This chica who always has lots to say has been having problems coming up with the words to express what I feel about this book. This will be my third published book. When the first word was written down, it was never meant to be seen by others. What does a writer do as her world spins out of control? I can’t speak for others, but for this chica, she writes, and she writes some more. 

The words that were being put in my diary were just that. Things that were on my mind, my personal thoughts. You know, the ones that you write down and put a lock on when you’re done. Then you hide the small book away from others. Well, that was exactly what this was.

It only took a minute as Costa Rica closed its land, sea, and air borders. 28 days, that was all it was going to be! As the world went into lockdown, just like everyone, I found myself facing changes to my everyday life. One thing is for sure, I did not see what was coming next.

The writings were pounded out on the keyboard after meetings, hard days, or just a good Pura Vida day. These words were still never meant to be seen by others. They were just part of my mental health and a log of what was going on in world history.

My husband and daughter watched as my days and nights became consumed with researching laws and our rights. While reading every medical journal and study I could get my hands on. All of this was in hopes to keep us safe during these uncertain times.

I researched and educated myself on what was happening around the world. Afternoons were spent in zoom meetings with attorneys, doctors, research scientists, biostatisticians, travel experts, and can’t forget the government officials.

My husband told me I was crazy when I started to think about publishing my personal entries, but that did not stop me from writing. It did however discourage me. Making me question publishing, and I even put the manuscript aside for months after it was completed.

It had been over 19 months since I had set foot on home soil because of lockdown in Costa Rica. I hold fewer possessions than I did when we moved outside of the U.S., and that was only a couple of suitcases. However, in my backpack was a broken computer holding the diary.

Aware that lockdown in Costa Rica was way different than what my friends and family had experienced, it was interesting to see people’s responses as I told parts of our journey.

Now here is the twist. Maybe it was just because the sales lady at Victoria's Secret was so intrigued, she offered to buy me a cup of coffee if I would tell her the rest of the story. Or maybe it was because lockdown in Costa Rica was just so different. This had even become more apparent after my return to the U.S. I don’t know exactly what it was, but at that very moment, I decided 110% I was going to publish my writings. Walking out of the store, I went down the street and bought a new computer so I could finish this book.

One thing is for sure, I stepped way out of my comfort zone when I unlocked this one. With the pandemic and travel being hot topics, a side of government control, and social media censorship, these words were never meant to see the light of day. But what can I say, this travel author will never look at international travel the same after experiencing, “228 Days Trapped in Paradise”.