Moving abroad can be truly scary, but the life-changing
experience of living outside your comfort zone is completely worth it. Erin Van
Rheenen, author of Living Abroad in Costa Rica, made the move, and she
wrote the book to tackle those tricky questions that start storming your brain
when you’re thinking of moving to a different country. Hip Chick Zine asked her
a few questions about her experiences.
Hip Chick Zine: What are your favorite things about Costa
Rica?
Erin Van Rheenen: I like how even the air here feels green,
and how the place pushes me past my usual limitations: by making me drive
through rivers, for instance, or talk my way out of a speeding ticket in
another language, or how it makes me rethink my stereotypes of so-called
developing countries. Consider this: In 2006, women held nearly 40% of the
seats in Costa Rica’s national assembly, while only 15% of U.S. Congress
members were women. It’s odd that a so-called machista society has so much more female participation in politics
than a country boasting equal opportunity for all. It’s these kinds of
discoveries that get you thinking about the flawed assumptions you’ve been
living by. Living outside of my own country has made me a little less stupid
about the world.
HCZ: What advice do you have for a woman who wants to move
to Costa Rica? (Besides to read the book, which is good advice.)
Van Rheenen: Get on a plane and go. Stay for as long as your
life will allow. See if you like the feel of the place. If you do, make the
move happen; you know how, even if you don’t know yet that you know. Trust your
instincts.
HCZ: What’s your favorite travel destination outside of
Costa Rica?
Van Rheenen: The Yosemite back country, the Lost Coast in
northern California, New York City, remote mountain towns in Mexico, and
anywhere I haven’t been yet (right now, I want to trek in Northern India and
Nepal).
Read more HERE.
Read more HERE.
