The fruit is always sweeter....

I clearly suffer from the deadly sin of envy. I'm working on it. When I lived in the States, even bountiful California, I would look with longing at the imported pineapples, mangoes, and papayas and walk dutifully away because they were expensive and not within the parameters of an ecologically responsible "Hundred Mile Diet." Now, I gorge myself on these sweet tropical delights and am deliriously happy to do us. Until I wonder through the produce aisle of the Supercompro and notice the small mound of peaches, grapes, and plums. Imported, of course, from California. And then I want those. And cherries. And clementines. The clementines are from Peru, is that okay? I know it's not. Sigh.

In a similar vein, many of the ex-pats of Monteverde are drawn to this little mountain jungle because of an urge to escape consumerism; to focus less on material objects and feel closer to the land. And we are indeed closer to the land- I showered with two worms and a moth yesterday, which is pretty par for the course. And there is less of an emphasis on material goods, mainly because they are harder to get up here on the mountain. In reality, everything that you really need, you can find here. This is not hard living or deprived living by any means. But, there is less choice. No big box stores. No strip malls.

However, I have heard the life-long Monteverde residents yearn for the bloated choice of the States with the same intensity that us ex-pats yearn for a life of cage-free eggs and local milk. Our incredibly sweet and generous landlord is a very skilled builder who built their beautiful house, as well as ours, and he confessed to us that the one thing he covets from the States is Home Depot. And, I was eves-dropping on two high school students- one who had just returned from a year in the States and one who was heading there for a year- the one about to leave said that he couldn't wait to go to Wal-Mart, "I heard it's huge, with everything you could ever want!" and the other one impressed the need to go to Starbucks, "It's wonderful- they're everywhere, and you order a carmel machiato." Of course, these desires for the trappings of a life that we are not used to could be as simple as "the grass is always greener," or the human drive to experience and taste new experiences. But, I do think it's interesting to realize that maybe there is no perfect place with perfect solutions to living; maybe the goal is to appreciate the bonuses of where you are at any given moment. Maybe.