My ideal start of the day? A walk to the pool and swimming for half an hour.

This week, I got the question: Rob, by now you probably own a house Costa Rica?

The answer is no – I live in The Netherlands, but the past year and a half it certainly feels a bit like I’m living there.

I’ve travelled to Costa Rica 8 times – that’s about 144000 km of flying – and spend about 77 days there.

Working for Real World School, has made me feel like part of the fascinating Ecovilla community – a unique place where people from all over the world, come together and live.

It’s a place I genuinely enjoy being.

In Costa Rica the sun comes up between 5:00 and 5:30 am and it sets between  5:00 and 5.30 pm – all year around. When I’m there, I live by the rhythm of the sun.

I wake up at sunrise, immediately put on my swimming shorts, and take a three-minute walk to the pool. There, I swim laps for about 30 minutes.

Imagine this: swimming as the sun rises, hearing the jungle around you come alive with the sounds of animals waking up. It’s an incredible way to start the day.

After my swim, I take an outdoor shower, work for about half an hour, have breakfast, and by 7:30 AM, I’m at the school—fully energized and ready for the day ahead.

Now that I’m back in The Netherlands, what’s my morning routine here?

The alarm goes off. I stick one toe out of bed... and immediately wish mornings could feel a bit more like Costa Rica.