Today is more or less the 5 month mark for our groups
official count down. Manuel is leaving for law school, then we have our close
of service conference, which will be our last official time together. It will
mark our 2 years in service and will hopefully wrap up our feelings and resumes
in a nice package to send us back into the world.
I recently had my bestest friends come visit, which honestly
I didn’t believe would happen til their feet touched the ground, not for lack
of wanting or trying but because life has a way of piling up responsibilities
we have to deal with before we get to the fun side of things. Anyway, they landed
12 hours atrasada, because the volcano Turrialba wasn’t cooperating and a
handful of flights were canceled. So they spent the day being tourist in their
own town before actually landing in San Jose at 1230am, technically the next
day. Just to be clear, my best friends both have husbands and children (all of
whom I love dearly) so we haven’t had time with just us in over four years so
this trip was our time. We were us, in pure form; laughing, singing, making fun
of each other, and snuggling in as many beds as we could. I was reminded of
just how perfect friendships like ours are.
I remembered just how much it means to have friends who are better
described as sisters because you fight and make fun of each other, but love
them so much and would do anything for them without even thinking twice about
it. The fact that they came meant our worlds aren’t ever too far apart that we
can’t make time for each other, which meant the world to me.
After their trip, I returned to a half normal week, put in
some snuggle time with mags and before I knew it was off again, this time to
see fellow volunteers and to run a 5K out in Guanacaste I had signed up for
months ago, thinking it would help motivate me to run more….which every minute
leading up to the race, it had failed to do. But as it turned out a good number
of volunteers had signed up and we got to run it together. 630 am came quick
but once we got around the other runners and the music started, we were in it
to win it…or at least finish it. The race itself was at Playa Flamingo which
was a beautiful beach that looked more like a harbor and as we ran passed the
nestled in boats, the sky got brighter and the air got hotter, waaay hotter, but
we were determined. When the finished
line came up, we took off using all the reserves we had spared and if I didn’t
feel like I was about to pass out I would have been smiling ear to ear. We were
greeted by early finishers and some other great cheerleaders at the end and
then took advantage of cheap bottomless mimosas at a restaurant nearby.
We had
stayed the night before in Tamarindo, which is a more built up beach, full of
tourists, surfers, and retirees…it looked just like west palm beach. We woofed
down left over pizza from our “carb loading” the night before then took
advantage for the couple hours we had before the bus to catch some sun. Our
plan from there was to go to our friends’ site only a little further south. Passing
through Nicoya is interesting because no place is too far from the beach but it
almost looks like Pennsylvania with its rolling hills. Our friends’ site was
beautiful and peaceful, a half hour away from the city and a half hour from the
beach in the middle of a valley…almost too perfect. We rested and watched
fireflies as we went to sleep and woke up to have pinto and coffee (tea)
outside in the early morning air. Being a half hour away from one of the most
talked about beaches in CR, we again took advantage of our location and spent
the day in Samara, the “Manuel Antonio of Nicoya”.
I realized how much I miss beaches but also
that I’m grateful to like in the mountains so I can appreciate the fleeting
moments I get at some of the most beautiful beaches around. After some more
pizza it was time to head home. We had a little layover in Nicoya and had some
coffee for our long ride ahead. We had de pie tickets but we got lucky to score
one seat that Ramona and I switched off and on til we got to San Ramon.
Home again home again, it was such a great weekend
accomplishing so many things and we were only gone 3 days. The ease of travel
and seeing these friends is something I will miss, along with many other
things. It’s hard to imagine that in 5 short months it will have come to a
close, this one thing that has singlehandedly dragged me through some of the
most challenging experiences I’ve ever had and delivered me to such a level of
confidence in myself and understanding of life that is hard to express in
words. It all brings to mind quotes that reflect the sentiment that the most
meaningful and deepest life lessons are wrought from some of the hardest and
lowest points you experience.
I have returned to my house full of gratitude, to have such
wonderful friends here and at home, to have accomplished most of what I set out
to do, and for all the experiences that taught me all I have learned up to this
point in my life.
