Blink blink

Okay so I have already almost been in Costa Rica for a month, and so now I feel like I'm in some sort of backwards dream, because that just cannot be possible. In ten years I will tell my children about that one time I lived in Costa Rica, because after two weeks I think you go from a visitor to an exister (not a real word). I'm just casually existing in three different countries over the span of four months and I won't wrap my head around this until I'm back existing at my home base....Which in reality doesn't exist either. I have not lived in the same place for more than 4 months in over two and a half years. I didn't chose the transient life, the transient life chose me.

I landed myself in my final bed in Costa Rica in the span of 28 days, making it a whopping 8 different places in 4 short weeks. I had to say goodbye to my lovely host family which was difficult and I will miss them. I will never get over how gracefully the people I encounter welcome me into their daily existence, that's a big deal.

The other day a friend of mine helped me make an interesting realization. I am an exchange student this semester, and 'exchange' implies that you are giving as well as taking. This is a perspective that I really hadn't thought about, that while these people are sharing their lives and their homes with me, I am also sharing something with them. I have selfishly been taking more than I have been giving, so I'm glad he shared that with me, good 'ol CK, such a wise guy.

We are at the university for our last week here, it's a beautiful campus tucked on the top of a hill in San Pedro, San Jose. I'm a fan. I've had quite a bit of time where I really don't have anything to do for what feels like the first time since we got here. I don't like it...it makes me lazy and I hate that side of myself. But we've also had a lot of play time which is fun. The other night we all laid out on the soccer field for hours and just laughed and shared stories, it was my favorite.

Oh, we went to Manuel Antonio the day my mom left and I think we all left a little bit of our melted selves there. I am not sure if I have ever been so hot. It feels pathetic to complain about it, but none of you will understand unless you were there with me. Luckily I was spared of the sunburn, while many of the people in the group definitely were not.

This past weekend, we did an urban home stay in La Carpio. La Carpio is an area outside of the city where a large majority of the population are irregular immigrants, many from Nicaragua. We have been learning a lot about this situation, in Nicaragua the pay is very very small, so people will come to Costa Rica to work. But they are strongly discriminated against. When I told my family in San Jose that I was going to stay here, I got many stereotypical responses of how dangerous it was and how I should not go there...the people of La Carpio took a sledgehammer to those stereotypes, I met some very kind and gentle people, who really had no choice but to leave their homes in Nicaragua to migrate here. It was a humbling experience.

The timeline of this post is insanely out of order but so is my mind so I'm just gonna go with it. We leave Saturday morning for Nicaragua, in a public bus, at 3 in the morning...It will be an interesting and very necessary experience for us all. We will be their for about 6 weeks before I jet back home to my people!

I miss you guys. A lot. I miss michael, A LOT. I think I've made that very clear lately to anyone who follows me on social media. I'm heartsick for him every day...And while I wish I wasn't, I am counting down the days until I can be with him again. I still am experiencing every day and living in the present, but my heart is back in Minnesota, waiting patiently with some of my favorite people...and also waiting patiently with some of my other favorite girls in Europe, hopefully they bring it back with them;)

I am rooming with Savannah in Nicaragua, which will be really fun. I always feel like I'm able to connect more with people when I have a companion from the group, and it doesn't hurt that her spanish is 100% better than mine.

On April 12th our spring break starts. Caroline and Savannah and their families are wonderful and are letting Michael and I tag along while they come and visit during this time. They have two houses on the beach in San Juan del Sur and I'm so excited to relax and having nothing to do for 8 whole days! Mojitos in the infinity pool are waiting for us.

Oh! This past week marked the exact middle of our trip. Time to climb back down the other side of the mountain. I can't believe we're already half way there. I need to stop blinking so much.

See ya in 51 days!
Hannah

    My very lovely, very large family in San Pedro, San Jose!

    The mural we helped paint in La Carpio!

    Our dreams came true when we finally got corn rows in Manuel Antonio!

    Da crew just perchin'

Longo Mai

IT HAS BEEN SO WONDERFUL HAVING MY MOM HERE. We have done so much, she came at the best time and has gotten to experience the beauty of Costa Rica that a lot of people will never see. 

Okay so on Monday she got here at noon. The charger on my cell phone broke so I have been conserving the battery until she got here with a new one, so the whole taxi ride it was turned off. 30 minutes and 30 dollars later, we arrived at the airport. Without my cell phone. An hour later and another $60 we were back with iPhone and only communication with my mama in hand. Annoying. Anxiety. Alive and in the arms of my mama! AH! Tears. 

