Taking a breather… Its something I think we should all do once in a while. For me, it can mean many things. There are different ways to relax and unwind from it all. Sometimes a spa day will work, other days a nice long walk by the beach. More on, some retail therapy. This summer, after graduating from graduate school (and after a long 2020 of quarantine), I took my usual summer trip. This time, I decided I would go somewhere that I had been longing to go for quite a while. A place where I heard adventure awaited, where fruits and trees blossomed, and where nature was more noticeably untouched. I went to Costa Rica.
I’ll admit, watching the Netflix series Down to Earth with Zac Efron, did motivate me even more to visit this country, but even before that, it was a place that had called my attention for its eco friendly tourism and adventure. The adventure part was mostly due to my 6th grade geography teacher mentioning its amazing, one-of-a-kind, zip lines, which I’ll never forget… I thought to myself at the moment, the is one of the places I need to check off my bucket list. And what better time to do it than now? Im in my early 20s, young and ready for any adventure that life throws at me.
As I mentioned before, 2020 was a rough year. I am however, thankful for my loved ones and I to have stayed safe and healthy. Aside from spending much time at home and isolated for quite some time, I also missed the opportunity for a vacation that I was planning that summer. In the midst of it, I went straight on to starting a Master’s Degree. Costa Rica was the refresher I needed, as well as a cultural trip that made me appreciate the more simpler ways that others live.
During the week I was there, I am 100% sure that the coors I saw most, were blues and greens. It was the kind of beautiful that I’m not so used to seeing in the states. And its something that I think we forget to stop and realize how beautifully powerful it can be. I had never felt so connected to earth as I did while I was there. The animals were free, the majority of the land was protected by the government, and the nature was valued. We lived around the wild animals, not the other way around. It was a different way of coexisting. And it was beautiful. The fruit each morning was fresh and bright in color, and sharp in taste. Early in the morning, you could hear birds chirping in happiness to see the sun. At night, you could hear frogs, and insects buzzing around. The best way I could describe it, is a natural, open zoo. No gates, no cages, just a place where all animals (and people) coexisted in a beautiful natural land with mountains, volcanoes, and and lush vegetation. I find it inspiring, to see people from Costa Rica take so much pride in their land and preserve it in a way that works for them, through tourism. All while educating educating travelers in an exciting way about their wild life.
In a place like this, I feel most connected with myself and with my purpose than I do in the when I am in the hustle and bustle of city life. I guess its because while we are so proactive and busy in our every day life, we sometimes get carried away by it. And we don’t think too much of it. Or about why we began it all in the first place. Or whether we’ve lost focus on what really matters to us in our lives. In Costa Rica I was able to reflect on my accomplishments, the obstacles I’ve weaved through, and what kind of future I see myself creating. All while sipping my morning coffee from my balcony with a center view of a volcano, and hummingbirds flying around me.
