What am I doing here?

I visited Costa Rica in 2012 for four short days, but those four days rejuvenated me in a way that I felt that I had been gone for a month. As a freelancer, I found it difficult to take vacation. Whenever a new project would come up, it's much easier to say "yes" to the money than to not get paid at all while traveling.

But that isn't quite so true. I met a fellow American on my trip who was staying in Playa Grande for 3 months while working for his own internet-based business, and he is younger than me. That idea stuck in my head as a possibility of what I could do.

When I returned to Minnesota, all I could think about was going back in January 2014 for 3 months. However, also upon my return I took a full time job that naggingly reminded me I wouldn't be able to go to Costa Rica in that job. A few job changes later, and I'm very happily back to freelancing.

In October I set the plan in motion and found a place to rent from Mar 1 - Apr 30. I had only four requirements:

1. Air conditioning - because it's hot as hell here
2. Pool - because I didn't have one last time I was here and didn't realize how much the ocean doesn't cool you off
3. 2 Bedrooms - so my friends and family could visit (I got this one partially right)
4. Wifi - so I can work

Because when I finish work today, I will still be in Costa Rica.

It came as a surprise to me that my clients don't seem to care that I'll be in Costa Rica for 2 months working. In fact, they gave me more work... Thanks, guys!

More on friends and family visiting... I really want to share this place with the people I love, and renting a place is making that happen. Over the next two months several friends will be visiting, the first arriving on Mar 13 for ten days. We are going to have a blast! I plan to spend the time with my friends exploring the rest of the country and having some wild adventures. Until then, I'm happy living the pura vida surf-and-chill lifestyle of Playa Grande.

I've been asked a lot of questions about going to Costa Rica for 2 months, among them:

Q: Do you speak Spanish?
A: very little

Q: Have you been there before? 
A: yes, in 2012 for 4 days

Q: Why Costa Rica?
A: see above

Q: What are you going to do with Jelly?
A: luckily she's going on a vacation herself with cousins Amy and Patrick, the people I got Jelly from in Nov 2013. I already miss her.

Q: What are you going to do with your house?
A: not sell it yet

Q: Business or Pleasure?
A: a lot of both. I'll be working quite a bit and vacationing just as much. It's easy to wake up at 7:00am, put on a pot of coffee, fire up the laptop and check on emails. Once I get my today's to-do list, then I head down to the beach for a short walk, come back to make breakfast, and continue working.

Q: Do you think you'll want to come back?
A: I don't know yet, but it was one of the things holding me back from doing this - "what if I don't want to come back?" The only place I've ever cried when getting on a plane to go home was my 3-week trip to Australia in Jan 2011.

Q: Won't you get lonely?
A: I don't think so. I make friends easily, and I will really only be by myself for a couple weeks. Plus, I have more work to do than I'd like.

It's amazing how connected I still feel to my friends, family and coworkers simply using the internet. When I work in an industry obsessed with technology, I tend to forget how wonderful it can be.