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100+ days later

A foreclosure + an FHA loan + an appraiser named Mr. Tickle = more than 100 days of homelessness for the Michauds. Fortunately, we aren’t really homeless. We have friends that have fostered us and family that have allowed us to literally “make ourselves at home.” We’re extremely grateful to them, but we’re still homeless in our hearts.


We can’t help but be annoyed seeing as we started this whole process on January 9th. We were excited, anxious and nervous but with each month that has passed, so have those emotions. Now we’re just irritated. Our original closing date was February 15th, followed by our first extension request, followed by an early March closing date and another extension request, followed by an end of March closing date and another extension….I think you’ve figured out the pattern. Had we known the process would take this long, we would’ve started it prior to our Costa Rican adventure.


With each weekend of lounging on couches that aren’t ours, cooking with borrowed pans, and picking clothes from stacks or suitcases – our irritation grows. Our someday-to-be home needs some cosmetic work and the minutes wasted waiting to get it done just frustrate us. We’ve contemplated breaking in just to get a head start.
And so now we wait for our next (and hopefully final) closing date of May 2nd. While it looks like we’re really reaching the homestretch this time, I just can’t bring myself to get excited anymore. Seems like each time we’ve rounded third base, we’re tripped up and have to go back. I’m now of the same opinion as Mike has been all along, “I’ll be excited when they hand me the keys.”

Until we drop them in the sewer before we reach the door…

The coolest thing I've done since I've been back

So, the title's a stretch. But really, would you have read this entry if it was called My Day at Jury Duty? I didn’t think so. I think I can correctly assume that no one really enjoys their own jury duty, never mind reading about someone else’s. You probably wouldn't have made it this far yet. But now you're committed so why not just finish reading.


Seeing as this is the fourth time I’ve been randomly selected to perform my civic duty – I think I’ve served my share. I'd prefer they give someone else a shot. But even though I wasn’t enjoying any moment of my day, I actually was hoping to get selected for a trial. The $20 a day reimbursement sounded pretty nice to an unemployed struggling writer. It was $20 more than I made yesterday and $20 more than I’ll make tomorrow. And if I was lucky enough to get a really long trial (anywhere past 5 days) it’d be $50 a day. Sign me up.

But I waited. And waited. And wrote a blog entry. Started an article. Wrote a cover letter. Texted some peeps and checked FB about 14 times. In between all that, I just watched other people – the most fascinating of which was the guy who didn’t do anything the entire day (he beat out the one that practiced yoga moves at the front of the room that resembled a slow motion version of the Staying Alive dance). He literally brought nothing to keep him entertained. No phone, no iPod, no laptop, no iPad, no book, to crosswords, no walkman, no paper or pencils. Heck, he wouldn’t even check out the free newspapers or magazines. I was mesmerized by him while he was mesmerized by the Restroom sign. I almost asked him to proofread for me just to give him something to do.

At the end of the day, neither he nor I got hired as a juror. I got teased by being called into the interview session only to be dismissed after a settlement was reached. Eh. You win some, you lose some. Guess it wasn’t really my dream job anyways. Maybe next time...cause I have a feeling there will definitely be a next time.

Could it be?!?!?!

Could the self-proclaimed “unsettled” couple actually be settling down? It’s true…



It only took a few days of apartment hunting for us to realize that renting a small home we can’t call our own will be ridiculously expensive. After some advice from our gracious friends (who are fostering us until we find a place), we decided to look into owning. Heck, if we’re gonna spend a boatload, why not own the boat?


So we searched and, rather quickly, found the place we hope to call home. I don’t want to jinx it so I’m not giving any details. Let’s just say it’s a house that’s made for us – a little different, a lot of character, in good condition and has loads of potential. I’m just asking you to keep your fingers crossed. Real tight. Like, almost break them if you can.


Who would’ve thunk huh? The unsettlers are settling. To be honest, we can’t wait. We’re more excited than we ever thought we’d be at the prospect of owning our own home. Regardless, settling is a state of mind. So while we’ll be settling into a home (hopefully), I’m sure there will still be plenty of unsettled moments…stay tuned.

Coming home...

With a sick Matt in tow (who believes we brought the germs off the plane) and his slobbering, snorting English bulldog, Molly, we're beginning our drive home in a matter of minutes. It should take us anywhere between 14 and 16 hours if all goes well. I haven't checked the weather forecast for the East Coast but from what I've heard from family, we'll be accompanied by storms or racing them. We have our fingers crossed that it'll be a very boring, uneventful drive.

ETA: Saturday morning, probably around 7 or 8. If Mother Nature doesn't delay us...

