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Arp and I have loved mojitos ever since we discovered them, quite a few years back. When we lived in Manhattan, we’d have to scour the local markets to find some decent mint. It was sometimes hard to find, which was irritating when we had the urge for a Mojito.

Since we’ve lived in our current house in the exurbs, I’ve invested some effort in growing our own mint. My favorite variety for mojitos is chocolate mint. The first year, I listened to all the warnings about mint taking over the garden, and I contained the mint plants in huge buried buckets. Well, we drink a lot of mojitos in the summer, and we quickly exhausted the supply of my bucket-bound mint. The next year I threw caution to the wind, dug up the buckets, and let my mint taste the full freedom of my herb garden. Holy mojitos! We were in heaven!

But something has happened this year that is totally unexpected. Arp and I both admitted to each other the other day that we are a tiny bit bored of drinking mojitos. We still wanted the mint, but we needed it to be something a little different, more exciting.  The garden is overflowing with mint, of course.

Now, the great thing about Mojitos is that they don’t have any fancy ingredients. Rum, seltzer, sugar, lime, mint. How easy is that? We get a big ole jug of rum and we are set as long as the mint in the garden lives and we remember to buy the limes occasionally at the supemarket. When we whipped out all our drink-making books the other night, all the recipes seemed to include odd-sounding liquors that we most certainly didn’t have. (Before we had kids, our liquor cabinet was stocked with quite a few interesting concoctions, but our supply has dwindled. We are now at rum and tequila.)

Tell me, dear readers - what exciting drinks can I make with mint?

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Vagabonding by Rolf Potts is about long-term, unconventional world travel.  Conventional would be the notion that long-term travel is possible only by the very wealthy galavanting from exclusive resort to private island in luxury.  In reality, long-term travel is very possible for people of more normal means, but to do it in a fulfilling fashion requires a mindset of openness and focus on what’s important.  This is also what is essential to a successful life as an expat, and Potts distills it so well that every expat (and expat-to-be) should read this book.

Vagabonding - n. a privately meaningful manner of travel that emphasizes creativity, adventure, simplicity, awareness, discovery, independence, realism, self-reliance, and the growth of the spirit.

This definition, from the book’s opening page, succinctly lists all the qualities that a successful expat needs.  Quite a few expats move out of their chosen destination within 2 years.  There aren’t any hard numbers, but it is likely in the range of 20-40%.  I imagine that a common thread amongst them would be a lack of flexibility and maintaining the same mindset and expectations they had in their home country.

Clocking in at 206 pages, the book is an easy, worthwhile, inspiring read.  Interspersed in the chapters are quotes from vagabonders, and each chapter ends with a profile of a path-blazing vagabond.  These pioneers include John Muir (founder of the Sierra Club), Thoreau and Walt Whitman.  It’s cool to read about them, but of more value are the quotes and comments by the less-reknowned, everyday vagabonds like ourselves.

Also included at the end of each chapter is a list helpful resources (books & websites).  A more up-to-date list of resources, vagabonding profiles, forum and Potts’ blog can be found at the companion website, www.vagabonding.net.

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We started gymnastics classes for five-year-old M about a month ago. Overall it is going really well, at least from M’s perspective. I suppose his perspective is the one that counts, as the whole reason we decided to do gymnastics is because he really wanted the opportunity to bounce on a trampoline (and we wanted it to be somewhere safe, with professional supervision). He likes the class a lot and I can see him smiling and talking to the other two friendly boys that attend the class with him. He also seems to be enjoying the challenge of doing various new physical feats.

How am I doing with it? I think I’m having some culture shock. I’ve spent most of the time, in the last 6 months, going to LLL meetings, attending unschooling support groups, and attending events with a local attachment parenting group. I guess I sometimes forget how the rest of the world lives. Read more »

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People say that what we are all seeking is a meaning for life.  I don’t think this is what we’re really seeking.  I think what we’re seeking is an experience of being alive.

–Joseph Campbell

I just wrapped up Vagabonding and was struck by this quote from Joseph Campbell (more on the book itself in my next post).  It is nothing short of brilliant.

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This is the very last picture we took in Costa Rica. We were on the road south, coming back from a failed attempt to view eruptions at Arenal and one rainy night at Bosque del Termales.

Some of the mountain roads had absolutely stunning views, while others were spotted with cows, sheep or goats. This particular cow didn’t give a rat’s arse that we were behind her, which is the way it should be. It reminded me of being in India and having to drive around a cow who decided to take a nap in the middle of a busy intersection. Eventually she moved about a foot to the right and gave us enough room to pass.

This certainly wasn’t the last thing we saw, as we spent a couple of evenings in Alajuela (at the warm and highly-recommended Vida Tropical), but it’s kinda funny that the last thing we thought worthy enough to photograph was … a cow’s arse.

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