First off, this past week I wrapped up my classes. I got straight As, yay! I also had a field trip in one of my classes this week. We went to Hospital Mexico which was the most open and least advanced of any of the hospitals I've visited. We toured the hospital and we were just walking in and out of places, even into the ICU and were just staring into patients' rooms! It was a little strange, and I felt a little intrusive, but no one seemed to care at all!
My Conflict Resolution and Healthcare Class
Outside of wrapping up a couple classes I went to the gym with my friend Justine a few times, started packing, and did some shopping with friends wrapping up their souvenirs. I also tried to spend as much time as I could with my host family. They made me some of my favorite meals this week, which was so nice!
Wednesday afternoon I met my group of friends for lunch. Most of us got lunch from a little French cafe by school and then we all went to a nearby park to eat. Thursday night with the same group of friends we met at a restaurant called El Gaff for dessert and drinks. It was the last time I would see most of them so it was a great chance to hang out all together, take some pictures, and say our goodbyes. I have been really fortunate to make such good friends while I've been here! Unfortunately we're all from different states, but we plan on seeing each other at some point in the future. At the very least we will stay in contact via social media! I am so glad I met all of them here!
The whole clan!
Ashlyn and me
Friday my friend Stephanie and I walked around Downtown. She had a couple more souvenirs to buy and I picked up a gift for Valentina and Dilanna for Christmas, princess notebooks and stickers! They were always wanting to draw in my notebooks so I think they will like them!
After lunch on Friday I had to say goodbye to my host family.... They were leaving for a party that was a couple hours away and we're going to stay the night there. So I had to say goodbye which was much harder than I anticipated it would be! My host mom started crying, which made me start crying! It's hard because I don't know when/if I'll ever see them again. I hope to, and we'll at least stay in contact, but who knows. I also had to say goodbye to the girls who I don't think knew that I was leaving for good. That was also really sad. Again, I am so lucky that I got so close to them in such a short time.
After my goodbyes with them I met my friend Justine at a cafe close by where we sat and chatted for awhile which was great. She has a boyfriend in AZ and is planning on applying to PT school in AZ so I will likely see her again! Then my friend Stephanie came over to my house and we watched some Modern Family for awhile and then had to say our goodbyes. She is the best friend I've made here, so she was another hard goodbye. But I'm certain I'll see her again at some point!
I spent the rest of the evening getting things ready to go. Then I went to bed really early because I was up at 3:30 this morning! We arranged a shuttle through school which picked me up right outside my house at 4 am. That was nice to not have to worry about anything! I made it through to my gate smoothly and my suitcase was under 50 pounds! A miracle!
Now I'm sitting on the plane left to reflect on the past three months. All I can think is how grateful I am for God's perfect timing. I had originally planned on studying abroad Spring of 2015, but I'm so glad I didn't or I wouldn't have met the friends I did or had the host family I did. I wouldn't have travelled with these friends or perhaps would have gone different places... It just worked out perfectly thanks to Him! I am also so glad that, besides small relatively harmless sicknesses here and there, I was healthy and safe the whole time. I did not lose anything but a pair of shoes. I learned a lot of Spanish. I tasted some awesome food and got a little less picky! I had way too much rice and beans. I ziplined, rappelled, rafted, hiked, Tarzan swung, danced with locals, swam in the Pacific and Atlantic multiple times, Catamaran cruised, snorkeled, swam in Hot Springs, watched the sunset over the ocean... I am so grateful for all of these opportunities and would gladly do all of them over again! Jeremiah- I'm adding another trip to Costa Rica to our list of future trips!
Studying abroad was the best decision for me. I will now highly recommend it to anyone! Maybe Costa Rica isn't for everyone, but taking a semester to study abroad is a once in a lifetime opportunity full of learning experiences! I learned about a new country, a new culture, and about myself too! Can you tell I'm happy with my semester?? Thanks to everyone who kept up with my experiences. Not only here but in Europe as well! It's going to be hard adjusting back to the rigors of regular classes and work, but I'm excited to get back to that routine. I am really looking forward to 2016. It's going to be tough but I think it'll be great.
Pura Vida!!!
Welcome home, Hannah! Thank you for sharing your experience with all of us. What an opportunity, and I'm so happy for you! Glad you're home safely.
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