Hi I’m Cheryl. I was born in the United States and am Currently living abroad in the Happiest Place on Earth, Samara Costa Rica.  This colorful little town has actually been referred to as the ‘black hole of happiness’. It either grabs a hold of you or spits you out. I love this town.
Here people smile, wave, stop to talk and when they ask how you are doing…They actually want to know!?! It’s like something out of ‘The Gilmore Girls’. Samara is a sunny stars hollow. I bike into town and say Hola to a minimum of 20 people, I even stop to give and receive hugs. I may or may not know the people I greet. Some days I know EVERYONE and other days I am greeted by friendly new smiles. This can be a culture shock when I return to the states and I smile and wave…like a friendly person, as I’ve learned from the lovely Costa Ricans…and instead I get a ‘Who the F do you think you are?’ Look. ‘Did I ask you to wave to me? Obviously, you must be a weirdo!’ If I had tried to introduce myself with a friendly handshake and leaned in for a cheek bump as the Costa Rican’s do…they might have imploded.

I believe the sun lives here in Costa Rica…I felt like the sun rarely visited us in Pennsylvania, but here the sun shines brightly day after day.  It’s comforting knowing the sun resides here and we welcome knowing tomorrow will be as delightfully warm and beautiful as today was; this also eliminates idle talk about the weather…so if you really enjoy complaining about the weather this is NOT the place for you.  My dream was always to live in Costa Rica and I am living proof to never give up on your dreams. Life isn’t all butterflies and monkeys, we have had our share of challenges as many did last year and logistics in Costa Rica can be…umm not intuitive.

Feel free to follow along on our adventures and share our experiences on becoming permanent residents in Costa Rica, having a child in Costa Rica, living at the beach, traveling through Costa Rica, Costa Rican wildlife, my adorable adventurous 6 year old, manifesting amazing, Positive thoughts, life as a massage therapist, healthful lifestyle tips and thoughts and life as a mom abroad and all the random things that pop through my head…lucky you 🙂

Skyler eating carambola a.k.a starfruit