Love.
Today’s post is dedicated to love. The love that my family and friends, both new and old, have showered me with in the past month that I was away. If it were not for your love, I may never have found the path that I will be heading down when I return home.
26 days ago I was completely lost. I came to Costa Rica in a state of quiet desperation, hoping that some miracle would find it’s way to me and give me all the answers. And it did. It came in many different forms.
Some mornings it arrived on my iPod on my long journey up to work. Some days it appeared in my inbox in an e-mail from someone who took the time to write me while I was away. Some nights it popped up on my cell phone as a “thinking of you” text.
In other ways it came in the form of tough love. When I considered the idea of uprooting my entire life to start fresh, I was guided by the voices of both strangers and close friends to reconsider my choice. For the first time in awhile, I listened to those voices.
Now I sit on the horizon of an exciting new adventure, one that will change my life and the lives of those I will help when THEY are feeling lost. The Universe has been good to me… She shook me up a bit but then dropped me exactly where I needed to be. I am so excited, so thankful, and so anxious to begin.
I return home to NYC in 10 days, and I can’t wait to give my love right back to the people who have shared it with me along the way.
Until then, know I carry every single one of you with me everywhere I go.
The Costa Rican Way
It´s Thursday evening and I´m sitting at the computer at my host family´s home, waiting for the rain to subside before we head out for our last evening as a group in San Ramon. The past three weeks have made a “little family,” as Annie calls us, out of 6 (now 7, a new volunteer joined us this week) strangers, and it will be sad to break up our home as three of us say goodbye this weekend. One will be heading home, another is off to a different project, and I´m on my way to see the country for two weeks while the remainder continue to work on our house.
This week we added a roof to the walls and foundation laid, making our house look more like a “home” than ever before. The work ethic of the Costa Ricans is impressive… these men go morning until night without a single complaint or any visible exhaustion. The volunteers, while working hard, tend to take a few more breaks during the day, including my personal favorite- the pre-lunch lunch break. It´s fun to wander through the rooms of the house picturing what they will look like after they´re finished and painted, and I wish I could be here the day Walter, Lindsay and Abigail move in to their “castle” on the hill. We had a good laugh the other day when we asked one of the workers what Walter´s address would be and he responded (in Spanish), “Walter´s House, 100 KM east of the church, La Paz, San Ramon, Alajuela, Costa Rica.”
I have a feeling my Christmas card won´t be getting there. We also don´t know what happens if another Walter moves in to the village, but I guess you cross that path when you come to it. Easygoing is definitely a good way to describe the Costa Rican way of life.
Yesterday we played a game of soccer (or FOOTBALL, for my British, Danish, and Costa Rican friends), Volunteers vs. Costa Ricans. Although we ended up losing, 20-16, we´re pretty sure the Ricans cheated throughout most of the game. I maintained my title in defense, even scoring a goal, despite the fact my legs and arms became a feasting spot for the vicious sand flies this country breeds. The field was muddy, we all took a beating, but it´s a day I will never forget.
Friday I say good bye to the workers and families who I´ve spent each day with for the past three weeks. One of the saddest goodbyes will be to Sirenita (which translates to “The Little Mermaid”), the little Chihuaha/Jack Russell mix who became my best friend on the site. Every day she comes out to greet me with those big brown eyes that remind me of my childhood dog, Cocoa. I will take my last morning ride on the Bluebird school bus, an ironic name for my daily journey for those that know the song that haunted me before I left. And of course, I will say goodbye to my Costa Rican family, who, regardless of our language barrier, gave me a warm place to sleep and a full stomach every day.
After that, it´s on the road again. Just me, my backpack, a bus, a beach… no set plans, no set schedule, just life as it happens. It´s the Costa Rican way.
