And of course...Culture Shock!!!

Now, if there is anything worse than homesickness, it might be culture shock...! Might, both are pretty bad haha!! Culture shock starts right after something called "The Honeymoon Phase"--you are discovering so many new things, and everything is just incredible to you. After this phase, aka around the 3rd month or so, you start to get into a routine  and you do the same things everyday, you're not going on all the adventures, or what you once thought was really amazing has become normal. And the culture shock begins.....

So all of a sudden...you start to feel depressed, little problems become irritating, you are exhausted or always tired, and you don't want to do anything. Feeling this way is normal, here are some tips on how to get over it:

• Get out and talk to people: When I have my little culture shock episodes, I am really exausted, and I don't want to talk to anyone. My sister noticed something was up, and the same day we ended up going camping with her friends, and even though I didn't want to go, she dragged me along-and thank God she did because after I felt soo much better! Go out and do something with friends!
• Don't point the blame others: It is really easy to point blame on others when you feel this way, or get really mad when you shouldn't be. Just calm down and take a deep breath, don't blame anything on the first person you see. 
• Sleep: Sleeping more than 8 hours a night is good-just do it!
• Keep busy

Also, when I had my little culture shock episodes, my family thought I was homesick, but I didn't miss my family at all. The thing is, I love Costa Rica so much, but sometimes, it can be overwhelming. It is okay, and I hope anyone else who feels this way, can read this and feel better.

So just a little update on my life:

On Sunday, the was a goodbye party for the 3 exchange students who left yesterday, and it was honestly so sad! Everyone was just thinking of when it is our turn to go home, and as much as I miss my family and friends, I love absolutely everyone and everything here in Costa Rica, and it is hard to imagine going home sometimes. On Sunday, I cried for the first time about going home, I cried with my sister, I cried with my friends, and I cried with those who were leaving. It is one of the weirdest feelings in the world, but realizing, that I am halfway done with my exchange, is a bit scary.