¡Pura Vida!

When I first got my placement email saying I would be going to Costa Rica, I was disappointed.  I had really wanted Australia as it was English speaking and one of the 4 continents I had not yet traveled to.  After thinking about it, I realized I was glad I was placed in a Spanish speaking country.  Even though I would not technically be leaving the continent, I was going somewhere much different from home and I would improve my Spanish skills.  Plus, I figured it would be easier to travel down under on my own, since Australia is English speaking.  I have since learned that everything definitely does happen for a reason. I am SO THANKFUL I ended up here instead; I wouldn’t trade these past two months for anything.

Going home is very bittersweet.  Costa Rica has definitely become “home” to me over the past two months and the friends I have made have become more than family.

Though I spent $3,920.88 (yeah, I’m that dork who kept track) on this Costa Rican adventure, the memories I am leaving with are absolutely priceless.  I got to go zip lining for the first time, and see a red eyed tree frog in the rainforest.  I waded in hot springs in the beautiful Baldi Resort and saw both two- and three-toed sloths.  I met wonderful children who have forever touched my life, and vastly improved my Spanish skills.  I explored a new culture and lifestyle different from my own. But best of all, I got to do this all with a new and wonderful group of friends.

I could not have asked for a better group of people to spend these last two months with.  Everyone was always there for each other- whether it be problems at home, issues with school, or simply making sure everyone was staying safe and healthy.  When I first arrived in Costa Rica I was very apprehensive, but from the moment I met them I felt relaxed and ready for the adventures to start.  From the very beginning, they included me and I am forever grateful for that.  They quickly became some of my best friends.  We’ve shared everything from laughs and tears to drinks and inside jokes.  Despite all of our adventures, some of the best times have been simple things like sitting around the hostel playing HA!, or  going to a movie every Wednesday night.  Since David was the only male of the group, we always joked that we were his sister wives.  It was even funnier because one time when we went out for dinner, the waiter asked if we were Mormon.  It was hard saying goodbye to Darcy, David, Brit, and Sierra this morning, and I am not looking forward to saying goodbye to Becca and Sophie tomorrow.

I already know things are going to seem weird when I get back, I only wonder what other things will be strange to me that I haven’t thought of yet.  For example, it will be weird to be able to text and use Facebook whenever I want, even if there is no wifi.  It will be weird not to have to take a bus everywhere, to be able to drive wherever I want whenever I want, and to wear a seatbelt again.  It will be weird to have more than seven outfits and three pairs of shoes to choose from when I get dressed in the morning.  It will be weird to understand all the words I hear spoken and all the writing I read.  It will be weird to throw toilet paper in the toilet instead of the garbage, and to not have the front door wide open all day long.  But most of all, it will be weird not to have some of my closest friends by my side when I wake up in the morning.  I have spent the last two months with these six, everyone always looking out for each other, exploring new places, and having new adventures together.  My world without them in my everyday life just won’t be the same.

This has definitely been an adventure of a life time.  No matter how much I write, there are not words to explain what I am feeling right now.  It’s been real, it’s been fun, it’s been real fun…here’s to my next adventure!

You can find all travel posts from Hey Dreamer Blog here.