In a haze of what seemed like a hallucination Giles and I decided on Sunday, August 21, 2011 that we would be returning home on Monday, August 29, 2011. This conclusion was drawn from a series of climatic (hopefully not karmatic) events.
My dear friend, Giles, had the worst luck. She has been sick for much of our trip including issues with Costa Rica’s national beers and meat products. It might be safe to say that she will never eat a hamburger again (GO MEATLESS!). She also had a nasty fainting spell on bus from Escazú to San Jose. But, the Ticas were nice enough to give her a candy and her bus fare change. Along with the loss of good health, she lost pretty much all of her gadgets. Being that she is very tech savvy woman, any loss of digital life is a great loss to her, as I am sure it is to you or I. But, you would have to know my friend to fully understand. The worst loss of life came most recently. One rainy afternoon while she was at work the ceiling purged water perfectly positioned over her Mac book which was in a protective case. I think the case may have done a good job at actually retaining the water. Ironically we left the computer for a few days without turning it on or powering it into electricity and it worked. You will be sad to know that since Mac has made it into the U.S. it has now decided to commit suicide. Any of these instances can make a sane person loose it. So, you can only imagine how this left my best friend feeling.
I have been more fortunate than my little chicquita in many aspects. I didn’t become ill (except for the first month of what I consider normal stomach pains while adjusting to Costa Rican foods). I didn’t damage any of my prized technology, surprisingly. I wasn’t depressed, but, I also wasn’t happy.
Our living situation was not ideal. I am now 27 and have lived alone for 3 years prior to this trip. And it wasn’t the fact that I had to share an apartment- I had to share a room. My bed was an air mattress that had lost it pump so it had to be blown up manually by breath. In the end I no longer had breath to fuel my bed so my body would be touching the cold concrete at night forcing me to wear layers of clothes and socks to bed. In addition to sharing a small space, we had many neighborhood enemies that included jungle kitties, a tartuga (a specific name of a Costa Rican rat-like animal that I can find no validation for except for other Ticos that I am convinced lurked in our yard at night), countless spiders bigger than your fist, and (Gile’s most feared) huge moths the size of bats. To my astonishment, Gile’s had less fear of what I called the tarantula spiders and stomped on them with my flip flops. However, she couldn’t contain her terror of the huge moths. One lived in our apartment for about a week behind the curtains and fluttered in the night trying to escape (it made a sound like rapid typing) until it eventually died from what I believe to be starvation. The kitties of the neighbors were also frequent visitors, but we didn’t mind them as much because they were cute little striped orange kitties. The stray “jungle kitties” were a cause for apprehension. They were exactly how you envision a childhood cartoon of evil cats. It looked like mom’s tail was stubby from being burned in a cigarette lighter and she along with her brood had a callous demeanor. They were scared of people which worked out well for us because we were equally afraid of them. As bad as I am making this sound these out of the ordinary events had become part of our everyday. Our daily lives there now translate into stories which have built up my character and pushed me past my limits. Since yoga-ing and traveling, I like to consider that you never really know how much you are capable of until you try. And even when you think you reach your breaking point somehow you still live on- stronger, wiser, and feeling more accomplished.
I would have always regretted not taking this opportunity. In business, they consistently tell you how it’s all about being in the right place at the right time, which is exactly what happened here. I am glad that I did. I am grateful that through my barter with lemons I had the chance to make a sour and sweet batch of lemonade. I do not think I am saying “adios” to Costa Rica though I am positive I will never go back. For the recollections of this journey, the people I have met, and everything it has taught me will forever live on in my memories (and on my blogspot). I have learned so much about Costa Rican culture, language, my friend, and myself. I have also learned that I have an amazing friend (and we should never live in Costa Rica together). I told her before we left to the U.S.“This is the most serious relationship I have ever had”. And it’s true. I have never lived with someone 24/7 so closely before. But, if we could do this and make it out alive I have no doubt for our friendship in the future. Most importantly, I have learned that I am capable of anything (not like I didn’t think that before). I have also learned to take life less seriously. I am no longer down on myself for being almost six years out of college and not in Management level position at some money hungry company. I see myself with more purpose. I want to help people, communities, and the world regardless of the salary or the position title. And if it took me this long to figure it out- todo bien!
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