The term "Pura Vida" is one that you will hear everywhere you go in Costa Rica. Simply translated it means Pure Life / Simple Life, but you'll notice that the folks in Costa Rica actually use it for pretty much any sort of greeting, such as hello, good bye, and thank you. We've grown accustomed to saying it whenever we are in Costa Rica and let me tell you, it would be nice if we had a similar saying in North America. Sure, we can greet someone here in some many different ways, with a simple hello, what's up, how ya doin', but those just don't have the same impact as how Costa Ricans use Pura Vida. Just knowing what the two words mean makes it feel special, and whenever I use them it sort of makes me forget about all the bad things going on this world for a brief moment. There is something to be said about living a pure / simple life.
Growing up as a kid, my parents worked damn hard to put food on the table, a roof over our heads, and clothes on our backs. We didn't have all that much as kids so in a way we lived a pretty pure / simple life. Once I moved out of the house, went back to school, and worked towards a career, the motivation to succeed and be able to afford all the things I ever wanted was incredibly strong, since I had never really had that as a kid...it was the "only the strongest will survive" syndrome, and the constant battle to work hard to get to the top...being that stereotypical penguin in a suit going to a downtown office Monday to Friday with the goal of becoming the best I could be. Don't get me wrong, all of that hard work certainly allowed us to have pretty much everything we've ever wanted, from fancy cars, a luxurious home, multiple getaway vacations every year, you name it we had it. But was it worth it? I can honestly say, that looking at the way we live as North Americans is vastly different then how Costa Ricans live...and guess what, I think they are far happier than we could ever aspire to be...Afterall, their motto is Pura Vida, and they seem to have it down pat.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that a big factor in our decision to make this life changing move, is exactly that, to make a life changing move, one that will hopefully allow us to appreciate a simpler and more relaxed way of life, one that will not involve the daily stresses of corporate America..................................................................Pura Vida!
Here are some progress photos of the house (building the concrete kitchen island). We've slowed the construction down significantly during the pandemic, considering we have no idea when we will be able to go south. The Costa Rican government has opened the borders to several countries (including Canada), but as of yet, we have virtually no way of getting there as the major airlines continue to cancel their flights...we're crossing our fingers for a trip this winter, at which point the house should be complete.
These are photos of the kitchen island in it's raw form. Since these photos were taken, the island has been sanded and polished to give it a beautiful finished look (which we have not seen yet), as the island has also been covered up for protection while the drywall work gets completed. Anxiously awaiting the big reveal to see the finished product.
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