About two months ago when I was Skyping with Mom, I asked her if she was going to come visit me here in San Pedro. Her immediate response was, "Kate, you know me, I don't want to rough it." To be honest, I was kind of shocked that she said that because -- and let's be completely clear here -- I don't "rough" it! I live in a normal house (although it's made completely of concrete but let's ignore that fact) with all the normal things. I have running water, electricity, a real shower (not a bucket - where do people get this idea?!), cable television, internet, all of the normal things that US people have!
This encounter made me ponder deeply about the myths that people who have never traveled to a Central American country think about the lifestyle here (traveling to a resort in Costa Rica or Mexico doesn't count, people!). And it made me want to attempt to debunk those comments and suggestions that people assume about the way I live. I may not live in a huge house with 1000 objects, big rooms and a yard, but I live comfortably and within reason.
Trust me, I've had to adapt to living in this city -- in this country -- for the past four months. And the adaptation is continuing because sometimes things happen that just bug me to no end but it's all about dealing with the culture and learning to understand that people live differently but in the end, we are all the same.
And living here is beginning to help me discover what I can do and how much I can push myself.
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