An expat mother of two from Maryland became a blogging sensation in 2013 thanks to her honest ad incisive observations of life in Costa Rica. Emily Shea is the author… Read more » Continue reading →
An expat mother of two from Maryland became a blogging sensation in 2013 thanks to her honest ad incisive observations of life in Costa Rica. Emily Shea is the author behind the popular Travel Mother blog, which features sharp writing about her travels to Nicaragua, Norway and Costa Rica. Her post The Dark Side of Paradise: Nine Reasons Why You Don’t Want to Live in Costa Rica was shared more than ten thousand times in just a few days. Here’s why:
Emily Shea’s blog features a perspective that has become rare among the expat community in Costa Rica. She actually approaches her travel experiences with an open mind and applies honesty to her writing instead of following the current trend among expat blogs in Costa Rica, which mostly consists of injecting sardonic vituperation.
Complaining seems to be the driving force of expat blogs and news publications in Costa Rica, and it is getting old. We are talking about tired complaints such as:
- How can a pack of Ramen instant noodles cost $0.40 at Auto Mercado when you can get six for a dollar at Publix or Safeway?
- Why are those loud geckos multiplying out of control and defecating all over Costa Rica?
- Why are tourist hotspots such as Jaco Beach and Puerto Viejo drowning in crime and garbage (but somehow tourists still flock there month after month)?
- Why is Costa Rica still a Third World country (but NASA is trusting an aerospace firm from Guanacaste with a space propulsion system)?
- Why doesn’t McDonald’s in Costa Rica offer $1 Big Macs like they do in Fargo, Cleveland, Atlanta, Louisville, Boise, Camden, etc.?
- Why do tourists get taxed more at restaurants in Costa Rica? (they don’t)
If the topics above seem interesting to you, then you may not like Emily Shea’s blog. Her complaints about Costa Rica and ensuing rationale are of a different ilk. For example:
- It rains for at least half of the year: Do you know how difficult it is to fall asleep to the sound of rain? And, how completely green this place gets with all this water? The vibrant color can hurt your eyes.
- The people talk to you and take your babies: They go out of their way to greet you, kiss you, flash smilesits ridiculous. Sometimes you just dont want to be noticed. They even offer to hold your baby while you try on clothes or eat your breakfast, and thats just weird.
One quick read of Emily’s bio can explain why she is a rare breed of expat in Costa Rica:
I’m on a quest with my family–a quest to travel the world. We’ve shed our former lives in the US to embark on a journey of adventure and discovery, unchained by a specific schedule. I have been known to be impatient, irrational, and slap-happy when it comes to future desires. To which I say, “Some things just cannot wait!” This path is leading us to see sights unimaginable, meet like-minded adventurers, and to learn that having these dreams is something to cherish and fight for. The wonders of this mysterious and diverse world are out there, and we cannot wait to unveil them.
You can read more of Emily’s insight here in the Costa Rica Star:
Lesson from the Ticos: How to Raise Polite, Hard-Working, Independent Children