Spanglish with our taxi driver. 

Escazu here we come!

We spent 2 and a half days at a fancy resort together. It was amazing, but also hard for me after the life I've been living the past month and a half. It was a breathe of fresh air but also surprisingly uncomfortable. I was just happy to be with my favorite woman. We were in a big hotel room with two full beds, but naturally we slept together. I woke up Tuesday morning and had breakfast in bed, 21 BITCHES (sorry for my language grandma). I'm old. Like so old. I felt old when Elliot turned 21, but now I'm here and I don't quite understand. Captain Morgan, Bloody Mary's, Sauvignon Blanc, and Smirnoff Ice ensued. Mama P kept up. We had magical aromatherapy massages practically outside and delightful meals on the porch connected to our hotel room. 

Pampered AF. 

On Wednesday we ventured to my school where naturally my mom became friends with the chef, Carlos, a man from El Salvador who didn't speak a lick of Spanish. My mother not speaking much Spanish. How she manages do to things like this amazes me, but isn't surprising. Her smile and eagerness to communicate is a beautiful gift. 

Every time I had a break from class she introduced me to a new friend she met on campus. 

On Wednesday night we went to a roller rink with our group, and I was surprised to find that very few of us knew how to use the old school rollers skates with two wheels on both sides. It was hysterical to try and figure it out. We had a blast. Lisa sat out on this activity. 

On Thursday night we laid in the bed of our hotel in San Jose, drank lots of wine and watched Gilmore Girls. Of course. Where you lead I will follow. Always. 

Friday morning we woke up early and made the 3 and a half our drive to Longo Mai. A mind blowing cool place. There are Longo Mai communities all across Europe as well. They are cooperative communities that work together in order to live a free and happy life. Coexisting on land that they don't technically own. The states have a couple things to learn from places like this. We need to let go of "mine, mine, mine" and have a little more "ours, ours, ours". If only that was possible. 

Our host mom showed us the different things she grows: avocados, coconuts, plantains, bananas, guavas, cacao, among many other fruits and vegetables that don't exist in the states. They also have chickens that produce eggs and they also eat. That's about as organic and "grass fed, free range" as it gets. I would love to live like this. Knowing exactly where what I'm consuming is coming from. 

It's nearly 90 degrees here and I know I can't complain, but I really want to. Luckily there's a beautiful river just a couple blocks away that is clear and cold.

Roosters cacadoodledoodling all day (and night) long. 

It's amazing to me that I feel more comfortable and at home in this place than I do at a 5 star resort, but I couldn't be happier with that fact.

I am becoming who I have always wanted to be. Loving people and places so much more than things. Cherishing how lucky I am to be experiencing things that most people never will, and acknowledging my responsibility in spreading what I am learning to others.

Mister Michael is on his way to Texas with Stu for spring break...driving...24 hours...stress. We will be swimming in the ocean at the same time, miss those boys a whoooole lot. 

We head to the beach tomorrow for two days! I was hopeful that my mama could join, but her flight leaves much earlier than I thought on Monday and the beach is 3 hours from the airport, so we have to part ways tomorrow afternoon. But it's okay, I'm so lucky to have had her here in the first place and two short months from now I'll be back with my Minnesota people! I miss you all more than you know. 

Long life,

Hannah 

Culture shock 2.0

So we’ve been in Costa Rica for a week. Excuse you clock, please slow down.

To everyone who knows me, knows that I tend to go through cycles of following my really stupid diet, thanks stomach, and just really not following it at all. So we were on the plane from Guatemala to Costa Rica, and the airlines we went through serves meals on every flight, and of course the “meal” we were given was a juicy, buttery, flaky croissant filled with processed, milky cheese. My self-control lasted maybe 2 minutes. An airtight plane with the smells of this deliciousness circulating through the ventilation system, I was consumed by it. After a short therapy session with Savannah, we decided that not only could I eat it, I deserved every single bite….and the ice cream later that day….and the bite of delicious bread that night….and then cream in my coffee the next morning…the cycle of “well I already broke it, what’s the harm now?” and every time after about a week of fooling myself, karma comes around to bite me in the ass. Worth every bite, after a short relapse I’m back in recovery.

