Last adventures and goodbyes

As crazy as it sounds, I am finally home, and my Costa Rica adventure has ended. Yes, it went by fast! It's crazy to think that just two weeks ago I was sitting at home with my Costa Rican family watching t.v and just hanging out. I had the time of my life, and I know I wouldn't change it for the world, because it has shaped me to be the person I am today, and I really like who I have become.

June seemed to go by very quickly, and I ended up doing a lot in June. I had my last AFS camp, where I said goodbye to almost all the other exchange students. That was very hard to do, because I had grown close with a few of them. Other than saying goodbye the camp was nice, we went to Punta Leona, and hung out there for the weekend on the beaches, having volleyball "tournaments", and eating a whole bunch!

Me, Neels (Germany), Hans (USA), Hannah (Germany), and Keiko (USA)

All the exchange students who had been there for a year

Kieko, Erica (Italy), Hanna (Sweden), and I.

Playa Blanca.

One of the many volleyball tournaments we had.

Another very fun/thrilling thing I did was go BUNGEE JUMPING! That was a life achievment, jumping off a 250 foot bridge. You have to have a lot of confidence in yourself and a lot of trust in the people who are running the place. I went with Hans and Kieko from the US, and with Josh from Austria to a little place in Naranjo where we jumped. It was honestly one of the coolest things I have ever done in my entire life. It feels like you are flying, and you just have to jump. I guess the youngest person who jumped was 4 years old, which is kinda crazy to think about!

My friend Keiko and I right before we jumped off

And of course, all the goodbye parties and saying goodbye. That was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, saying goodbye to my friends and family. My last day of school, Friday, was hard. I said goodbye to a lot of close friends, and just knowing that I might not see them again made me feel pretty crummy! The next day, at 6:30 am I was woken up to by my close friends singing to me in front of my window with a big sign. That was very cute and nice and just made me feel like I will have life long bonding friendships with these girls! Then later at night there was a going away party for all the exchange students and families at my friend Hanna's house. That is where I cried the most, it was unbelievably hard saying goodbye to my friends Maria, Nicole and Yuri, not to mention the exchange students. I am really going to miss them, especially my friend Hannah from Germany, she is like a sister to me and I really hope I can go visit her someday. Then, the last day, Sunday was fathers day so my family and I went to la casa de los abuelos, and there I said goodbye to all my family. Goodbyes are tough, I wont even start to explain how horrible Monday morning was, but I know I will be seeing them again, very soon. I've made relationships with these people, and they are lifelong. I love them as if they were my real family, and I know they feel the same way about me. 

Me with my friend Colleen and Chini

Hannah and I

Maria, Nicole and I

Hanna, me, Maria and Yuri

My Mami and I

Yeahh... Costa Rican money definitely wins.

My cousin Isaac and I.

And, so how am I doing back home? It feels nice to be home. I know I've only been here for a week, so I still haven't gone through culture shock or anything, but I talk with my family a lot, and yes, I do miss them, I really miss them. But I know I will be seeing them soon, so I'm going to take my life in my hands and just let it go the way it wants. I am really pleased to say that I did accomplish my year abroad, it was amazing. I met people I will never forget, and I made memories that will be with me my entire life. I am so happy that I did this, and I am looking forward to the next time I visit Puriscal.

Spanish: Speaking, Thinking, Dreaming

Since I've been here for over 10 months, Spanish has become my life. Not only do I speak it 24/7, but I think in Spanish; which is something completely strange. I would have never thought it possible to think in another language. In the beginning of the year, when I would speak, I would have to mentally translate, but now I just speak and speak and speak and speak, and I absolutely love it. Along with all of this, I dream in Spanish... I CAN'T ESCAPE IT! hahaha! I don't really notice it as much as I used to, but it is something I had to get used to.
I feel really accomplished, and that was my goal in coming to Costa Rica, to not only experience something new, but learn a language, and I can say that I have definitely learned Spanish. Yes, it was very hard. I went though a couple of breakdowns, but hey-that's life. And I know, from my experience, that if anyone wants to learn a language, if they work hard, they can do it.  One quote I really like is, "One language sets you in a corridor for life. Two languages open every door along the way." -Frank Smith.

When I go back to the US, I plan on learning another language (ahhh!!), either Portuguese or German, I haven't exactly decided yet. It feels so good, to be able to talk to people in different countries, and learn different cultures. And to be able to talk, and to learn, you experience difficulties, but those are nothing compared to what you receive.

