adventures in costa rica: bittersweet goodbyes

so i've officially finished my volunteering stint in costa rica..the last day at carmelo was bittersweet. it's weird because i felt like i didn't really get to know anyone since i couldn't have really in-depth conversations with them but at the same time i felt connected to them, even after only working there for 4 weeks. the kids were funny...they acted sad when i said it was my last day but i also think that they didn't fully understand that i actually wouldn't be coming back. they haven't really grasped the whole "world concept" so it's been kind of funny. almost every day i get asked if i really live in the united states. i don't know if they think it's some kind of joke or they are just actually confused but it's kind of funny. one day, a little girl was like....so, you take a plane here every day from the united states?! haha you can't help but laugh, right?! i think above anything, the teachers will miss the extra set of hands and a native english speaker in the class. the woman that works with the younger kids was really sweet, offering her gratitude and thanking me in english and spanish, giving me multiple hugs, even getting herself choked up that she started to cry :( seeing her like this really made it set in for me that i was done volunteering but also that i did in fact help and make a difference working with the kids.

after my day of work, i got home and just got even more sad as reality set in---it was my last night with my host family and it was time to pack up the past three months of my life. (i do have a few more days in costa rica but i am heading to the beach for one last adventure with my friends here!) after dinner, fernanda's friend cynthia came over. especially during the beginning of my time here, i got to know cynthia pretty well because she would come over almost every night and we would all sit together at the table and i would help them with their english homework. since then, cynthia has had a little baby girl so it was the first time i'd seen her in a long time and also the first time i got to meet her daughter, bianca. my family was really cute and made a little cake as a special going away treat so we all sat and chatted, enjoyed our dessert and took turns passing the baby around.

it is a weird feeling because sometimes i felt so disconnected living here---a lot of the time i didn't feel at home and constantly felt as a guest in their house so i could never really be totally comfortable and at ease, like i am at home. but then on my last night, it was such a different feeling and i realized that this family WAS a part of my life for 3 months and we did develop a family-type of bond through all the time we spent together so either way, i am sad to be leaving them. :( this whole week has just been so weird for me, as reality is setting in that i am really going home in less than a week. when i arrived here in january, i felt like march 31st was years away and that i had so much time here... but the more comfortable i got with a routine, volunteering, etc, the faster time seemed to slip away. i am so thankful that i chose to do this at this point in time. yeah, it has depleted my bank account a little more than i expected but i wouldn't change any of it for the world. i have really enjoyed working with the kids and stepping a little outside of my comfort zone with the environment and language and everything, but i have also been fortunate enough to meet some truly great people that have done nothing but enhanced my experience here. for the past three months, i have been reminding myself--- you only live once so live it up and enjoy every moment of it and i feel that that is really what i have done here.