Costa Rica is unlike any place in the world I have been. She is far different than her neighbors.
I have been attacked by people, animals, bugs, bacteria, fungus, and spirits on a daily basis. There is a reason everyone (including myself) living in Costa Rica has noticeable scars, they live in the jungle and nature can be unforgiving. I like the fact that the men are capable of doing anything from cutting down a tree, building a house, slaughtering a cow, fixing a car, and singing karaoke. I like that the women are incredible mothers. I like that the kids are curious and confident. I like that the dogs are not treated like people. I like the routine.
I never expected to be living here. I was on a course to drive to Antarctica. A storm hit and I needed time to rebuild and recover. I have established a new path, an old path, the path I believe in. Zero Waste.
This is the goal. Each day try to get a little closer. I aim to take it to a community level. I foresee it stabilizing the middle class unlike any government initiatives. It is merely a transformation through sincerity to take money out of commercial hands and keep it with the individual.
The middleman is dead. THE INTERNET KILLED HIM. Why trade in your car to a dealership or buy a used car from a dealership? Or a house? Banks need to go too (institution of the wealthy). That is all I am going to say about this.
When I get back to the United States I will be buying a gun, a motorcycle and a pickup truck. I am going to continue my education and my work in Latin America, making movies and writing books, getting lost and learning a new way.
Gracias a Dios.