So to the stuff that actually matters…

I really thought that after I got through culture shock the first time it would be a breeze for the rest of my trip. I was wrong. I didn’t realize how much I loved Xela until I entered San Jose, the capital city of Costa Rica. WOAH. This place is big. In Xela we were able to get around to most places just by walking and could reach many different café’s, restaurants, and bars within 10 minutes. That is not the case here; the neighborhood we have been living in the past week is a 25-minute car ride to the University. Where as in Xela I practically shared a wall with my school.

Aside from the size of this city, it is clear that the “Rich Coast” lives up to its name. Everything is nice, the city is newer, and there are stores from the states on every strip downtown, McDonald’s on practically every corner. It was confusing to all of us when we toured the downtown area on the second day. And a lot of the confusion stemmed from how comfortable it felt and how much we didn’t necessarily like that. We are surrounded by places we recognize, the familiar. The media and persona of the United States has exploited this country and it sucks but after being as far as possible from our comfort zone in the past month it feels good, and I don’t like it. Clearly I am still processing this thought and it probably doesn’t belong in my blog just yet but whatever.

After spending a week in a house with my favorite travel companions, we met our host families today, or “adoption day” as my real mom likes to call it. It has become harder and harder as we move from family to family to decipher when someone is referring to their mom from the states or one of our several mothers along our journey, for the first time in my life I’m finding myself referring to mama as my “real mom” or “home mom”. On that note, MY MOM WILL BE HERE IN 3 DAYS AND I AM REALLY EXCITED. AND I TURN 21 IN 4 DAYS WHICH IS ALSO REALLY COOL. We’re going to wake up and take shots, she already happily agreed and I will not let her out of this one.  We will be spending two days in a beautiful resort just outside of San Jose, where we booked the “romantic package,” group massages and romantics dinners! It’s normal. After a short break from reality, she has bravely agreed to come along to our rural stay for the weekend, and we are ending the trip with a surprise adventure that I am going to let her know about when she gets here hehehe. I miss her. More than I ever thought I would.

I am just feeling really happy. Life is good. One Direction is still the best. And I am doing my best to stay between a 4 and a 7 (just for you dad).

I am currently sitting in my bed at my new host families house, they have welcomed me whole heartedly with wide open arms. I am still trying to figure out the dynamic, as it is a single mom with I believe has a daughter who is my age and one son, but that’s up in the air. There are many students who also rent out bedrooms and live here, and her son has friends over often. So there are young people around always, which also is right in my comfort zone, aside from the fact that they all speak another language than me in a completely different accent than what I’ve been practicing with for a month. But I’ve decided that I can’t let language create a barrier anymore, because I can very easily show my gratitude and happiness in other ways.

Side note: The daughter is the epitome of who I wish I could be. She has dread locks that have grown out into this long beautiful mess of hair, curls flowing above them. She is so sassy and has already figured me out down to the T, and I’m okay with it. She also teaches art classes to young children. I just want to be her, that’s all. Dreadlocks are still on my bucket list and will be until the day I die.

Tonight before dinner my mom asked if I can eat everything, assuming that yes I can, and I broke the news that I can’t eat gluten and was about to tell her that cheese isn’t really apart of my life either…but before I could get it out she went off. It was fabulous. I figured she already knew of my diet because past host families did, but we laughed and played about it. Shortly after Billy, a guy that lives here, googled it and read off everything I can eat, instead of everything I can’t. The concept of gluten is not really a thing here. He listed off things like: beans, vegetables and meat, foods that in the states are commonly known to not contain gluten, but not here. It was a great experience. And for the next 3 weeks I will be eating cheese.

The history of Costa Rica is really interesting and gives us a different dynamic to compare and contrast the history of the other countries we’re visiting. A big dumb idiot white male tried to conquer Latin America and I’m embarrassed to say that I didn’t know a thing about it until a few days ago. We have also started our liberation theology class, and it's giving me a whole new perspective into what religion is and can be. Aside from the 10-page paper that’s due in less than 2 weeks, things in the education department are going swell.

As for personally, I am learning more and more about myself every single day, I am living into each moment one at a time and am remembering to just slow down, because time flies if you don’t stop to pay attention to it. I'm also working on that whole concept of having a filter, it isn't going well but there's nothing surprising about that. I have my highs and lows every day, but over all am very content and happy to be here.

As for my excessive blog post, that is all I’ve got. However, anticipate many photos coming soon of my mother and I crying together of pure joy and bliss of being in each other’s company again. I am going to peak at a hard 14 the second I see her walk out of that airport (sorry dad).

Hasta la pasta,

Hannah