It all began on a mountaintop in Nepal…

But let’s not go back that far just yet…

We’ll start with a walk in California. Carrie and Jeremy were living what many would describe as the “normal” life. Two children, father working his day job, mother taking care of the kids. However, something deep was missing. After ten years of living in the USA, climbing the corporate ladder, and trying their best to fit into society’s “ways”, they were searching for something more. So they went for a walk on Alameda beach overlooking the San Francisco skyline and decided it was time to hit the road again. They were travelers at heart, having traveled and lived around the world for years before starting careers, buying houses and raising kids. On that walk, they decided to pack in ten years of working towards an ill-advised dream, and jumped on a plane to Indonesia. It happened to coincide with an erupting volcano, so the adventure was just beginning!

They spent six months in Indonesia, and since they had traveled through many countries beforehand, they thought they had it figured out. However, this time they had children in tow: a 5-year old and a 2 -year old. Something had to give. They realized very quickly the kids needed other kids to play with. They realized they needed a school. However, Indonesia was not the right fit.

Enter Costa Rica. They initially began with Carrie working at a local school. But when the the COVID pandemic hit, they decided it was time to build their own space to allow their children to reach their full potential. If it worked, they could invite other children as well. So they did. In 2020, Nosara Playhouse was born.

Travel as Inspiration

All of the energy and creativity put into the Playhouse is inspired by Carrie and Jeremy’s previous travels around the globe. They met in Japan where they lived for two years teaching English to Japanese high school students. Carrie also traveled on her Gap Year through India, Egypt and Israel while Jeremy traveled by bicycle from the USA to Panama, passing through most of Central America on two wheels. They also traveled together on a two-year honeymoon: bicycling through China, learning yoga on the beaches of Thailand, hiking in the Himalayas of Nepal and working a ski season in France.

They believe that taking yourself outside your comfort zone and experiencing life directly is the most direct path to learning. Once you experience different cultures and how people manage their lives, you can see more clearly how unique your own life is, and how it is only one small piece of a larger puzzle. This is the understanding they hope to pass on to their children, and to the children of Nosara Playhouse.