Where did we land?



Oh the places we've been...

 So, the weather outside is frightful. Alright, maybe it's not there yet, but seriously - we're dealing with a 60 degree drop overnight - have a little sympathy for us ;)  Really though...we are in the South right? I heard it's only in the 30's in Florida. What the heck is going on with the weather?  We weren't equipped for this. Mike stepped off the plane in cargo shorts, flip flops and a t-shirt. That didn't really cut it for 26 degrees...thank goodness for four extra t-shirts in his carry on that he proceeded to layer on, and of course, the beard.

Speaking of, we successfully made it through America's security after a suspicious review of Mike's passport photo (the JFK Jr. version) and a "that's you?" I informed him that we just spent three months in Costa Rica without a razor. He laughed and added that Mike reminded him of Tom Hanks in Castaway.

After a two hour trip to Matt's house, I got my fill of driving. Stupid me, decided to call shotgun on driving the first stretch of our road trip to CT when we were still in Costa Rica and driving was something I missed. Mike and Matt haven't forgotten.  So I guess I'll get an overdose soon....

Day 89: Blogging from the sky

It's was smooth sailing getting to the airport and has been a pretty decent flight with the exception of our takeoff. It was a little bumpy and I told Mike I hope it wasn't a sign that the flight was gonna follow suit. He reminded me that this was a Costa Rican runway. I should be happy it's paved.

So I'm blogging from the sky right now (courtesy of Delta's free in-flight wifi until January 2nd) with about 45 minutes left of our flight before we touch down in Georgia. The pilot informed us at takeoff that it's a cozy 32 degrees in Atlanta. Welcome home. Well, almost...

Day 88: Some final recognitions...

When we walked into Adobe, we were personally greeted, literally, by the rental agent that’s always there when we rent our cars. He called Mike by name and asked how he could help him and seemed to be as disappointed as us that he couldn’t provide a car that could be left at the airport for only one day without charging us for three. Seeing as Adobe is a much smaller company (I’m pretty sure their fleet maxes out at six cars) they would need to charge us the additional amount to cover the cost of the driver and gas to pick the car up from the airport to bring back to Quepos which is about a three hour drive and over 150 miles away. We had a feeling he would’ve hooked us up had he been the only one in the office, but with a supervisor and another employee present, he was defeated. Thanks anyways Carlos.


It was probably better for us. The Jimny sat in Adobe’s driveway just waiting for us to take it on another journey and we don’t have Matt here to fix it when it decides to be stubborn. Alamo had a much nicer and less stubborn looking Toyota Yaris waiting for us that has proven to be the smoothest rental ride yet.


Before we picked up the car, we headed to our favorite Quepos café, El Milagro and was recognized by the waitress that speaks fluent English but likes to ask us questions in Spanish to see if we’ve gotten any better. I would have impressed her by ordering my coffee in Spanish, but all I had to do was nod my head and respond with a “si” since she already knew what we wanted and how to make it. I was a little saddened that we couldn’t take her home.


With a final trip to Jaco for some last minute souvenirs and we quickly got the heck out of there, after a decent lunch at Restaurant Espanol, and headed back home. With everything already packed and cleaned, we really had nothing left to do except wait. So in a matter of 24 hours of writing this, we’ll be back in the States - God willing US customs allows Mike back in.

Day 87: Cleaning house

We’ve decided against the car service to the airport seeing as renting a car, getting lost, and barely making our flight are worth the amount it would cost to bring us to the airport. Through our various road trips throughout this country, we remembered there’s a different route to the airport that avoids the confusion of San Jose’s hectic one way streets. So tomorrow, we’ll catch the early bus to Quepos to pick up our final rental car…fingers crossed it’s better than the Jimny.


We decided to clean and pack today so we can enjoy the freedom of the rental car on our last day here. I’m sure Gary will agree that the place is in better condition than when we arrived. Everything is clean, including the refrigerator, the garbage is out and we’ve added to the collection of minimal kitchen utensils. And we didn’t leave a bullfrog behind the toilet.

I’d say I’ll miss this place, but after last night’s party till dawn, I’m pretty happy to be heading home to catch up on some much needed sleep. We woke up about every hour to the sound of applause, cheers, drums, music and yelling. Around 5am, I gave up thinking it would end. We tried to use our earbuds as ear plugs to help block the noise but it didn’t work.


I guess we're feeling our thirties.  We were just amazed people can actually stay awake for that long. We didn’t even go to the party and we're exhausted.

Two more nights to go…

Day 86: 'Twas two weeks before Christmas...

