On lockdown

I'm in the Northwestern part of the country of Costa Rica. My time here in the small village of Tilaran is waged in Colones, the national currency. I have not spent much money since I've been here. I have only spent it on groceries I buy at the market just a 30 minute car ride away. How is this possible? With mindmyhouse.com, I found Terrilynn, a woman who wants to get back to the States for a while and is looking for someone to watch over her house, her 6 dogs and tend to her chickens.

I arrived a week ago, and I am situated on the lake Arenal, a 20 mile lake whose only road to town is a rocky dirt trail. Terrilynn tells me that her house has been robbed several times. I guess it's a way of life here. So I am here to protect her house and her possessions while she's away.

The weather here is warm and a bit humid, with daily rain that lasts about an hour. It's cloudy and there's a constant buzz in the air from the sacaidas, birds, howler monkeys and many insects. The night chirps with the sounds of animals, and the days are lazy. Most of my time is spent keeping in contact with friends on the internet, drawing, watching TV and tending to the animals. My Spanish is improving as I talk to the driver, the maid and the gardener once a week. Life is rough.

My plans are to stay here for ten weeks, then leave my things and run to Nicaragua to ensure my stay here without a visa. From there, I may continue traveling throughout Central America, maybe go to El Salvador for the New Year and hit Honduras and Guatemala. My time in Costa Rica ends when I fly out in May of 2012. At that point, I will stay in San Francisco, Ca. for 6 days, then it's off to Puerto Rico. I don't know what awaits. I just know that these are the things I have to do to lead an unimaginable fulfilling life.