Yesterday I wrote about my Costa Rican Immigration Odyssey. Today I would like to tell you some of the lessons I learned from that experience.

1.”Locked Up Abroad” is a Reality Show

If you have ever seen Locked Up Abroad, you know that regardless of where you are from, the country you are IN gets to decide which laws you should follow and what to do about you if you break them. I was under the impression that since we only have U.S. passports, we only had to worry about the U.S. international travel process. When the Costa Rican government detained us because of laws that apply to Costa Rican kids, I wanted to march into the U.S. Embassy and have them demand our release back to our home country… but it doesn’t work that way.

Posted in choices, inner peace, present moment, Spirit of Adventure 10 Comments »

Trapped In Costa Rica

Shakespeare once wrote: “Be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”

Today I would like to alter that a little, by saying: Some are born adventurous (see Adventure: Climbing Colorado’s Fourteeners), some achieve a spirit of adventure (see Adventure: Being Open to Possibilities), and some, like me, have adventure thrust upon them (keep reading!).

As some of you may be aware by now, my son and I had an extended vacation in Costa Rica, courtesy of their immigration services. What you may not know, or understand, is how this came to pass… because unless you are FROM Costa Rica, or from another “red tape” country, none of this makes any sense.

Posted in acceptance, family, Spirit of Adventure 20 Comments »

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” –Leonardo DaVinci

This is my sister’s chorreador. It is the only device she has for making coffee. You may recall from my previous post, Our Daily Bread (and Coffee!), that coffee time (cafecito) is a pretty big deal in Costa Rica, where she lives. Every morning and afternoon for the past two weeks while I stayed with her, this little contraption reminded me of just how simple life can be.

At my house we have had all sorts of fancy coffee-makers, most of which I never learned to fully operate. Some have built-in grinders, timers, flavor-optimizers, temperature regulators, milk steamers, etc. They are often expensive, have parts that break or need to be replaced, and sometimes don’t even make great coffee!

Posted in family, simplicity 19 Comments »