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Just like any kind of change in life, you have to adapt.
Recently I moved from the sunshine state, Florida, to beautiful Costa Rica. My first time moving outside the United States and let me tell you...I've learned A LOT.
Here are the top five things I've learned moving outside of my country, the United States of America.
1.Weather
The first real adjustment was the HEAT. Sounds ridiculous because I’m from Florida and it’s just as hot and humid there, but here’s the difference: air conditioning.
Most places here don’t have a/c so you just sweat all day long. The moment you step out of the cold shower, you sweat. At night in bed, you sweat.
No complaints here because I’m in a beautiful country doing something I thought I would never do, but it is a big adjustment nonetheless.
2. Wifi
It is a privilege to live in the United States and have internet access pretty much anywhere. When you travel, the biggest battle you’ll have is wifi.
Here in Costa Rica, it’s normal for the wifi to go down the whole day.
Or, even for the power to go out for several hours at a time with no warning. And did I mention the water randomly goes out a couple times a month for a few hours?
3. Food
Here’s another thing you learn when you move to a more rural, beach town area...there are no fast food joints.
Specifically in Costa Rica, everything you eat is home grown, freshly caught and freaking delicious.
Probably for the better, but man do I miss my Chick-fil-A.
4. Driving
This next one is more Florida related because it’s flat and below sea level, but it has been a wild ride in cars here (pun intended).
Tight, winding up and down mountain roads...it’s bit frightening when you come from flat, straight roads.
Surprisingly though (at least from personal experience), people in Costa Rica have this intuition when it comes to driving and they just know when to turn, when a curb is coming or even when they can pass someone on a two-lane road.
5. Say No to Staying in Comfort Zone
The last and final thing that I’ve learned since moving to another country has been that going out of your comfort zone will always be the better choice.
By that I mean taking the road that you’ve never taken before, trying something new like surfing, going to eat by yourself...just doing things you wouldn’t normally do when at home.
Moving from where you call home is a big change and it takes time to accommodate to the new things, new surroundings and new people.
You have to learn your whereabouts and sometimes even a new language.
The one thing I keep in mind though to get me through it all though, is that it’s all going to be worth it in the end.
