bigsombrero

One year ago today I moved to Central America. How 'bout that? A year ago, I sold everything I owned up in the States and came down here, alone, with a big a$s suitcase full of clothes and 2 years of sobriety under my belt.

I remember staying in a hotel the first few days, I knew the area from previous travels and I had some general ideas of what I was looking for in a place...but I was still a bit of a wreck. I'd put a lot on the line and I was finally jumping into the real...

Well, I turned 40 last week. I remember when I turned 30 I got real scared...I thought to myself "well, the party's over". After a few weeks, I was relieved to know that it didn't have to be. I drank like crazy, somehow thinking that if I surrounded myself with other drinkers my age that I could turn back the clock. Fast forward to age 32 and I was falling off barstools. Fast forward to age 33 and I was denied alcohol on airplanes. Fast forward to age 34 and I was getting kicked...

Today marks my 6th month anniversary of moving to Central America. Sometimes it feels like I've been here forever...and sometimes I feel fresh off the boat.

The daily challenges are everywhere. I enjoy them for the most part, and instead of getting frustrated or bored, I try to view every interaction as a learning experience. The language element is by far the most difficult. Even though I was fairly "fluent" in Spanish before moving down here, life is a lot different...

"Who is the President of the United States!!??"

The man was yelling at me. I was laying on my back, strapped into a gurney and unable to move. His face wasn't angry, and he was wearing a uniform of some kind. We were moving, too, I could see tubes and wires swaying behind the man's head.

"WHO IS THE PRESIDENT!!?" He yelled again.

I couldn't think. Who was this guy? Where was I? And last but not least, why on earth did he...

I give all sorts of insight on here based on my experience, but I never really tell it from start to finish. I think this will help me to put this all down, because it's hard to tell someone all this at once even when meeting with fellow alcoholics.

I didn't drink in high school, when most kids started. I was the captain of the basketball team, played baseball and soccer too, and also the rugby team which won the state championship. I was a good athlete, good enough to visit a...