My story begins with me, a city girl from Canada with wanderlust for travel and adventure, and a small town surfer boy from the north coast of Oregon in the United States. We met traveling 6-months prior in El Salvador. I was flailing on top of a 9ft surfboard and he (Jude) came paddling up to me with his big beaming smile. We traveled together briefly, but then travel took us in different directions.
Fast-forward 6 months and Jude came to visit me in my home of Toronto where we hatched a plan to head back down south. I was going to fly to meet him in Oregon in a few months and we were going to hop in his car and drive. To where… we didn’t know. For how long… until our money ran out.
We ended up spending a year living in the back of his Chevy Blazer SUV driving south. We had surfboards strapped to the top of the car, cooking gear inside it, and a futon mattress that we rolled out to sleep on at night. He took the time to teach me how to surf as we adventured and explored our hearts content. We drove through California, Baja, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. We read, we wrote, we laughed, and we met a whole slew of amazing people and livelong friends.
In August 2011, we rolled into the sleepy town of Santa Teresa. I remember getting off the ferry wondering where we were going as we drove past sleepy farmer’s fields under the cover of night. All of a sudden, we hit the crossroad and bright lights lit up Santa Teresa. We passed the Bakery, Super Costa, Pizza Tomate, and ended up at a small hotel called Cuesta Arriba that was run by a friendly Argentinean couple. Little did we know at the time that this place – Santa Teresa – was to become our forever home.
As luck would have it, shortly after our arrival our car broke down. A few days turned into a few months. We started making friends and uncovering the magic that is Santa Teresa. We went home to get married, leaving our broken down car and returned with backpacks determined to stay.
So began the next leg of our journey making a home for ourselves in Santa Teresa. I reconnected with some of my contacts in Toronto and managed to work online for a few years until stepping into Santa Teresa real estate. I won’t lie, life hasn’t been easy moving to Santa Teresa. We have struggled financially to keep ourselves afloat and learned some valuable life lessons along the way. It was also an adjustment learning to live in a new country, but the highs by FAR out weigh the lows and I wouldn’t change a thing. Now, I get to surf most days. I feel physically stronger in my 30s than I ever have in my life. I eat healthy, locally grown food. I drink filtered well water in one of the world’s 5 blue zones. I spend at least 50% of my time outside. I enjoy gorgeous sunset over the ocean and I speak Spanish every day. I am warm all the time! I love being a part of the Pura Vida lifestyle and Costa Rican culture. I love the friends that I have made and, most of all, I love Santa Teresa. I love its endless stretch of beaches, its amazing surf, and its unparalleled natural beauty. I love its community of diverse residents from all over the world. I love living in a land of entrepreneurs. I love all the wonderful people in Santa Teresa that have decided to live this ‘outside of the box’ kinda life. I love the food, the restaurants, and I love the endless possibilities of exploration within the local landscape.
Jude and I have lived in Santa Teresa for almost 10 years. We have 2 kids now and we finally own a little piece of land where we will build our home. I love that our adventure keeps unfolding and I feel grateful everyday to call Santa Teresa my home.
Responses