Time is passing at high speed, even when you try to take it slow by adhering to the national Costa Rican motto “Pura Vida,” which means something along the line of pure/simple life. Tamarindo was our first beach destination and I took some time off from studying to make the most out of what Playa Tamarindo had to offer for me: surfing and beach yoga.
I took a surfing class and rented a board a couple of times to give it a try on my own. I also went to beach yoga 3 times a week, which was another first for me. (Well actually, I tried surfing in Bali once during an afternoon, so technically it was not my first time surfing, but it was the first serious attempt.) Catching a wave was not easy for me and I managed to do so only when pushed by the surf instructor or Bee. Beach yoga felt very easy by comparison. The yoga teacher Fabiola had an incredibly smooth style of teaching, which led you deep into the asanas. Doing yoga at the beach (at 7:30 in the morning, before it gets hot and in the shade) was an awesome experience. The sand gave me some extra support, and looking out at the horizon on the ocean and hearing the waves was meditative in itself.
We also enjoyed being able to communicate in English, since there are so many North Americans living and vacationing in Costa Rica, and restaurants and businesses are used to catering to them. I was able to converse in German too, with a regular, fellow yoga practitioner from Austin, who grew up in Germany and lives in Tamarindo part of the year.
Our no-frills, but comfy, duplex apartment was in a complex with a small pool, which was another first for me, living in an apartment with access to a pool, something I could get used to …
I can’t believe that we have already completed our 12th month of nomad life in Tamarindo. Our time in Europe seems so far away though, although we arrived in the Americas only 4 months ago.
Nomad life is a perpetual lesson in adaptability–every month in a new place, often with a new culture, sometimes with a new language. I feel I can learn not only from the places, but a lot about myself, because it’s difficult to fall back into patterns and it forces you to leave your comfort zone and stay open for the new.
Not having a home to go back to makes you also form an even deeper connection with the places where you live. I still don’t know where I am going to settle ultimately and keep all options open. In the end the job will decide, to a greater extent, where I am going to live. After completing my studies I will start a global job search and I will keep the option of working full time remotely open as well, so maybe I will end up continuing to travel, if I don’t get tired of it by then. At the moment I still do enjoy it a lot and I am very thankful for having the opportunity to live in all these different places and meet people from all walks of life. In the end, I think, this has definitely been one of the most exciting periods of my life and I will always enjoy looking back on it.
Wishing everyone happy holidays, if possible with your loved ones.
