Back to the States

I arrived safe and sound back to the U.S late Tuesday night. When we got off the plane, we were immediately greeted with 27 degree temps--that's -3 Celsius, mind you. I've spent the last couple of days in a complete daze. Where am I? Where's the pool? It is time to eat again? I must say I will miss eating and drinking for free everyday, but then again, I can drink for free here in Chicago.

We checked out of the resort late Tuesday morning and attempted to drive to the airport. We were hit with obstacles of construction along the way. I should explain in Costa, they have this thing called "Tico Time" where the inhabitants take forever to do anything. It's part of their relaxed lifestyle. Everything takes longer than it should. We reached a point of the road where it was down to only one lane. The construction worker said we'd be moving in four minutes. Well, 15 minutes passed and we were still waiting. Finally, we got the greenlight. A few miles down the road, this happened again. If you think construction is bad in the States, it's much worse in Costa. This is because it seems highly organized. We made it through the construction and continued on our windy trip through the mountains. All that tossing and turning made my stomach a little queasy. We were restrained for time so we didn't get to stop at one of those numerous restaurant/bars/fruit stands we saw on the side of the road. If I ever come back to Costa, I'm going to do more non-touristy things. I realized everything I experienced during the trip was through eating at hotels and hanging out with other tourists and tour guides. Next time, I want to go off the beaten path. I also wished I would've researched the country a little more before going there.

We finally made it to the rental car place but had to wait almost an hour just to return the car. It was ridiculous. At the airport, we had to pay an exit tax of $26/person. I have no idea why. Our flight to Miami was packed. Tuesday was sorta rough because I was trying to work on the newsletter, dictate to my guest editor, and board a plane. Never again will I try to do both. On the plane, they screened Beverly Hills Chihuahua which I am ashamed I watched. It was just as horrible as I thought it would be. I really miss the golden days of flying when you'd at least get peanuts. Now you have to pay $3 for a cookie. At least on these flights they gave us an entire can of soda. We landed in Miami and were swarmed with so many people from all different countries trying to get through customs and immigration. After we got through those points, we had to go through security again. The only good thing is we didn't have much of layover. Traveling can be such a pain in the ass.

Overhearing other people's conversations in the rental car place and airplane, it seems like a lot of Americans love Costa. I think one couple mentioned they have a place there. Another guy mentioned he lost his job so he decided to take a vacation. I think a lot of people have this "fuck it" mentality. Cold outside? Go somewhere warm. Lost your job? Go on vacation. Both of our flights were packed. I like the idea of having a winter place, or place just to get away to. I don't know if I'd want to make Costa that place, but every winter I want to try to go somewhere warm. I wish we could've stayed for at least 2 weeks or a month. I like the idea of jetting off somewhere for a long period of time.

So, now we're back to the grind. If I have withdrawal of Costa Rican food, I can visit the local Costa Rican restaurant a mile from me. I just might have to do that. But, it's time to start dieting and eating healthier. Now, I have to figure out if we can go to SXSW in Austin. I procrastinated on getting a ticket, so now we're looking at over $600 a ticket, which is more than we paid for our Costa Rica flights combined. I really want to go as Myopenbar is throwing a few parties and my bosses will be there. It'd be more like a work thing. Plus it'd give me something to look forward to and give me another excuse to leave the cold.

I also have been presented with another job opportunity. The thing is, I get a lot of potential opportunities, but they don't always amount to much. This is frustrating. I'm hoping this one will pan out better. I have to write a sample article, first. It's so much pressure to make it good.

I'm glad it's March. Spring (in the technical sense) is a couple of weeks away. I think we could all use a little Spring right about now.