Glad to see you appreciate Sunbutter too. I just love the stuff, and no icky-fungus-y peanuts involved. And yes, maple syrup is a must-bring item. Even at Automercado, the best you’ll find is Aunt Jemima, and I’d rather have none at all than that. I will bring my beloved Vitamix mixer, but I’m afraid my Le Creuset will have to stay, lest I pay dearly for the extra weight of them in my suitcase. It’s the thought of leaving behind certain creature comforts that is most difficult for me. I won’t be able to find a lot of the health food stuff I came to rely on here. The macrobioticas there are somewhat of a joke compared to Whole Foods or even small, local co-ops. Beware of inflation down there. Is that good or bad for people paying in dollars? I never did understand that stuff.

When you factor in how much it costs for me to ship a barrel of stuff down to CR, both out of pocket costs and cost to the environment, it really only makes a lot of sense to ship very heavy or valuable items. Things such as my Kitchenaid mixer, good quality tools, or things of sentimental value. Or things like Sunbutter, that are surely not available down there (I think I’ll be packing both Sunbutter and maple syrup, for sure!). Since the baby clothes are extremely cheap in CR, that was a hard one for me!

I love books too. I have pared down a lot in my life so I haven’t had any cool old books for a long time, and every since having kids it seems I only read practical reference-type books. I really miss cuddling up with a good novel. I always see myself in a hammock in CR getting caught up on books. I would love to have a book club there but sadly, it seems most Ticos do not read novels, and the expats where I lived struggled to get together once every few weeks for drinks so I imagine a book club would have been difficult. And with the internet, I think people read a lot less books. With things like e-readers too, books are an endangered species. I was happy to see vinyl records making a comeback. I sold a load of my parent’s records on ebay, resurrected from the depths of a moldy basement, given new life and shipped to all corners of the world. German prog-rock to still-sealed Simon and Garfunkel LPs made me some very nice cash, but at the same time, I feel a sort of emptiness in having sold all those records, having imagined the meaningfulness of that music to my young hippie parents, though I haven’t had the heart to part with my dad’s early blues. Not only are they worn out and scratched (but still play wonderfully), they are remnants of a childhood in an era that held so much promise. Needless to say, the records won’t be coming to CR.

I hope your sciatica goes away soon. I suffered through that badly with my first pregnancy and not at all with my second, so I suppose birthing either aligns your pubic bone or misaligns it? I, too, am quieter while pregnant. For me though, my brain just isn’t functioning well. The baby pulls away every last vitamin in my blood it would seem and I am sort of unwell for a time even after giving birth, thanks to breastfeeding. This is very anecdotal though it has happened to myself, my mother and my husband, but once we stopped eating gluten (due to suspected gluten intolerance, which is particularly common in fair people), we all had crazy hair and nail growth due to increased mineral absorption. We all feel a lot better too. The diet in CR always makes me feel better, and now I think it’s because of the lack of much gluten in their diet. You’re almost there, and I think you’ll find the food, help, and sunshine will give you a big boost.

Your blog is included in my daily roundup of Costa Rica blogs. It’s enjoyable for me to read about people changing their lives in a major way. I’ve always had a healthy dose of wanderlust but never have I been more tied down to a lifestyle than I am now, so I must live vicariously through others. We dream of a day not far off when we will be in CR ourselves, having fruit trees and chickens and the peace of mind to enjoy the little things in life instead of stressing about endless bills and pink late notices, and black ice, and smog, and $2 brown-fleshed avocados, oh and lately, shortages of produce in the grocery stores. Not liking that one bit. That said, we have to find happiness where we’re at and see our glass as half-full. Meanwhile, it’s fun to daydream.