THE END :)

Time flies!  I finished up my last week of work, packed up my room and said goodbye to my Tica family.  I feel like I just moved in and had my very first night with my new family.  As a farewell dinner my Tica mother told me that she wanted to cook me a special Costa Rican dish that was part of the culture.  I had carne, salad, rice and cooked vegetables but there was also a side dish that she really wanted me to try.  I looked at this bowl of garbanzo beans and this round circle of what I thought could be meat and decided to be adventurous!  How bad could it be?  I told her not to tell me what it really was until I had finished trying it.  I HATED it, it was too chewy and gross.  I told her thank you very much but I do not like this at all and proceded to ask what it was.  She responded, “pigs foot”.  At that point I wanted to immediately throw up but I pulled myself together and told her that was so terrible!  She agreed and said what was worse is that people make a “hummingbird soup”.  Lets just say, at least I gave the pigs feet a chance and I am so glad that I wasn’t forced into trying hummingbird soup or else I would have been so sad.   I walked around the house for one last time and said goodbye to my Tica family.  I told them that “mi casa es su casa” and if they are ever in California that they are more than welcome to stay with me and my family.  

Appreciating the Simple Life 

There are many different interpretations of reality depending on where you are in the world.  In the United States our reality is fast-paced, technology dependent and always focused on the present and even more, the future.  In a typical day of a Costa Rican you are loving your job; a typical job that most Americans would hate waking up to do every day.  Trust me, there were days where I sat there and repeated “I love excel, I love excel, I love excel!” with a fake smile on my face because my brain was beginning to hurt from inputting numbers and doing tedious math problems.  But at the same time I also realized that I am lucky to have a job and better yet, have a job in a foreign country.  When leaving the house Costa Ricans make sure they have their umbrella, keys and spare change for bus fares.  If they forget their cell phone it is not the end of the world and they can survive throughout the day until they get home at night.  In the US, many of us would turn around after being on the road for 20 minutes to go back home to pick up our phone because we cant survive hours without it.  I have always been a firm believer of “laughter is the best medicine” and I can say that now, I appreciate the ability to laugh more than ever.  There were many times that I wanted to get mad or frustrated because of situations that occurred but in that moment all I could honestly do was laugh.  No matter where we went, my group and I always seemed to find ourselves in what we liked to call an “adventurous situation”.  These mishaps occurred frequently and instead of freaking out we took a deep breath, focused on what our next move would be and took a step back from what was happening to laugh.  If we could live the life of a Costa Rica dog on a daily basis all of our worries would suddenly be gone.  I have never seen so many happy dogs parading around the streets, perfectly content just because it is a new day.  This brings me to my next point, relaxation.  We get so wrapped up at work and in our daily activities that we never give ourselves a break.   Take a break and give yourself time to see everything going on around you.  A little “people watching” can actually turn your bad day into a good one just by viewing random acts of kindness.  When coming home from my Tamarindo weekend I looked outside and saw how beautiful this country was.  While sitting on a bus in the pouring rain I saw a teenage boy give his little sister his umbrella because to him it was more important for her not to get wet.  This little deed done by this teen made me smile and appreciate how lucky I am to be given the opportunity to visit this country.  After being here for 2 months and living the daily life of a Costa Rican I have learned to appreciate the simple things in life and not to sweat the small stuff.  No matter where you are in the world, tomorrow will be a new day and yesterday will be old news so appreciate the joys in life and surround yourself with positive people who can make your day that much better.


"It is unbelievable what you will discover in life if you just take the time to look around." -Unknown.

Now I am heading back to the United States reflecting on my trip and I cannot believe how fast time flies and how much I have grown from this experience.  I honestly feel like I can be thrown into just about any situation now, as long as it does not involve my fear of spiders and needles.  I need to understand that Spanglish will not be accepted in the states and I do not need to think ahead of time before asking simple questions because I can ask questions in English without getting puzzle responses.  I do not need to send smoke signals (kidding, obviously) to inform someone that I am running a little late because I can conveniently use my cell phone.  My backpacking trips can be put to rest for a little while, umbrellas are useful but not needed on a daily basis, clear nail polish cures itchy mosquito bites, bring a parka to the office to avoid hypothermia, when greeting someone it isn’t necessary to kiss their cheek, and “tico time” (arriving late somewhere) will not be accepted by friends, family or my job in the United States.

So here I am with a lengthy blog full of stories about my travels, over 1,000 pictures from the past 2 months, and beginning my career search in the states with hopes that my career path will one day give me the opportunity to afford a vacation home in Costa Rica so I can share my love of this country with my family and friends. 

Thank you to all of my avid blog readers who took the time to check in and read about my travels.  I hope you enjoyed my Costa Rica blog as much as I enjoyed writing it.  Pura Vida!