1. Life goes at a different pace here – slower, calmer. Here, I very rarely feel rushed or stressed or pressed for time. It’s the pura vida mindset that Ticos use to infiltrate their lives and their way of being; it’s that everything-is-okay, no-worries sort of mindset that has really become part of me.

2. Here, we are not responsible for our actions – God is. Everything here is “Si Dios quiere” (If  God Wills.) It’s funny how the answer to everything is, Si Dios quiere to phrases such as: “See you tomorrow”; “Let’s have a meeting next Monday at 4 p.m.”; “I’m flying to Panama tomorrow.”  Si Dios quiere is always the right answer.

3. Hot water is a commodity, so you really grow to appreciate it.

4. I have over a hundred avocados ripening on three trees 50 feet from my back door.

5. The typical greeting when passing in the street is not, hola, but adios, which literally means “to God.”

6. How I can walk down the street and say hi to someone sitting out front of their house, and before I know it I will be inside drinking cafecito and eating bizcocho – mere strangers five minutes earlier.

7. I am getting more physical and mental rest here than ever before, not to mention, probably adding 10 years on to my life.

8. Horseback riding is a common form of transportation.  No one looks twice at the man and his horse trotting down the highway.

9. I love how coffee here brings you to stop and slow down, not grab and go. I love how afternoon cafecito is a time come together and converse. I love how most places don’t have “to-go” cups. I love how coffees are small here. I love how the coffee culture here, where it is grown and cultivated and valued, is the exact opposite of what it is in the United States.

10. I love how here you can spend an entire day on the sofa reading, while the rain tap, tap, taps on the tin roof, for six months, and not feel guilty. I love that.

Thank you, Costa Rica, for being you.

Rebecca Stumpf is currently a Peace Corps volunteer in Copey de Dota, Costa Rica. To read more about her experiences and see more of her photography, check out her website and photography blog. For some delicious recipes, check out her food blog.

So maybe they don't all dress like this, but it seems they can all move just like her.

One of the biggest challenges of living in Latin America: dancing like a local. Even the most awkward adolescent boys can shimmy their hips in a way that feels physically impossible to me. Over time I’ve gradually resigned myself to the fact that I will never be able to dance like them. It would be a full time job (with no sleeping allowed given the average bar’s hours) to learn to dance that well. As it stands now, I know the basic steps, but when the music gets going I generally step on a few toes.

Remarkably, despite my inadequacies/weaknesses on the dance floor, it is still amazingly easy to have a blast. Dancing just seems to be more ingrained in the culture here. Everyone assumes that you love it and the group appreciation goes a long way towards letting everyone, even the less talented, have a great time. It is definitely worth taking the risk, learning a few new steps, and crossing your fingers you can find someone else to lead.

Meg Gray is currently a Kiva Fellow in San Jose, Costa Rica where she goes dancing every chance she gets. Follow her travels or La Vida Idealist on Twitter