Well it’s been a little over a week since I’ve been back at home and I thought I better do one final entry to wrap things up:
For our last full weekend, Kayla, Ross, a couple of girls from the Heredia group, and I went whitewater rafting on our way to Puerto Viejo. The river, named the Pacuare, had two level 4 rapids (one a scale of 1-6, 6 being the highest) and is rated #5 of the top 10 rivers to raft in the world. With zip-lining and canyoning already under my belt, I didn’t think I would get nervous. That plan backfired! On the lovely bus ride down a mountain to get to the river, one of the guides was explaining the trip and what to do if we fall out. Now the trip was 4 hours long and after you took out time for lunch, we were going to paddle for 2 ½ to 3 hours! (It turns out it sounded a heck of a lot longer than it felt…thank goodness!) Now after hearing what you were supposed to do if you fell out (stay on your back with your feet forward – we were wearing life jackets and helmets) I had determined in my mind that was not going to happen to me. There were six people on a raft: on the front- random guy on the left and Ross on the right; second row- Kayla on the left and me on the right; third row- two random women from Texas; the guide was in the back of the boat steering us. At the beginning of the ride, I felt very safe and secure, despite sitting on the side of the raft…not inside it as I had anticipated! My feet were in “good foot position” and crammed under the dividers in the raft (I was in there so good I could lean all the way back and touch my helmet to the water). After a few more instructions, we were off! It was a little nervewracking at first…but then I got the hang of it! After about an hour of level 3, 2, and 1 rapids…it was time for our first level 4! Although I had “good foot position”, me, the woman directly behind me, and our guide fell out! Thank goodness the water was deep and there were no rocks…but it was still pretty scary! Apparently the guide hopped back in and the woman was pulled in shortly after, but I was taken downstream. I was met by a “safety kayaker” and then pulled onto another raft. There I was told by a mean lady that if I had been paddling harder I wouldn’t have fallen out…unfortunately at that time I didn’t know my guide fell out too! We stopped soon after that for lunch which was prepared by the guides and then hit the river again. I was more apprehensive this time because I no longer felt secure in the raft. A little ways down the river we came up on our second level 4. This time, the front row fell out…in a very rocky portion of the river. Now that was scary to watch! I’ve decided that I would be perfectly fine if I never raft again in my life. It was really fun but I believe once is enough!
After our rafting adventure, we loaded the bus for Puerto Viejo. In a few hours, we arrived in the small surfing town. Kayla and I stayed in, what we joked was, a “charming bungalow” – actually it was more like a summer camp cabin. The cleanliness of the sheets was questionable…but we made memories We went out to eat and then I hit the sack very early…it was a long day! The next morning we went and ate breakfast at a local restaurant. We happened to meet some other kids in our group and we all ordered banana chocolate pancakes with honey instead of syrup. They had a thicker texture than a pancake but were really good. After that we headed to the beach – we only had about 2 hours until our bus left so we had to make the most of our time. Because we were on the Caribbean side, the water was blue. It was an absolute beautiful beach! But before we could blink, we had to pack our bags. We loaded the public bus and headed back to San Jose.
Monday marked the first day of the last week of classes. For one of my classes, I had a final project which included: a two page paper, 10 min presentation, five cards, and a resume. It was more work than we had done the entire five weeks combined! But it was due on Wednesday, so Kayla and I could enjoy our last two full days…school free (Friday we still had class but it was a party-so I didn’t count that!)! Even though I was running a little low on sleep, all of my stuff was done (on time!) and I was ready to get Wednesday over with! But it turned out that there was not enough time for everyone to present their projects……my presentation was pushed until Friday. On Thursday, since we didn’t have any classes, Kayla and I headed to the artisan markets to pick up our souvenirs. I had put this task off until, literally, the end of the trip. After a couple of hours, we were finished and decided to eat one more lunch at our favorite pandería (bakery), Trigo Miel. That night was our big dinner with the San Jose and Heredia groups, so we headed back home to get ready. After some primping, we took a taxi back to the school where we would be picked up. The ride up was a bit scary ….we were in a charter bus and I honestly didn’t think we were going to make it up the hill! But it was worth it, the view was absolutely amazing! It was clear that night and we had a perfect view of the cities below us. We took some pictures, but they didn’t do it justice. After dinner, there were some dancers who wore the traditional outfits (long skirts with bright and bold colors) and did different types of Latin dances. They would pull people in at random times to dance with them…they got several people from our group! I did my best to blend in with the table so I wouldn’t get pulled up there! When the dancing finished, we loaded up the bus and headed down the terrifying mountain! The bus dropped the San Jose kids off first and it was time for goodbyes. That was the last time we would ever be with the Heredia kids.
