So the end is near....
My last week in Monteverde was bittersweet. I tried to savor every moment from my walks to and from town, eating at local cafes, the never-ending rain. To conclude my experience, I thought it best to reflect on the before and after moments to best capture the entire trip.
Before....the trip I was freaked out. If you read my first blog it expresses the anxiety, uncertainty and excitement I had for these five weeks. Now being on the other side I can say I conquered it.
After.......I feel extremely happy that I did it and that I didn't back out due to fear. Yes, I had uncomfortable, lonely, questioning moments as I feel anyone who travels solo and to new places might. However, I also had awe-inspiring, heart full of thankfulness moments too that I wouldn't trade for anything. If given the chance to do this again - I would. Even with the anxiety (that didn't really ever go away) or the bouts of loneliness, uncertainty and worry, I found it all worth it.
Before....I want to say for the first week or so I was freaked out about transportation and getting around. Having relied on a car for the past four years, I wasn't used to public transportation anymore. When I first arrived, it was raining terribly so terrible that el viento seemed like a monster resting on our roof and adding to the dread was the complete pitch-blackness of it all. My stomach pretty much dropped when I first got to my house and I felt this overwhelming sense of dread.
After....... I got used to the rain and el viento who, although this seems crazy it's true, is a monster that lays rest on the top of houses there. Once the rain cleared up for a couple of hours, I was able to actually leave my house and explore the town. And by week five, I had calmed my sense of dread and accepted the beauty of these country roads. However - No, I have never had an experience like this before where you must walk along dirt paved roads without sidewalks to get to town, but everyone was doing it so I knew this wasn't "out of the norm."
Before.....There were a lot of things I had to "adjust" too. I told my mom this was like living in a second world country (no such thing exist but hear me out). For starters, little to no internet and it just wasn't for my mountain town, it was for all of Costa Rica as I learned from other travelers and locals. Secondly, small luxuries that I would get in the United States or other western countries, were not easily accessible her. For example, you couldn't flush your toilet paper down the toilet at most places, lack of hot water, lack of air conditioning or paved roads. So when I say little I mean they are little things that we take for granted every day. (But there is no way Costa Rica is anything like a 3rd world country. They have an excellent health care system and their government seemed to be on it when it came to maintaining safety and education. )
After.........However these things are NO reason why someone should every consider not moving to a place. It's doable and takes a readjustment of standards/thinking. By the fifth week I had started thinking of ways I could improvise (and by the way when I came back to the states it was a readjustment for me to remember I could flush toilet paper I had become so used to throwing it away). Anyways - I noticed that there was a pattern forming. First week was extremely hard for me, second and third weeks I was fine, fourth week it hit me hard that I was far away from home, and fifth week I had started to settle in - especially with my language acquisition.
I can't stop gushing about how much I am really thankful for this experience and would do it again. What helped a lot was the place I worked at. The town, the people, it all was really worth it. No, it wasn't perfect. Yes, I had some upsetting moments. Yes, I would do it again. Yes, I am thankful to be home.
Until next time........
Different post about final experience teaching at the school will be up next.....
My last week in Monteverde was bittersweet. I tried to savor every moment from my walks to and from town, eating at local cafes, the never-ending rain. To conclude my experience, I thought it best to reflect on the before and after moments to best capture the entire trip.
Before....the trip I was freaked out. If you read my first blog it expresses the anxiety, uncertainty and excitement I had for these five weeks. Now being on the other side I can say I conquered it.
After.......I feel extremely happy that I did it and that I didn't back out due to fear. Yes, I had uncomfortable, lonely, questioning moments as I feel anyone who travels solo and to new places might. However, I also had awe-inspiring, heart full of thankfulness moments too that I wouldn't trade for anything. If given the chance to do this again - I would. Even with the anxiety (that didn't really ever go away) or the bouts of loneliness, uncertainty and worry, I found it all worth it.
Before....I want to say for the first week or so I was freaked out about transportation and getting around. Having relied on a car for the past four years, I wasn't used to public transportation anymore. When I first arrived, it was raining terribly so terrible that el viento seemed like a monster resting on our roof and adding to the dread was the complete pitch-blackness of it all. My stomach pretty much dropped when I first got to my house and I felt this overwhelming sense of dread.
After....... I got used to the rain and el viento who, although this seems crazy it's true, is a monster that lays rest on the top of houses there. Once the rain cleared up for a couple of hours, I was able to actually leave my house and explore the town. And by week five, I had calmed my sense of dread and accepted the beauty of these country roads. However - No, I have never had an experience like this before where you must walk along dirt paved roads without sidewalks to get to town, but everyone was doing it so I knew this wasn't "out of the norm."
Before.....There were a lot of things I had to "adjust" too. I told my mom this was like living in a second world country (no such thing exist but hear me out). For starters, little to no internet and it just wasn't for my mountain town, it was for all of Costa Rica as I learned from other travelers and locals. Secondly, small luxuries that I would get in the United States or other western countries, were not easily accessible her. For example, you couldn't flush your toilet paper down the toilet at most places, lack of hot water, lack of air conditioning or paved roads. So when I say little I mean they are little things that we take for granted every day. (But there is no way Costa Rica is anything like a 3rd world country. They have an excellent health care system and their government seemed to be on it when it came to maintaining safety and education. )
After.........However these things are NO reason why someone should every consider not moving to a place. It's doable and takes a readjustment of standards/thinking. By the fifth week I had started thinking of ways I could improvise (and by the way when I came back to the states it was a readjustment for me to remember I could flush toilet paper I had become so used to throwing it away). Anyways - I noticed that there was a pattern forming. First week was extremely hard for me, second and third weeks I was fine, fourth week it hit me hard that I was far away from home, and fifth week I had started to settle in - especially with my language acquisition.
I can't stop gushing about how much I am really thankful for this experience and would do it again. What helped a lot was the place I worked at. The town, the people, it all was really worth it. No, it wasn't perfect. Yes, I had some upsetting moments. Yes, I would do it again. Yes, I am thankful to be home.
Until next time........
Different post about final experience teaching at the school will be up next.....