May the fourth be with you

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. 

It gives me hope.... (April 2015)

It gives me hope that my neighbor with the machete tied around his waist and campo hat thinks animals are to be taken of, even his cows. And that Maggie likes him.

It gives me hope that in San Jose I saw a police officer usher a man in a wheelchair across a street and when he was thanked, he said con gusto, because it wasn’t part of the job, it was a genuine act of kindness.

It gives me hope that when the wind blows, sometimes I can feel the beach.

It gives me hope when my phone rings and it’s a friend calling to connect.  

It gives me hope that I laugh more these days, whether its because I can make jokes and be silly in Spanish or because Maggie makes really funny faces and sounds; I guess it doesn't really matter why. 

It gives me hope that I am not forgotten, that I still have visitors, mail, and Matt, and people excited for my return home.

It gives me great hope that I get to travel with some of my greatest friends I’ve made here in Peace Corps when our service is up and that we will see countries together, speak our Costa Rican Spanish in Bolivia, learn a trade in Argentina, and process our time as PCVs together before returning state side.  

It gives me hope that I am not alone, that I am still next door to my host family, that I am busy some days and not so busy other days, that Kim and I talk about going to Disney and Target when she gets to come to the states.

It gives me hope that my time here is ending, it shows that time does in fact move and that I will too, so will everyone here once I’m gone.

It gives me hope that when I’ve spent hours in my head, thinking about what to pack, sell, give away and to who, and how my last months will be spent, that when the wind blows, I still exist, I am still here.