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I've been living in Central America only 2 1/2 years, straight out of college. I found a cynical understanding in your article, and my pessimistic side agrees to most everything, even being a 24 year old female who has not yet staked out my fortune. "Living" here is different from passing through, obviously, and I have already found that my current self has to bite her tongue when hearing the idealistic free love speeches from passing backpackers. The only stage I would add to that is the retrospective one, in which I get upset with myself for putting up barriers for physical protection, which are difficult to separate from social barriers. I want to fit in with the ticos, I want the freedom to meet up with friends after dark, etc. Then even my Tico friends say I'm crazy, and 'do you know how dangerous that is'. I think Ticos deal with the insecurity in the same way, only they have their families to fall back on. You will note that most social groups have familial ties running through them. It's like after puberty, you can't trust your neighbors. Every gringo is an island, where as tico islands are composed of family or gang members. There has to be a way around this!? Life in paradise can't have such a high cost!