1 yr in CR! And what a year it's been...
March 6, 2024
A year of so many new faces
A year of almost constantly pushing myself out of my comfort zone
A year of so much learning - of unpacking my privilege and being the one adapting to a new culture, trying to fit in and gain acceptance while confronting stereotypes about my identity
A year of saying yes to things that scare me and reaping the benefits of being brave
A year of struggling to be present when half my heart lies with friends and family in the States
A year of pouring my heart & soul & mind into learning Spanish, which is one of my proudest achievements in my life
A year of being an aunt for the first time!! I never knew a person could love tiny humans so much. Watching Noah and Mia grow, learn and explore is the most consistent joy in my life these days. They never ceases to amaze me
A year of redefining what community means (or maybe just realizing how much I value it)
A year of watching the love between four- sometimes five- generations of family
A year of exploring a natural world that is unfathomable in beauty and complexity. Every day leaves me wanting more. Every day fills me with a stillness in my mind and a lightness in my heart that only Mother Nature can give
A year of moving my body in any way I can, amid changing spaces and routines- and finding joy and gratitude in that movement
A year of craving my favorite foods from the US while also delighting in gallo pinto, natilla, chifrijo, & papaya
A year of being blown away by the generosity of those around me, from my host mom, Dinora’s, patience to Kelly opening up her home countless times so friends can gather
A year of feeling all my emotions in extremes but learning to ride things out, because this too shall pass
A year of becoming a tea drinker
A year of wearing the same outfits over and over again (I miss my US closet so much)
A year of Diotame (if u kno, u kno)
A year of decorating the walls of yet another new room
A year of falling even more behind on my photo backlog (but loving all the adventures that cause the delay)
A year of being tour guide to family and friends who visit (s/o: Karishma, Darcy, my parents + Joe, Zach, Kelsey, the Pixley’s)
A year of missing my sister in new ways (that suck just as much)
A year of body dysmorphia
A year of learning a new profession (give your nearest local teacher a chocolate- they’re a hero)
A (partial) year of thinking about Palestine
A year of visiting national parks! (Chirripó and Corcovado have my heart, but don’t sleep on Tenorio either)
A year of playing ultimate frisbee again
A year of my “ideal” saturday night = pajamas at 8pm, watching movies, and painting watercolors by myself
A year of missing milestones (like my brother getting his PhD and my best friend having a baby)
If I’ve learned anything this year, it’s that life is an ebb and flow. Some days it’s easy to think about things this experience has taken from me or things I’m missing out on (milestones I’m missing back home, the chance to actually make money, certain freedoms that are restricted by Peace Corps rules), but then there are days like today, where I reflect on all that the last year has given me, the floodgates open, and the list of gratitudes pours out of me.
A year of long, winding bus rides
A year of fighting to prove to others (& to myself) that I know Spanish
A year of scratching bug bites
A year of using lots of perfume
A year of reaffirming that WhatsApp is so much better than Messages (why is it not widely used in the US?! What are we doing?!)
A year of being confused by the metric system
A year of rainbows over misty, mountainous Monteverde
A year of writing letters
A year of walking everywhere
A year of midnight snacks at 9pm
A year of dodging torrential rainstorms
A year of hanging my laundry on the line (this is a best practice in life)
A year of single overhead light bulbs, small mirrors, and stiff armchairs
A year of scrubbing my shoes
A year of having to rebuild my personality in Spanish
A year of being addicted to social media one minute and swearing it off as no good the next
A year of writing as a means of processing
A year of black coffee
A year of audio messages
A year of making lists & sh*tty art & setting goals
A year of orange walls and an orange table cloth and an orange cheetah blanket <3
A year of the mini fridge & overnight oats
A year of acclimating to early mornings (Who decided school starts at 7am here? Who? I just wanna talk)
A year of wearing fleece sweatshirts & wool socks at night because brrrrr…
A year of listening to geckos cluck inside my walls
A year of dissociating
A year of valuing my sleep
A year of black Vans
A year of jotting down fleeting little thoughts
A year of attempting to capture the beauty of it all
A year of comparison being the thief of joy
A year of bringing my thermos full of coffee, despite it not being a cultural norm
A year of showering way more than I normally would
A year of skinny jeans and polos
A year of not cooking for myself (and actually missing it)
A year of soooo many WhatsApp groups
A year of little snacks from the pulpería
A year of looking for morphos while hiking (and being blown away every time I see one)
A year of listening to the wind move through the walls of the house
A year of being surprised at all the places mold can grow
A year of marshmallows for dessert
A year of quiet dinners
A year of hearing toucans croaking somewhere in the distance
A year of rice and beans
A year of “Teacher”
A year of seeking out free stuff
A year of signing up for random classes and events offered in town (there are so many, it’s impossible to be bored here)
What a year it’s been, and I’m just getting started …
