During my time in Costa Rica I have essentially done three things in a nutshell; travelled, worked at a school and lived with a host family. However, within these three things I have experienced amazing moments and have memories I will hold on to for years to come. Upon arriving I could immediately feel how different of a place Costa Rica was and while I was eating my first real meal with mike and the family I was simply happy. From that point on I have seldom felt any negative feelings at all.
The first night we went to the disco as a group and enjoyed reggaetone and the hottest, smokiest, loudest club on the earth. Then the travel stage began as Mike and I travelled to Nicaragua, crossed the border and surfed and in general relaxed. We also visited Playa Samera and Isle onelepe during this epic adventure. All in all we went to four different places took 21 bus rides and stayed in four different hostels during this journey.
When we arrived home we were excited to start work but found out swine flu hit Costa Rica. Luckily we got to do work at the orphanage where we cleaned, varnished, painted and danced like Michael Jackson and played with the kids for a week. Then we shipped off to Puerto Viejo in a Massive group, where we experienced a wildly different Costa Rica. One with Rasta’s, Reggae, pristine beaches and hot weather. We biked down to gorgeous beaches as well as danced to reggae late into the night.
Upon returning we got to start work at Escuela Belen. In the short amount of time I have been there (two weeks) I have had so much fun, I think that these kids get one P.E. class early week and during that class we get to try to maximize their fun, weither its playing with the surse (jump rope) pesas tiburones (sharks and minas) pote pie (racket ball) or bola (futbol), I always enjoy myself. Although there are some kids that are a hassle, I remind myself that it is karma because I was like that as well when I was younger. As these kids look up to me, I try to set a good example as is a role model.
Overall children at the school truly enjoy their time with us and in turn I have had two amazing weeks with them. During my time here I have also stayed with a host family, with a family so complicated that Albert Einstein would get confused by it. I have no idea how some people are related, I still feel like I was a part of this huge family as well. Our host brother, Daniel, has become a brother to us and all four outages to soccer games, parks and fights have been hilarious. Dona Mercedes’ endless plates of food are fantastic. I find myself smiling and laughing every time I am in the house. All of the people in the house have welcomed us and already invited us back if we are ever in Costa Rica again. As we say goodbye to this Costa Rica family, I am extremely sad but also thankful that I was blessed with the opportunity to live with them. These great people have made Mike and my time in Costa Rica so comfortable and fun just by sharing the same love that they show the rest of the family.
With the family I have also met some truly amazing people with uVolunteer who all share the same zest for life I have. During our trips to Puerto Viejo and Montezuma as well as at bars and clubs, we have become very close as a group. To put it perceptively when will you ever be sitting at a bar on a beach with waves coming to your feet spilling secrets during a game of ‘never have I ever’ with 12 other truly awesome people? Rather than be upset that my memories and time in Costa Rica is coming to an end I am more nostalgic and remembering one of the best months of my life.
During the month I was truly able to live in the moment and was able to live a stress free life. I could do all of this while still contributing to the greater good of society as well as the growth and development of me as a person. My time in Costa Rica truly has been that of the ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle.
Hasta Luego Costa Rica y mi otra familia.
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