And we laid on the beach. (I thought of continuing the rhyme but it seemed really cheesy so I thought it best to not.)



Anyways, we made it to the beach for the last time of our trip and of the year for that matter. We extended the summer for as long as we could. Now it’s time to return to the cold, harsh reality that awaits our return. Rather than focus on that, we’ve been listing off things we’re looking forward to; family, friends, Marley, kitties, hearing English, dryers, my Keurig...

Mike listed off the restaurants we'll be hitting up in no particular order: Pizza Shoppe, The Whistle Stop, Osaka, Buffalo Wild Wings...I’m sure the list could continue but he stopped there. Other than pizza, the only craving I’ve had is Indian food. I’m looking forward to some tikka masala and garlic naan from somewhere and plan on it as soon as we land. Matt’s convinced the south doesn’t have Indian food, I’m convinced I’ll find one.

It's a little nerve racking but still exciting to return to the unknown. Our employment, our home, our next step, is all up in the air. (Don’t think we haven’t been working on it, but I have a feeling it’s gonna be a bit easier when we’re home.) I’m convinced it’ll work out. We had good intentions with our trip; to take advantage of the opportunity that probably wouldn’t be around for long, to add to our travel and life experiences, to enjoy each other and ourselves, and for me, it was to explore a personal goal I had pushed off to the side and regretted with each day that passed. With 200 pages worth of blog material (book pages, not 8.5 x11) and 233 pages of some other stuff, I’d say the inspiration was found. I’ve committed myself to daily writing and I don’t intend to stop.

So I’ll leave this entry by screwing up a quote I once read. I can't remember it verbatim but you'll get the point.


"If you wait until the right time to do what you want to do, you’ll end up doing a whole lot of nothing…"


Made sense to me.

Day 85: A Farewell Note to Costa Rica

Dear Costa Rica,


It’s gonna be sad to say goodbye but we knew this wouldn’t last forever. At least we had enough time to get to know each other pretty well. I hope we can still be friends even after we part.


I was a little overwhelmed in the beginning. It had been awhile, things were foreign to me. I’ll admit, at first I didn’t think we were gonna work. After a few days, I was ready to leave. You were way too hot and our relationship required way more work than I expected. We barely understood each other. I’m glad we worked it out though. After a few adjustments, we figured it out and got used to each other.


It annoyed me at first but now I like that you’re the no frills type. You could care less if you keep up with the newest technology or latest trends. You’re simple and don’t see the need for extravagance. That was kind of a nice change - except for the times I just wanted to check my email and you wouldn’t let me.


Anyone who has been lucky enough to spend time with you thinks you’re amazing and beautiful. They’re right, you are. There’s more to you than just your looks – you’re cultured, you value your traditions and family’s important to you. You have every reason to flaunt yourself. I spent a lot of time just looking at you.

There are some things you could work on though. You could take better care of yourself in some areas. And you’re a little bit dangerous sometimes…kind of unpredictable. We went down a fair share of bumpy roads and only got real shaky once. You only got really destructive during your most intense outburst. But you made up for it with some warm embraces afterwards. You kept me from being bored, that’s for sure. I never knew what I was gonna wake up to or what little present I might find. Other than being a little loud sometimes, I was pretty relaxed when we were together. Even if you wouldn’t let me sleep in, at least you know how to make a great cup of coffee and stellar breakfast.

I’m glad we got to know each other. I was tired of the same old and was looking for something different and you most definitely came through. I’m sorry I got a little heated sometimes and a little frustrated when I found myself in some sticky situations. For the most part, I’d cool off after a bit. Our moments were exhilarating, breathtaking, and relaxing. I liked that I could be lazy with you and just lounge around for as long as I wanted, just getting lost at times.


There was a warmth about you, Costa Rica, that I have a feeling I’m really gonna miss…


Pura Vida,


Nicole

Day 84: Out of hiding

I woke up last night to the sound of wings flapping. I woke Mike up, but since this is the fifty third time I’ve done that since we landed here almost three months ago, he grumbled something and rolled over. I wasn’t too adamant about waking him up since the sound was under us and our door was closed - we were safe.


When I woke up, I tiptoed into the kitchen but realized it would make more sense to bang around pots and pans and scare the thing into staying put. I’d rather it rot in the cabinet than fly around our house again. Throughout the day each room got a full inspection before I’d enter. Mike convinced me it must have crept out through a hole someplace…maybe the same way it came in.


He was wrong.