Playa Dominical

The beach has got to be one of the most relaxing places on the planet earth-it doesn't matter which one you are at, it is sooooooooo calming! And this past weekend, my Mami, Lupe, my cousin Oscar and I went to the beach, Dominical. It was for my Mami's birthday, so on Saturday morning we all got into the car with our friend Diego, and were off to Puntarenas and made our way to Playa Dominical. We stayed at a beautiful hotel! And the beach was only 100 meters away so it was very close. The thing about this beach-it screams surfer. The waves are raaddiicaall! But seriously the waves are GIGANTIC, and the only people who were in the water were surfing, because it was a bit dangerous to get in. So we decided to have a picnic there, and then spent the rest of the time in the pool! The next day we drove to Parrita, to my Mami's brother's house. I think I sweated at least 3 pounds that day-it is ridiculously hot. Thank goodness when we got to their house, they had fans everywhere, but you could still feel the heat sitting and waiting to grab you! 

Anyway, the weekend was nice and relaxing. I had fun spending time and traveling with the fam! But now, I only have 3 weeks left, and the reality is starting to sink in. Am I really ready to go? I'm not exactly sure. I am over excited to see my friends and family yes, that is the truth, but I am scared to leave the family and friends I have made here. Coming here, I knew I would return in 11 short months, and wooaahhh has the time flown by. But now, I don't know when the next time I will see them, and that's what scares me. Everyone here asks me if I will come back to visit .... I mean it seems like a pretty obvious answer to me- YES!

My cousin Oscar, Lupe and I.

The pool

A surfer

Lupe and I

My Mami and I

Visit to Jorge

I have always heard stories about exchange students, because my grandma hosted many when my dad was growing up. One of them, Jorge, lived with them for 6 months, and is from Costa Rica. Last week was the first time I was able to go visit him! It was awesome to meet him and his two children, and hang out with them. We talked a lot about my grandma, my dad, and my aunts. It was a nice weekend and I think in 2 weeks I am going to go on a trip with them, which should be fun!

Jorge, his son Santiago, daughter Victoria, and I.

Religion

Faith is one aspect that highly influences the lives of Ticos. The majority of people here are Catholic, but there are also many Christians (Protestants), as well as Muslims and others. Families go to church regularly, and my family especially, says the rosary weekly. One thing that really interests me is that many teenagers are exploring, discovering, and realizing their faith, something not a lot of teenagers do back home.
A week ago, I went with some friends to a day camp that talked about exploring faith. It was actually pretty fun, I went with a group from my church in San Juan and there we had mass, concerts, and games. It was a way for young people in Costa Rica to connect with others and become closer. People were singing, dancing, and rejoicing. It was a different way to experience the culture here, and learn something new about the people.
Not many people are confident about their faith when they are teenagers. Questions are always arising, you are embarrassed, and you don't know if you actually believe. The thing I really liked about this camp, was there were so many people who believed. And I'm not just talking about Catholics but every type of religion; the people here are very confident about what they believe in. That is something I have learned here, to become more confident in what I believe. 

This is one of the bands that played. The sign above says, "Faith is the strong transformation of my life".

The camp was held in Tres Rios Cartago. Here is my friend Kristel, Diego and I.

Cooking

One way I involve myself in the culture is by cooking with my family. Whether I am at my own house, an aunts, or grandparents, there is always fresh food being cooked. In the beginning of my stay here, I could not cook...at all. I was able to make "pasta", and I thought I could make rice (which wasn't so), but I guess I knew nothing about the kitchen. Thanks to my Mami and my aunts, I can now say I have learned so much more about cooking. Whether it is meat to cerviche to tamales, I can say I have got the basics down, which is a start!

AFS dinner

One of the really cool things about AFS, is there is always something going on; you are always meeting, or interacting, with new people. Well, on Saturday, I, along with 4 other exchange students went to a very special dinner that AFS was hosting. There were AFS ambassadors from Germany, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, and of course Costa Rica. Not to mention many volunteers who help out in AFS, roughly there were around 80 people that attended the dinner. It was very formal...very, very formal. The exchange students and I went to, I guess you could say, "entertain" everyone, but really, it felt more like we were demonstrating what we have done here, how we have grown, and what it means to truly immerse yourself in the culture. I sang "Eres Para Mi", while my friend Matti from Austria played the guitar. The other exchange students did a typical dance. I think we all felt really happy we went, and honestly it was an honor to meet a lot of the people there, especially the ambassadors.

Digna, Shey, Jonathan, Me, Matti (Austria), Hannah (Germany), Carmen (Germany), and Erica (Italy).

The typical dance.