And the clock ticks down...

How time flies.

We are ending our time in Latin America where it began last time: in Costa Rica, the land of breathtaking natural beauty and ¨pura vida¨(literally ¨pure life¨- the sort of national catch-phrase). Whereas Nicaragua is abundant in beauty of a different sort, Costa Rica prides itself on its natural resources, a pioneer for ecotourism, and the country with the highest standard of living in central america (and one of the highest in the hemisphere). Amazing how two countries so close in proximity can seem worlds away.

I have always felt more drawn to Nicaragua as a country than Costa Rica for several reasons. In Nicaragua I felt as though I was part of a living history- the past (indigenous heritage, dictatorship, revolution, civil war, U.S. interventionism) is all still very alive and present. While Nicaragua is afflicted with arguably some of the worst problems in the hemisphere, it also has a unique ¨we can prevail¨ optimism, due in large part to the fact that it was largely the youth that succesfully took down a dictatorship in the 1980´s. The natural beauty and resilience of the Nicaraguan people is evident no matter where you go.

Costa Rica; with its picturesque beaches, lush rainforest, and countless animal species, has been called a mini ecosystem all its own. No wonder this is such a tourist destination: it´s beautiful! We went first to Manuel Antonio, a spectacularly beautiful beach town surrounded by rainforest, and got to visit my cousin Miquela and her baby Bella, who live there.

Then, we went to Bagaces, a small town where Cory and I studied abroad two years ago. While I may have felt more at home as a country in Nicaragua, I never felt as welcomed and part of a family than with my Costa Rican host family. We stayed with our host families again, and it was so great to return to that feeling of home, and to have it extended to Katie (who my family promptly adopted as another daughter).

Now we are in Samara, the last leg of the journey, the final stop on this life-changing trip. It is a quiet beautiful beach town, and its tranquility and peace are just the right thing to aid our anxieties about returning to home responsabilities (aka, finding a job in this economy). But we are trying to live in the present, soaking up as much of this experience as we possibly can.

While it sounds clichè, I cannot convey how life-altering this trip has been. I feel as though I have grown more in the past three months than I ever thought that I could, and am becoming a woman that I think my parents would be proud of.

This life is so beautiful, and it´s never too late to go out and grab it. Again, the quote from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button rings true:

¨For what it's worth: it's never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There's no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you're proud of. If you find that you're not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again. ¨

Samara, Costa Rica
My street in Bagaces, Costa Rica