As I was peacefully sitting cross-legged on the couch with the coffee table pulled all the way to the edge so I could use it as a desk while writing, my peripheral vision noticed a flying shadow. I barely had time to look up before it was a foot from my face, blindly headed for my head (really it was interested in the window behind me but my head was in its direct path). In a matter of a split second, I crawled over the coffee table, knocked over a full mug of hot tea during the crawl, and locked myself upstairs in the bedroom. Mike stayed with it while it flew from window to window trying to escape until it finally made it out the door.

I came out of hiding when it was gone, cleaned up my mess and refilled my mug with wine.

Day 83: A few last wake up calls

We woke up to something that sounded very similar to gravel crunching around our roof. For about two seconds, I thought we were mid landslide and rocks were dumping on us until the sound was followed by squealing. After two more seconds of sleepy reasoning, I erased the natural disaster that was playing out in my mind and replaced it with a wheelbarrow. Why was the pool guy working so early? It wasn’t even light out yet. It was….(roll over and get my cell phone) 2:38am.


After listening for a few more seconds, we realized the pool guy hadn’t been overly ambitious and some creatures were throwing a party somewhere between the roof and our bedroom ceiling. Iguanas? Maybe. But after the third bat entered our living room tonight, I’m thinking they’re the late night party animals.

Mike attempted to scare them by turning on the lights but it didn’t work. He went outside on the balcony and stared but that didn’t do it either. So he took the first thing his groggy eyes could find - my change purse filled with American coins - and threw it at the ceiling. I guess you could say it worked. We didn’t hear the noise for the few seconds it took all the change to clang on the wood floor - which also happened to be loud enough to startle the yipper into doing what it does best.


As for the third bat, he drunkenly swooped into the living room, dove into the ceiling and crash landed on the floor with a thud that sounded fatal. He was either knocked unconscious or did a really good job at faking it since he didn’t move when we shined the flashlight on him or walked over to him. Let me rephrase that, Mike walked over to him. I assumed position in the bathroom.

It came to and started crawling in the opposite direction of our front door so Mike decided to let it out the back. It creeped down the short hallway, into the middle of the kitchen, where Mike left it for all of three seconds to shut the front door before another decided to visit. When he returned, it was gone and he couldn’t find it. Knowing Mike’s not the best at finding things because he’s a guy (I’m sorry but I don’t even blame you guys, I don’t think you can help it), I bravely joined the search.

This thing is seriously good at hide and seek. We spent ten minutes checking every crevice of our kitchen. Apparently it found home base. And we have no idea where that might be.

Day 82: Remembering the highs...

Lots of highs amid the annoyances of the lows:

Parrita’s beach, moving to Dominical, ziplining in Monteverde, reuniting with TV and a washing machine, La Fortuna’s hot springs all to ourselves, Matt’s visit, iguanas outside of our house, pastel sunsets, the first ten minute walk to town after a month of two hour walks, every sunny day, no more than 15 people on the beach at one time, a peek at Volcano Arenal, paved roads, scenic landscapes, fried plantains, mountains and valleys, free samples on our coffee tour, beach monkeys searching backpacks, street signs pointed in the right direction, the view of Tamarindo from our upgraded suite, gallo pinto, our regular spots: Café Milagro, Maracatu, Café Delicias, a new favorite: Dominical Sushi, lounging on hammocks, our first rental car, every book I finished reading (well most of them), every page I finished writing, and every day we had to ourselves to do whatever we wanted.



And Mike’s beard (guess who added that one).

Day 81: Forgetting the lows...

We'll start with the lows and leave with the highs. Here's what came to mind:

Bugs, bats, bullfrogs (although they brought a bit of entertainment), crabs of all sizes, earthquakes, rainy days, two hour walks to town, broken bicycles, bruised butts, gallons of sweat, iguanas in our ceiling, getting caught in torrential downpours, losing Matt for five hours, unpaved roads, amputating the gecko’s tail, power outages, the flood, landslides, crowded buses, the Jimny Cricket rental car, hand washing clothes, sliding on mud, getting lost on 95% of our road trips, knowing every day we’re a little bit closer to wind chills and freezing temps.



And Mike’s beard :)

Day 80: He's Batman.

Matt’s departure made room for another houseguest. I invited Bat #2 in by leaving our bedroom balcony door wide open (we get a good breeze and no one believes in the power of door screens here). We heard rustling but since we live in the jungle amid lots of leaves and animals, rustling is normal, even when we heard it the second time. But when the third time was accompanied by a flying shadow, I ran to the bathroom and shut the door.


Mike wasn’t happy about having to shoosh another bat out of the house but they don’t put up much of a fight. He landed at the doorway and sat there until Mike nudged him a few times with the broom.  He walked on his own out the door. And then I opened the bathroom door.

