MIA

Sorry I didn’t keep up with my blog the last month of my trip. It was always on my list of things to do, but each day it was moved closer and closer to the end of the list. And then before I knew it, it was time to return to the states. I think that time moved faster, so much faster the second month, because I had my routine down and I was very comfortable in San Jose. Monday through Friday I was getting up to run in the morning, heading off to the office, Spanish school, or the café to use the internet and work. After manyyyy hours of research and writing each day, I would head home for dinner, and either go out with the girls or some of my Tico friends. I went to a lot of futbol games (mostly local league games, but one night we went to a professional game), we out dancing quiet a bit, out for ice cream, to the gym, and we even went to a cover band, rock concert, I got a pedicure (and wouldn’t recommend this to anyone else because its not quite like the relaxing spa experience in the states.). I feel like pretty much every night there was something going on, and I loved it. And then finally we spent our last week in the rural community of Turrialba, where I did not have internet access.

So, after my weekend in Puerto Viejo, I only went to the beach one more time. I went to Jaco with Fabian and two of his friends. It was a fun little adventure because I was going without any of the girls. Jaco was nothing to write home about though. It really made me miss my Northern Michigan beaches… Nothing like home, I guess. I did enjoy being able to take a weekend trip without having to take the bus. Fabian’s friend, Kenneth, has a car and was the one to drive us to the beach.

Another activity I loved was the professional futbol game we went to. Futbol is nothing to joke about here in Costa Rica. Everyone plays, or at least watches, and is very passionate about the sport. The match that we went to was a very important game because it was the countries rivals, Saprisssa vs. Alajuela. This was a fun activity because all six girls went with our professor, and one of his close friends Andres, who actually played for Saprissa’s minor league team until deciding to focus on school. I was also extra excited about the game because Fabian lent me his Saprissa jersey and filled me in on the stats of players… I fit right in with my purple jersey and practiced cheer for number 8 (okay maybe I didn’t have a cheer, but I knew who to root for!!).

In one of my earlier blogs I talked about how I would run in the mornings. This is one thing that helped me keep my sanity on this trip, and my figure. There was no way I could skip this part of my day because of how much we ate… I would have come home with an extra 50lbs around my waist! Well, when I spent my mornings running, it was always my time to think and process things on the trip. I never listened to any music, I was always just quietly left to my thoughts. But, I always had to be aware of the road/sidewalk I was running on because they were not kept up nice. They were often uneven, with large potholes, a little dangerous sometimes if you weren’t paying attention. Just a few weeks before I left, I realized that the University of Costa Rica was pretty close to my house, about a mile away, and it was known locally for being a perfect place for runners. There was a smooth circle drive all the way around campus about a mile long. So on my second run at the University, as I was just minding my own business, thinking about my week, I totally missed the step up on the sidewalk, and ate cement…. Probably one of my more embarrassing moments in life. My pride might not have been damaged so much, had it not been for the huge group of male students to my right. I was flat out on my stomach… no way to pretend I was bending over to tie my shoe. I hopped up as fast as I could, and booked it past them. I guess I learned to always remain alert, because those sidewalk curbs will get you when you least expect it!!!

As I came to the end of my time in San Jose I completed my Life Skills Manuel for my internship. It was sad to complete my work here, because I spent so much time there over the last two months, researching and learning. This is one of my most favorite projects I’ve ever worked on. I was happy to feel like I created this document that will really help others give knowledge and share important lessons about the challenges of growing up. I also felt like this was a huge piece of my professional development. And as much as I talked about all the other parts of my trip and elaborated on the going out dancing, hanging out with the girls, and meeting my Latin Lovers… This was the most important part of the trip to me. This is where I felt like I grew the most, and I’m so thankful for the opportunity to try my Social Work talents in another way, and even more, to excel in the experience.

I’ve been home for a week now… I’ve had a lot of time to process what this experience has meant to me, and I will get back to that with my next post… Plus I’ll talk about my experience in the orphanage the last week.

Love you all!!! And as much as I miss Costa Rica, it is good to be home.

-A