Costa Rica - Journal Entry #2

Hillary and I about to take our walk to town and the beach!

Hillary and Lora - My wonderful roomies for the week :)

April 22, 2012


I met a lady on the beach today. She came to Costa Rica to visit for three weeks. By the end of her visit, she had decided to stay. She subleased her LA apartment while still here and had family put her stuff in storage. She's been here for several months now and has decided to stay until the end of the year, working odd jobs in the tourism industry.


After Costa Rica, she nonchalantly informed me that she'll probably move to some village in Mexico since she's craving more culture than what she feels here. During our short conversation, I learned that outside of her native LA roots, this early thirty-something has lived in Spain, across other parts of Europe, and NYC. 


She described how a lot of people say they're going to live where most just visit but they never really do it. She spoke while throwing some drift wood into the ocean for a stray dog to fetch who also appeared to be a fellow beach regular.


It came as no surprise when she introduced herself as,"Athea." Athea. Even her name was free spirited. 


I started to think about large life transitions and how she managed to move into an unconventional lifestyle with a confident ease of normality. 


It didn't inspire me to become a drifter. I admired her passion to peruse life in a diverse geographical manner but in a way, it almost made me miss home. 


And now I sit here thinking about my little encounter with Athea and plenty like her who I have met already. You don't need to be a drifter to live an adventurous and free spirited lifestyle. You don't even need to move anywhere. This I understand. 


Although, it's also to be understood that at any moment you can choose to move to another city, live in a place that started as a vacation, or wake up in an enviroment completely different than the one you grew up in if you so wish. It's not just for drifters and it doesn't just happen to other people. It's an option for us all and knowing that we have that choice is pretty damn empowering, whether we travel or seek our adventures right here. 


Thanks for the chat Athea and good luck in Mexico next year. 


xoxo-
K