¡Pura Vida!

I have arrived at the airport hotel the night before my flight home.  As I am sitting here gathering my things together, I am also gathering my thoughts about all that has happened on this trip.  I can’t believe that in fewer than 24 hours I will be home.  The month flew by so quickly—much quicker than I expected.  And in that short time, I seem to have had a lifetime worth of experiences.  I learned so much in my classes, and I feel very lucky to have had two of the most amazing profs ever. I have lived with a wonderful, loving, family that opened their home to me, fed me well, and taught me more than they will ever know.  I have made lifelong friends who share a common goal of giving kids the best education possible.  I have seen first-hand the beauty of Costa Rica and her people. 

This past week has been really bittersweet.  It has been wind down week at school.  There were final projects and presentations, and saying goodbye to friends, and figuring out how to get everything into one suitcase.  (I ended up buying a second one.)  I am really looking forward to seeing my family.   A month is a long time to be away from the ones you love.  On Thursday, I lost a good friend due to a sudden illness.  And yet, for as much as I want to come home, I want to stay.  There is still so much to see and do and experience.  There are so many things I did not get the chance to do.  The last week has been a wild mix of opposing emotions, and I’m happy to have a little down time to sort through them all.  Overall, I would not change one thing about the trip here, and it is my hope to come back again in the not-so-distant future.  I am grateful for the scholarship from the National Spanish Exam, because there is no way I could have done this independently.  The opportunity you have given has provided me with an unforgettable experience of a lifetime, and I can’t wait to share everything I have learned with my students and colleagues.  ¡Mil gracias!