The next morning, I had to do my lovely presentation on gun control. It was a little frustrating because I could’ve talked for about an hour about it in English but in Spanish it was much harder to get my point across. After that was out of the way, we watched a movie and said goodbye to our professor. At that point, it still hadn’t hit me that I was leaving in less than 24 hours for the states. Although I was super excited to see my family and friends, I had to leave my new friends and Tica family behind – I just didn’t want to think about saying goodbye. To put off the goodbyes even longer, some of the group went downtown to Pop’s (an ice cream parlor) to eat some ice cream for lunch! After one last visit to the artisan market, we took our last bus ride back home. When I walked into my room to begin packing, I had gifts on my bed! Our Tica momma made us each two clay figurines and painted them – a puppy and a turtle. She also gave us each a beautiful mug and wax warmer (the two tiered piece where wax goes on top and a candle goes on the bottom; the candle melts the wax) made from pottery and three packages of galletas de pobre (the poor man’s cookie – a super simple cookie that was super cheap). And for Justin and I as our wedding present, a salsa serving piece (it as a handle in the middle and three small connected bowls). Well then the waterworks started…it finally hit me that I was leaving. Kayla and I went downstairs and had our final afternoon snack…food seemed to help stop the crying After the food had been eaten, it was time to bite the bullet and pack. It took me absolutely forever! Somehow I found every distraction possible! At dinner time I still hadn’t finished, but I was past the halfway point. Maru made an excellent dinner: chicken, cheese and spinach wrapped in giant pasta noodles, a potato dish, rice, and some other stuff that I didn’t eat. Well as I was eating the potato dish, one of my sisters says ‘Are those carrots in there?’. Well I look at Maru who looks at my sister and then we all start laughing! She was trying to slip vegetables in my potatoes so that I would eat them! Once I cleaned my plate, I earned some well deserved ice cream! After dinner I went up to my room to finish packing and get ready for the next morning. The bus was coming to pick me up at 2:45am so I had decided to stay up all night. The time flew by…after I finished packing my bags, took a shower, and wrote in the book that the next study abroad student would leave, it was time to say goodbye. When I came downstairs Maru was already awake and helped me lug my heavy bags downstairs. After a few minutes, Luis woke up and the four of us (Kayla included) sat at the dining room table to wait on my pickup. Well of course they were late so it wasn’t until 3:30 I was picked up. Maru handed me a paper bag filled with yogurt, a granola bar, and two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for the long day ahead of me. I hugged my Tico parents and then my roommate….Kayla and I were bawling our eyes out. Her flight didn’t leave until later that day so we weren’t on the same van to the airport. It was awful leaving her behind because I was with her literally almost every second for the previous five weeks. As I drove away I felt so alone! But I had to remember that I would get to see her again in less than a year….at my wedding! I thank God that He provided me with such a wonderful girl as my roommate…I don’t know what I would’ve done without her!
At the airport, Derek (a boy from the Heredia group), Michelle (a girl from my group), and I were on the same flight so we waited together. After we paid our $26 dollar fee to leave the country, we headed to our terminal to wait on our 7:10 flight. We had a few hours to wait, so I slid under the armrests, took up about 5 chairs and fell asleep. I had just about an inch of clearance between me and the armrests, so I could only lay on my back. It was one of the most awkward sleeping positions I’ve ever been in…but I slept like a rock! When I woke up, it was time to board the plane and say goodbye to Costa Rica. But I didn’t stay awake long…I feel asleep as soon as I sat down and slept through takeoff! Now for me to sleep sitting up was huge – I never, ever sleep unless I can at least halfway lay down. Once I landed in Atlanta, I said goodbye to Derek and Michelle and headed to customs. After a very easy trip through customs, I headed to my gate to wait. At that time I was beginning to get very excited and anxious about landing in Knoxville! After what seemed like forever, I boarded the very small plane to Knoxville. And once again, I slept through takeoff! When I landed, I had to fight back tears of excitement. It had been a very long day with sad goodbyes but it was time for emotional hello’s! When I walked through the doors…I saw an entourage of people waiting on me! I was home!!!
