I have spent most of today thinking about my pending move to Costa Rica. I currently live in Southern California, and my plan is to live abroad for at least 1 year. My first choice in locations would have been somewhere in Europe, but with exchange rates what they are, I decided to travel to Central America instead.

This all came about because of two life changing events that happened recently. First was the loss of my girlfriend after 6 years. She decided she was no longer in love with me, packed her bags, and left. I spent a solid two weeks in deep depression, but after much love and attention by my friends & family, I was able to clearly see what had gone wrong.

This lead me to the second life changing event, I quit my job of 10 years. I had not realized the level of stress this particular job was burdening me with. With tears in my eyes & a shaking hand, I sent in my letter of resignation on a Sunday afternoon. Unfortunately, the relief did not come instantly. I was full of doubt, but something had to be done. I could no longer continue to live in the style I had created for myself, working twelve to sixteen hour days, six or sometimes seven days a week.

I am happy to report that the relief I was searching for did finally arrive. Single & unemployed, I decided there was no better time than the present to renew my plans for living abroad. This is something I have talked about for years, but mostly as just an idea with my now ex-girlfriend. Our target had always been Barcelona, Spain, a place we visited together just 6 months into our relationship. Ever since we have had grand visions of living in Spain, and now its finally happening but with slightly different circumstances.

After asking around for a while, I landed on Costa Rica due to a few factors. First and foremost, it is truly another country and culture, as opposed to simply moving out-of-state. The exchange rate is helping rather than hurting, contrary to Europe. Also, I have a base knowledge of Spanish, which works for either destination.

I'm also attracted to the layout of Central America, which somewhat resembles Europe in that there are several smallish countries nearby. This makes moving from one to the next easy and affordable should I decide to relocate after a few months. There are 6 countries within 400 miles of each other.... sounds like fun!

I have started to get my finances in-order, changed my cell phone number (which will be canceled before I leave), finding a new home for my furniture & dog, setting up new lines of communication that will work abroad, checking visa requirements & immigration rules, etc. etc... the list goes on and on.

My expected jump-off date is currently July 1st. This should give me plenty of time to tie up loose ends, and gives everyone in my life plenty of notice. I would very much like to be here for my little brother's birthday on the 20th, seems like I'm always absent for that one. However, I will always find a reason to stay if I don't set a goal, make plans, and stick to it....

Its gunna be an adventure!!......