Thursday, December 19, 2013

A journey of the soul

At the end of summer, 2013, I was shocked and shattered when my previously happy marriage of 10 years dissolved in a puff of smoke and anger. There were lots of reasons and I was willing to do what I could to remedy the problems. My ex was not. It was the greatest challenge, the deepest heartbreak, I have ever gone through.

As I considered my next move, I started thinking through my options. Should I keep working in an office and trudging through the days until my next vacation? Should I move out of the big, beautiful house I had worked so hard to make a slice of paradise? If so, where should I move? An apartment nearby? A different city? A different state? A different… GASP… country?

When the life into which you’ve invested your whole self and all your energy and passion dissolves like a crumbling skeleton before your very eyes, you can do a lot of things. You can cling. You can scrap along. You can sink into a hole never to reemerge. Or you can do what I did, and take a good hard look around.

Was I living the life I wanted for myself? Was I headed in a direction that led to some kind of fulfillment? Did my life have meaning? Was I reaching my dreams?

The answer to all those questions was a resounding NO.

So I did some research and asked a few people who were living lives I thought could be the right ones for me. I talked with family members. I made plans. And I decided to move to Costa Rica and teach English.

There are many reasons I was certain this was the right move for me. I love English. I am a grammar nerd extraordinaire. I majored in sociology and minored in anthropology. I visited 12 countries and loved it each time. I am a detestor of ethnocentrism and a lover of language and culture. I am passionate about literacy. I believe in empowering people to improve their lives. I was a student ambassador and firmly believe in enriching and improving foreign relations between nations by improving human understanding. I am a writer. I am a gypsy at heart.

The minute my decision was made to move to Costa Rica, my heart became tranquil and at peace. Everyone thought I was crazy. Everyone was worried and scared for me. But I knew with utter certitude that I would be all right. Not just all right, but HAPPY.

So I went through divorce proceedings and I got rid of most of my possessions. I quit my job with dignity and put them in a good place to move forward without me. I said goodbye to my home and my friends and loved ones. And I came here.

I traveled a bit then came to Quepos and began my studies here. I made friends. I worked hard – really hard. A community blossomed around me – embraced me – and I flourished in friendship and acceptance.

The other day I was walking around Quepos alone and smiling to myself as I noticed the signs of high season infiltrating the town. I saw the increased bustle and excitement in my town. And that is when it hit me like a sledgehammer to the chest: Costa Rica has become my home. I know this place. I love this place. I adore the people. I am infatuated with the culture. And I am not so much of an outsider as I was when I first arrived just over a month ago.

My Tico friends have embraced me wholly. They say my Spanish improves daily. My adventures fill my heart and so do the quiet moments sharing an Imperial watching the surf roll in.

This week I graduate from my certification program. On Saturday I go on a mini-vacation through the country and then I return to San José to pick up one of the jobs for which I’m interviewing (six currently!). I will settle into an apartment that one of my Tico friends has found for me.

But all of that is merely background noise, for I am already home.

 





















Sunday, November 24, 2013

A rainy morning in Tortuguero made wonderful with nuevos amigos

Costa Rica has so many things to boast. Rich biodiversity. Educated, literate population. Unrivaled vistas. Mountains, oceans, waterfalls, fields, beaches, jungles, and towns. Tropical weather. But the best part for me has been the Tico culture.

I moved to Costa Rica toward the end of the rainy season, which means it has rained a couple hours each day. One morning in Tortuguero, a tiny village and national park in the Limón Province known for massive amounts of nesting turtles, it rained and rained and rained. It rained so hard we canceled our canal ride in the morning (the area is only accessible by boat). Instead, we loitered around the hotel lodge and took photos of a night crested heron who was sheltering nearby. My mom, who was traveling with me at the time, and I struck up a conversation with two people from San José while we watched the rain come down. They were incredibly friendly and welcoming and the conversation was easy and enjoyable despite some language barriers. (One spoke only Spanish and I am hardly bilingual.)




When the rain didn’t let up, we donned our raincoats and umbrellas and took a stroll. We walked among dripping trees and tropical flowers pregnant with rain along a trail to the angry Caribbean that crashed against the black sand of the playa. The rain softened and the gray-white clouds roiled like ballet dancers above the foamy sea. A dense white mist rolled in from both horizons to greet itself where we stood.



















Costa Ricans, or Ticos, are among the most amazing people on earth. I discovered this in my new friends that morning. We had such a great time getting to know each other, playing with the language, and bantering back and forth. The two I met that day will be friends for life… and they are not atypical for Ticos. So welcoming, so open, so helpful, so patient, so caring, so intelligent, and bursting at the seams with passion for life. Just the tall drink of water I needed to refresh me and make me want to embrace life again.

A little rain in my old town in Tennessee would have had everyone griping and muttering and hunkering down. A little rain in Costa Rica blossomed a lifelong friendship.

Pura vida. I’ve found it.

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Waterfall: Rio Fortuna, Costa Rica

I have been in Costa Rica for eleven days now and I am just now getting a chance to write a quick post about my new home country. Every hour is jam-packed with wonderful activity and I’m never slowing down.

So far I have visited San José, Tortuguero, and La Fortuna. Today I am taking a bus to Quepos to begin my class to be certified as a TEFL maestra.

One amazing moment I can blog briefly about is the waterfall in La Fortuna. La Fortuna is home to Volcán Arenal (Arenal Volcano). It is a massive conical active volcano in the highlands that dominates the landscape and has occasional bursts of activity. In 1968 and 1993 there were two bigger explosions that caused death and destruction.



Upon our arrival in La Fortuna, we checked into the hotel and hiked about 3 kilometers up the road –solidly uphill and rather strenuous at times. We didn’t mind the hike, though, because every moment afforded a breathtaking vista.










We arrived at a park where we paid 5000 colones each to enter. Then we hiked down a sometimes-steep trail to the base of the waterfall of Rio Fortuna. There we discovered a massive, powerful, pristine waterfall pouring onto the rocks below.





Giddily I changed into my swimsuit and plunged into the cold mountain water to swim and laugh as the fierce waterfall caused ocean-like waves to lap against the sharp rocks.






I clung to the rocks around the edges and climbed up behind the waterfall. Its roar and power took my breath from my lungs. It turned out I wasn’t supposed to be there and an official had to blow a whistle a few times to get my attention. When I realized my error I promptly swam back.

After a couple of hours, we got dressed and began the steep hike back up to the trailhead. About halfway back we heard some rustling in the trees beside the trail. Lo and behold, it was a troop of howler monkeys coming to check us out!




I love Costa Rica. This was one small moment of my trip so far and I have so much more to share. Pura vida!