So, I got back to the states about 9 days ago, and I've been having a heck of a time getting everything back together. I'm settling into Raleigh, applying to jobs, accomplishing personal goals, joining meetups, compromising with Becca on living situations (ah, the joys of co-existence) and it's only now starting to wind down a bit. All my stuff is still packed away in a temperature-controlled storage unit nearby, but I've got my trusty laptop and my mobile hard drive, both of which I used exclusively in Costa Rica, so I'll be fine until we can arrange for a more permanent living situation.
Costa Rica was fun, but boy am I glad to be back. It could just be nationalism, but it seemed to me that almost everything is better in the states (save the weather). The food is healthier and cheaper, transport is easier and more efficient, consumer goods are of a higher quality and more plentiful, the internet generally works, roads are passable, and the electric stays on most of the time. The impact of language had surprisingly little effect on my day to day happiness. Weather I was hacking together Spanglish sentences or talking in English, a dearth of paper towels appears to frustrate me equally whether I'm in North Carolina or Central America.
I got to surf about 6 times while in Costa Rica, and I got to ride a few small waves standing up, which makes me pretty proud. I saw the rain forests, went zip lining, had a bunch of tasty (and not-so-tasty) food, soaked up the sun (literally, I have a dark tan now), did some hiking (the US has better parks as well), visited with my family and Becca, and now I'm back and trying to create a daily routine which makes me happy. It's surprisingly difficult to build a lifestyle from scratch, but I'm making ridiculously good progress, so here's hoping I'll have reached a sustainable level of social interaction and work in the not-too-distant future.
