Serenity Gardens Eco Village.  An environmentally friendly old folks home?  A chemical free cemetery?  A fictional community in an old Seinfeld episode? (“Serenity Now!”)  All good guesses, but none correct.

SGEV is a remarkable debt free community in the southern Pacific region of Costa Rica, far away from the hustle, bustle and unmitigated lies of the U.S.  (What lies?  Great time for a Kool-Aid break!)

It is a place where folks can enjoy the stunning beauty of this corner of the world while growing healthy, nourishing food for the table.

Not interested in tending a garden?  SGEV is a place where arranging for home delivery of fresh fruits, veggies and healthy meals is as easy as pie.

It is a place where residents don’t need to discuss the many problems with “modern food”, because we all get it.

SGEV is a community where the air is clean, the water is pure, and the jungle sounds are perpetual.

It is a place where Ticos (Costa Ricans) and gringos work together to make this a great place to live, whether repairing the road, improving the school, or simply going to each other’s fiestas.

It is a place where the community roads are quite literally lined with fruit trees, herbs and medicinal plants.

It is where the local school is a short, beautiful walk down the road.

At SGEV, you can enjoy beautiful rivers and waterfalls that by all rights should require an admission ticket, but don’t.

It is a place where the days year round are warm (~80°F) and the nights comfortably cool (~64°F), making heating and cooling systems unnecessary.

Where safety is a way of life, and everyone on the mountain watches out for everyone else.

It is a place where awesome deep sea fishing trips are just an hour’s drive away.

It is a place where when it rains during the rainy season, it really rains!  (Let’s just say we thought we’d seen rain before moving here.)

It is a place where everyone at local parties is expected to dance.  Trinidad Ticos love to dance!

It is where beautiful, uncrowded beaches are just 45 minutes down the mountain.

SGEV is a place where people take care of others in need, whether gringo or Tico.

It is a place where internet speeds beat what we had in the states, routinely testing out at over 2 Mbps.

It is a place where a very strong, local credit union offers 10% interest on a 1 year CD in colones.  (And the banker apologized for the historically low rate.)

It is a place where you can be a Christian, with no apology.

And that’s a snapshot of what Serenity Gardens Eco Village is to our family.  Simply put…it is our home.