Sunday, April 13, 2008

April 13, 2008 – Stop!

Why is it that coming back to the states is so stressful? It used to be that coming home from a vacation engendered a deep sigh of contentment – we had a lovely trip, but home is where you can relax. I suppose part of it is that we are disassociating from our home in California, and embracing more aspects of Costa Rica. Part of it has to be that when we left for Costa Rica, we also left behind some responsibilities – and they were still here when we got back. But I think the biggest factor is that when we are in Costa Rica, we don’t have the same sense of urgency. When we are in California, we put so much pressure on ourselves to get things done, *and* we have to do it on a schedule.

After just 3 weeks back, we were climbing the walls – stressed out, but oddly bored. So we said “stop!” – took a deep breath, and chucked the schedule. After all, our time really *is* our own…

Just to complete our de-stress, we went *dancing!* We met 17 years ago during a ballroom dancing lesson. We finally went back :~?. Not only was it great, I think it may actually have been more fun than the first time.

As for my schedule – it will be a while before I post our review of living in Alajuela. We like to take a bit of time to let our thoughts and impressions settle, anyway.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

It's amazing how caught up we get in a different routine when traveling/living abroad. For me, the pace of life in the U.S. is so much faster than anywhere I have been before -- it makes you appreciate new lifestyles and cultures.

I definitely feel like the worst part about traveling is reverse culture shock, when you feel "out-of-wack" after returning home. I am personally really excited to travel to and volunteer in Central America some day...it'll be great to practice my Spanish as well as learn about their culture.

Julie said...

Hi Jeffrey -
To me, that's the best part of traveling - learning about and appreciating other cultures. It also makes me appreciate my own - at least some aspects.
Julie

Anonymous said...

Hi Julie, I changed your link on my blog. So you are back in the U.S. - we just got home (CR) from three weeks there (US). So good to be out of the madness, it's really a frenzy there. I could not keep up and I used to be a professional Type A!!! When do you all return to CR? I'll keep reading - take care, enjoy your visit!
Saratica

Julie said...

Hi Saratica -
Thanks! We're back in the ol' USA for a bit. Have to take care of some things, like deciding what to do about our house (yuck), car (whine), furniture, etc. We're heading back to Costa Rica in September! Can't *wait*!
Julie