And so the adventure comes to a close, after a week of traveling Costa Rica with my family (my real one) and too many goodbyes, I got on a plane and flew back to Texas... after 24 weeks and 1 day exactly.
It's very bittersweet, leaving a place I've grown to love so much, and the community I've come to depend on, somewhere so beautiful and different from my own country and cities, but just as comfortable and welcoming now. I've got plenty of souvenirs, pictures, and journal entries to remember that life and those experiences, and I know I'll be back in Costa Rica some day, at least to visit...but it's still sad to see that chapter close.
In those 6 months, I learned so much about myself and about the world. I struggled with questions I didn't even know I had, and found answers to some of them. I experienced overwhelming joy, and got to live out a little rebellious phase (how many times do you really get to run away from real life and live in a different country without any serious consequences?). I settled into who I am, and spent some quality time with the person I've become, a person I didn't really know all too well in January.
I immersed myself in a culture and a language that were still very uncomfortable to me, and grew to understand and love them, finding where I fit in the balance between where I come from and where I was. I accepted something that was outside of myself, and incorporated it into who I am. I built relationships and a community with people who come from a very different place in life, and in the world, and found out that they really weren't so different when it got down to the basics.
And so I'm sad, very sad, to leave the land of waterfalls, beaches, volcanoes, and mangos, where everyone kisses you on the cheek, and coffee flows abundantly. Where life is a little calmer and a little more "tranquilo", where relationships matter more than accomplishments. I miss it all.
Luckily, I had something wonderful to come back to...
Two cities, both vibrant and fun, filled with people I love who care about me and who will go with me to all my favorite restaurants and activities. A family just as big and crazy as my Tico family, who loves me dearly. Tex mex, asparagus, cherries, driving a car, corn on the cob, nights on the lake, little things that make me happy that you just can't find in Costa Rica. All of this has made the transition back into "real" life, a little easier.
And I'm about to start a new chapter, a wonderful, exciting, terrifying, stressful, fun chapter: senior year. After that, who knows...
Not too long ago, I wrote a post about where I was from, talking about how each place I've lived has influenced who I am and where I'm going in life, and I still think that's true. And now thanks to Costa Rica, I'm going to keep adding to that list. As if I didn't already have "the travel bug" before, after such a whirlwind success in Costa Rica, I can't wait to get back out in the world and keep exploring, seeing as many countries and cultures as possible, learning all I can about the history and life of the places I go, and building the relationships and making the impact in those communities that really make those places important. Hopefully somewhere along the way, I can make a difference for some of those people. I can't wait!
So stay tuned for more adventures, who knows where I'll be next!
Until then, this blog comes to a close:
Con amor, muchas gracias a todos que han leido esto y compartido en mis experiencias! Los quiero! (With love, thank you to all who have read this and shared my experiences, love you!)
Meche
