Hola mis amigos, it’s been a few days since I left for my trip and I’m glad to say our squad made it to Costa Rica safe and sound. We’re staying in a bureau of San José called Curridabat, and I’m happy to be able to call it home for the next few months. It feels like I’m living in a fever dream because it still hasn’t hit me that I’m actually on my trip.
We’re still going through orientation and getting acclimated to the culture and environment, but if I were to speak to my past self even just a couple years ago, I never would’ve guessed I’d be in my current situation. In the middle of a global pandemic I get the opportunity to serve with 30+ of my brothers and sisters in a country that depends heavily on tourism and hospitality services. I’ve never been a fan of beans growing up, but now I’m going to be eating rice and beans at least once a day and sometimes maybe even 3 times a day. Our breakfast every morning is a native dish called gallo pinto, which usually consists of rice, beans, and eggs all mixed together like a fried rice, and I love it. Most of the local coffee shops have wifi which is a huge help, but we don’t have wifi at the base which has its ups and downs. It’s been nice to slow down our pace for a second, take in everything that’s changed around us, and reconnect after being away from each other for a month though.
It’s fitting that the motto in Costa Rica is “pura vida” or pure life. Life truly is beautiful down here and everyone we’ve met has been so kind. I can’t wait to walk out the Costa Rican way of life and jump into everything this journey haste offer. I’m so excited for what the future holds for the rest of the time on my trip. If you’d like to see some pictures from my trip check out my instagram. I’ll do my best to keep y’all updated as I continue life down here, but for now it’s just the beginning.
One big request I have though, is if y’all could help me with fundraising while I’m down here! I’ll have to be spending majority of my free time down here fundraising until I’ve hit my goal. The deadline to be fully funded is this Friday, and afterwards if I’m not making progress then they’ll consider sending me home. I’ve made it so far with help from all of you, it’d be a bummer to have come so close to the goal and have it be a waste. If you could help me get the word out and push hard these next few days it’d mean the world. Pura vida, love you all so much!