Even though Mike feels like an old pro, I can assure you that neither of us will miss the bats.

Day 79: It's the final countdown...

10 days to go.

Day 78: An unfair travel comparison

Each day we get closer to coming home, we think of something else we’re looking forward to (aside from family and friends and our Marley). Today, Mike mentioned how glad he’ll be to no longer have lint on all his clothes. It’s the little things.



He also admitted, surprisingly, that he was more disappointed about leaving Japan than Costa Rica. I agreed even though I was blinded by my excitement to come home after eight months on the other side of the world. We felt a little unfinished with the country and have seriously thought about another visit.

Instead we opted for its complete opposite. We went from Japan’s advanced technology to Costa Rica’s lack of electricity. From roads so clean I’d eat off them, to some tables I refuse to put my plate on. Transportation in Japan was like walking out the school doors and seeing your mom waiting for you, on time and ready to go. Here, it’s like waiting around for your stoner brother for a half hour before you give up and start walking. Most importantly, in Japan, I would walk to and from train stations, work and home, even in the dark, and never had a hint of worry about my safety or my bags or my keys or any of my belongings. Everything was well lit and well traveled and well…mannered. In Costa Rica, The Lonely Planet guide offers this routine warning for each of the towns we travel through: Take your sh*t with you or it’ll be gone when you get back. Locals have tried to soften the thievery by saying it’s just a misunderstanding. If you leave it behind, it must mean you don’t want it. They’re just helping you get rid of it. Riiiiight.

It’s not fair to compare the countries though because they’re so drastically different and aren't meant to be the same. I’m sure Costa Rica has no interest in surrounding its beautiful beaches with concrete jungles. And the laid back surfer life just doesn’t coincide with the fast-paced work-hungry Japanese. In the end, both countries treated us well. Both gave us our share of tough times. And both have left us with experiences we’ll remember forever.


But man did Japan have good food. We’ve actually contemplated enduring that 18 hour flight just to eat there again someday…

Day 77: A noisy vacation from our vacation

We don’t know why, seeing as we’re well into the dry season, but it’s been raining since we’ve gotten home. So we’ve done a whole lot of just laying around which is actually nice after being consistently moving for the past week. We finally have an opportunity to have a vacation from our vacation.


Good thing we got the majority of our rest during the day. Little did we know, the Villas Rio Mar had a karaoke night planned to begin at 8:30pm. By 9pm, with all the windows closed, we gave up trying to hear the TV. It was so loud, we were convinced a neighbor was hosting the party but after hearing the DJ and the cheers, we knew it was from the resort bar which is only a two minute walk from our house. It sounded as if the tone deaf singers were caroling in our driveway. I can’t sing at all. But I can honestly say, I’d be one of the best singers amid tonight’s poor display of vocal talent. It was bad. And extremely loud. If they couldn’t hit the notes, they’d just sing louder. The louder they sang, the louder the crowd cheered ‘em on.

We laid in bed sharing the iPod, a bud in each ear with the volume cranked, but it couldn't compete. I don’t know how but we managed to fall asleep anyways. I vaguely remember waking up about an hour later and it was still going on but my subconscious wouldn’t allow me to fully awake and expose my ears to any more. I have no clue when they finished…I’m just glad they did. And I pray this isn’t a nightly event.

Day 76: Home sweet home (away from home)

It was nice waking up in the bed we’ve gotten used to surrounded by the noises that we’ve grown accustomed to. It was nice not having to search for the next restaurant for our food, which often ended up being overpriced and under portioned.


I haven't even checked the weather for CT. I don't have to. I’ve seen your Facebook statuses. It's cold. It's chilly. It requires a big beard. I've been dreaming of breathing some crisp cool air again, but now I'm starting to rethink that. It's been about eight months since I've felt cold air.  I'm pretty sure my memory is purposefully blocking out the shivers, chatters, and uncomfortableness of below freezing temps. I'm even more concerned seeing as we've bypassed fall. No prep here for the winter. We're trading in the muggy 80's for the frigid 20's. Can't wait.

We said goodbye to the Cricket today which may end up being the last rental car we use. We’re thinking of having a car service bring us to the airport so we won't get lost for a third time on the same roads.  They can drop us off and we won’t have to worry about dropping off our vehicle before heading through customs and boarding our plane. With so many things that could go wrong, I just prefer not take the chance. I’m confident that if any delays occur, a Tico driver will get us by with either his knowledge of the terrain or sheer insanity.

Until then, we have no plans for our final two weeks other than to deepen our tans and do as much of nothing as possible before our intermission concludes and life resumes.