Why?

1. Why do Costa Ricans walk so effing slowly? And in the middle of the sidewalk no less? Yes, I get it. You are both 22 and you had your precious 4 year old when you were 18 and -somehow, miraculously- you managed to stay together and become a somewhat grownup family. But does that justify walking slowly with a toddler/ small child smack-dab in the middle of an already dangerous sidewalk? (See earlier posts about major faults in in basic infrastructure here, like sidewalks.) We're talking the sidewalks are so bad you cannot look anywhere but down. Pothole? Pile of trash? Pile of shite? One shoe? Any and all are possibilities. But no one cares. Why? Because, apparently, Costa Rica consistently ranks amongst "the happiest countries in the world."

2. Why are Costa Ricans consistently voted so highly amongst the "happiest people on the planet"? When I first decided to move here, these "stats" were just what I needed to hear. Austin was starting to get too trendy, too hipster, and too expensive (which had been starting long before I arrived in 2009). Happiest country in the world? Uber-prestigious private school after teaching at Title I schools for four years? Count me in. But a measurement of happiness? How quantitatively can this be determined? Still, I chose to look the other way. Maybe the same way Ticos do with sidewalks laden with potholes, shite, and shoes.

3. Why did I think I was weak? Thursday was my four month-aversary here in CR. I may not have had the smoothest of transitions, but this was my dream and I made it become a reality. Yes, I left my family and friends behind. Yes, I left behind a boyfriend who wanted to marry me. I will never know if this was the "right" decision, but it is now THE decision and I have to learn to live with it and move forward.

Pura vida and potholes,

t