back in the u s of a !

crazy to say my adventure in costa rica has come to an end....you should all know that i have arrived home safely! it is so weird to be back---parts of me feel like i never left, that nothing has changed...its really funny. the timing of my trip couldn't have been more perfect---i arrived home wednesday night and thursday was my mom's 60th birthday so i (and she) was so happy to be home to celebrate such a big day with her!

i am slowly unpacking and getting back into the swing of reality at home---no breakfast waiting for me at the dining room table in the morning, no one coming in and cleaning my room daily haha! its so fun to now be home and be able to share my stories and adventures with everyone and just kind of reliving it all again. what an amazing experience the whole thing was---seriously, if you have extra time and some extra money, i would recommend it to everyone to travel abroad. it is such an eye-opening experience to emerge yourself into a different culture---learning new ways, seeing new sights and meeting all kind of different people. i feel that this trip truly changed my life and i am so happy that i did it.

now for the "big news"....i felt that i wanted to do something to always remember my trip to costa rica by and after a lot of thought and talking about it....2 friends and i got tattoos. mine is on my wrist and it says "pura vida"---a perfect phrase to remind myself not only of costa rica, but also to relax and enjoy life to the fullest

Pura Vida, literally translated means "Pure Life." Contextually, it means "Full of Life" "Purified life", "This is living!", "Going great!" It is used as a greeting, a farewell, and to express satisfaction. Pura Vida also means "I am doing alright", "I'm doing perfect" and "Thank you". Pura Vida is an attitude, a feeling. It’s all good. It’s relaxing, taking it easy. The phrase has become widely known in the USA and Europe. Some foreigners view the phrase as an expression of a leisurely lifestyle, of disregard for time and wanton friendliness. However, Costa Ricans use the phrase to express a philosophy of strong community, perseverance, good spirits, enjoying life slowly, celebrating good fortune, whether small or large. Expats who adopt the expression properly get a big smile in return. It is an acknowledgment of the Costa Rican attitude towards life.

"And me, I still believe in paradise. But now at least I know it's not some place you can look for, 'cause it's not where you go. It's how you feel for a moment in your life when you're a part of something, and if you find that moment... it lasts forever... "

thank you all for reading and following me on my journey, i hope you enjoyed it :)

final farewell to costa rica

it is SO SO SO hard to believe that my time here in the rica has come to an end. i still remember that day of traveling january 3rd, looking at my itinerary thinking to myself---man, march 31st is so far away, it's never gonna come! and look at that...with what feels like the snap of my fingers, it's already here. it's such a weird feeling because i am so excited to see all my family and friends at home but i am also incredibly sad to leave the "family" that i have made here over the past few months. i would say that i couldn't have asked for a better last week though....

my friends, katie and chris, had, respectively, their dad and uncle come visit this past week so we all took a little "vacation" to the beach town of nosara which is kind of towards the northern/central pacific coast. it was a special treat because both of our visitors rented cars which meant we weren't stuck on those smelly, sweaty public buses for 6 hours. instead, we got to drive in cars, stopping when we were hungry and needed to go the bathroom and other luxurious things that sometimes we take for granted! after a few wrong turns and getting lost in the dark dirt roads of the beach towns, we made it to our little home away from home for 5 days---the gilded iguana! i'm pretty sure we had the best deal in town, staying in one of the "suites" that has a main room with a double bed, 2 twin beds, a sink and mini-fridge, a bathroom, and a second room with a queen size bed. it's so perfect and so spacious so we all weren't completely on top of each other being in the room. the hotel has a really nice pool area with an outdoor bar plus a restaurant thats open all day with really good (and cheap!) food. as if the whole scene couldn't be more perfect, you walk approximately 3 minutes and you're on the beach. i was in absolute heaven :) the beach is really beautiful and really cool---it was weird because out of all the beaches i've visited here, it is the one that reminds me most of new england beaches with beach grass and the dunes and pathways in the sand...it's also a huge surf spot so there are always hundreds of surfers in the water at all times of the day. i was ambitious enough to go running a few mornings on the beach and even then at 7am, the water was already packed with surfers. the other thing that's cool about nosara is that (unlike some of the other beaches here) the sun actually sets over the ocean so "sunset surfing" is also really popular. for those of us nonsurfers, it was usually the perfect time to bring a few imperials to the beach and enjoy them while watching the sun set and the last of the day's surfing.

our time in nosara was perfect though---we didn't really do a whole lot but i was completely content with that. we spent our days going back and forth from the beach to the pool....lots of relaxing, lots of laughs, and a really awesome time with some great friends.

this whole experience has really gone above and beyond my expectations---i don't really know exactly what i had in mind but i didn't think that i would get so emotinally connected to the volunteer projects and i didn't think that i would become so close with other volunteers either. it's really cool to have shared this experience with people from all over the world. i can't put into words what a different feeling it is....i have some really great people in my life, (you all know who you are and i love you with all my heart) but the friendships i made here are just so unique....we have only known each other for less than 3 months but there is something about being here on our own and all sharing similar experiences that have made us instantly connect and it is truly amazing and something that i will always remember and hold close to my heart.

Some people come into our lives and quickly go.

Some moves our souls to dance.
They awaken us to new understanding
with the passing whisper of their wisdom.
Some people make the sky more beautiful to gaze upon.
They stay in our lives for awhile,
leave footprints on our hearts
and we are never, ever the same.