Why We Decided to Move to a Gated Community

Well, we have moved again!

This was our third move since we moved to Costa Rica in August. That means I have packed and unpacked the same suitcases 6 times now! However, this time I was SHOCKED at how much we have accumulated in our first 2 months in county; brooms, cleaning supplies, pots and pans and pool noodles to name a few.

When we first arrived in Costa Rica, we had an Airbnb lined up for 3 weeks. It was a cute 2 bedroom container house in the middle of the jungle on the back road to Tamarindo.

We woke up to howler monkeys, spent many rainy days in the gorgeous pool, and although I've always wanted to live in a tiny house we learned quickly that we needed a bit more room for our family of 5!

I remember telling people before we left that I couldn't make a decision from afar on where we would live for the year. I also remember saying, I really don't want to live in one of those gated communities filled with expats. Fast forward two months and we have just moved into a gated community filled with expats. But let me explain why.

After 3 weeks in our container house, we moved to a super cute and almost brand new casita (small house) that was one of 4 casitas next to a large house. We got the same perks as the big house; a beautiful swimming pool, pool side rancho with a washer and dryer, brick pizza oven and a yard full of fruit trees. It felt like our own little slice of Costa Rica. But sadly, with it being rainy season, we found ourselves indoors a lot with boys who wanted to go outside and play. And even when it wasn't raining, Joel and I never felt comfortable just letting them roam our front yard since there were spiders the size of my hand, scorpions, iguanas and lots and lots of fire ants.

Joel's morning walks around the property with Sonny in the morning often resulted in bug bites all over his body. So we found ourselves inside or swimming at the pool. Everything was magical in that pool, I miss it already.

Through melt downs and defiant behavior, we soon realized that our boys missed their lives in Madison. They had moved from a very tight knit community, with Grandparents living next door, a park and a lake in their backyard filled with neighbor friends they could play with. Here it was a lot of family time, a lot of indoor time, and a lot of "no you can't do that," or "that's dangerous."

We were unsure of why we were feeling unhappy or unsettled in our sweet little casita until my father arrived in late September, and we realized just how much the boys missed family. How much we missed our community back home. How alone and isolated we had been. Joel and the boys have school, but outside of school there is very little interaction since Justice and Caspian's school friends live anywhere within an hour radius of school making playdates a bit tricky.

So with the help of Dad babysitting the kids, Joel and I decided to look at a few condos within larger gated communities. The first place we visited was La Meridiana. I had driven past this place, and even seen adds about it when I started my search back in Madison. I always thought, that is exactly the type of place I DON'T want to live, but we decided to check it out anyway!

The first thing we noticed were scooters and kid's bikes parked at almost every door. Then we saw the swimming pool with squirt guns floating, a Tanka truck ready to bring the next load of toys to the pool, and then finally we saw the shaded playground with 2 swing sets,

2 trampolines, a basketball hoop (for our Micheal Jordan obsessed child) and a soccer goal. It didn't matter what the inside of the condo looked like, I was already sold. But it helped to find that the condo had a FULL size fridge, nice kitchen, a bathtub and our own washer & dryer in unit. We were now completely sold! It cost more. It felt less private and jungle-y, but it was a community, a community full of kids, apparently.

One of the things that Joel and I have noticed since moving to Costa Rica is the lack of community. I am sure it is in part due to the fact we are in a very transient touristy area of Costa Rica. Many people come and go. Those who have stayed and made it their home, are not immediately ready to reach out to help someone else do the same. So finding a community was as much for Joel and me as it was for the boys.

So we signed the papers and we began to pack up our casita. Over 3 days we moved our things to the new house. The final day Joel took off of school to help as we had some issues we needed the management to deal with - clogged pipes, mold on the beds, a broken dryer hose. We were not sure how the boys would react to another change, but they loved it!! One of the first things Caspian said, as he was jumping on the trampoline, was " I hear kids!" Which made me so happy, and realize that we made the right decision.

A few days later was Halloween. Our community ( which we later learned is made up of families from Canada, France, Ukraine, Israel, America, and Costa Rica) planned a small trick-or-treating evening followed by everyone ordering pizza and eating it by lamplight next to the playground.

It was such a fun way to meet everyone, and be welcomed into the community. I was added to a WhatsApp listserv of all the moms. The thread consists of everything from "does anyone have duck tape?" to "has anyone seen my child?"

Less than a week after moving into our house, we were awoken in the middle of the night to someone yelling for help. Joel and I rushed outside. Our upstairs neighbor was already out with his machete (yes, everyone has a machete here!) and informed us that one of our neighbors was in labor. She was all alone, as her midwife wasn't there yet, and so I ran into her house to see how I could help. My plan was to help her manage her contractions until her midwife came, or the ambulance came to take her to the hospital. She had planned for a home birth, and had a birth tub set up. Her friend came soon, and the two of us helped deliver her baby. With the little boy safely out and on his mama's chest, I remember introducing myself saying, "Oh, by the way, I am Summer your new neighbor." 15 mins later her midwife arrived, delayed by all the rain and bad roads.

And just like that we found ourselves in a gated community in Costa Rica, where we have Halloween parties, share duck tape, and are there for each other even in the middle of the night! I am gratefully we found this place. No, it isn't perfect. Yes, we found a scorpion in the bathroom the first day we moved in. There are many myths about scorpions, but someone here in Costa Rica mentioned that scorpions are a good sign, a sign of transition. Well, we sure have had a lot of transitions these past 2 months with a scorpion at each of the houses we've been at. So I'm going to take it as a good sign, and hope that the days of transition are coming to an end.

Pura Vida!