Every day in Costa Rica felt surreal. Yet it didn’t hit me till I’d left.
I had just decided winter Quarter, that I wanted to be a Conservation & Restoration
Science Major. Before that, I was already thinking about studying abroad, but in Japan for their
Popular Culture program, as I was already taking Japanese. This was a big step for me, as
studying abroad always depended on my finances, so I thought, “This feels a little
impossible.”
But I always knew there was something important for me in the natural world,
something I cared about. So, I applied to Costa Rica, Japan, and another environmental
program thinking, “I’m not gonna get in.” But it’d be cool if I did.
And then I got into all three of the programs I applied for, it was midnight on decision day, and I
was shaking my iPad in excitement.
After some tough thinking, I decided Costa Rica was the best choice since I’d decided
to become an environmental STEM major. I figured that the program would help me figure out
what I liked about this path. Whether it be animals, bugs, plants, research, or fieldwork. I truly
didn’t know yet. I came into this program nervous; about the other students, and the
curriculum. It seemed fun, but there was so much unknown and my mind automatically told
me, this isn’t for us.
And that wasn’t true, but growth comes over time. I had a lot to learn.
1 week in, we were hiking almost every day, and I was trying to adapt to humidity, bugs,
and living out of a huge backpack. We were thrown into everything right away, from 5 am
birding to after-dinner night hikes. I would be lying if I said I was enjoying myself every step of
the way. But they also start you off in what’s going to be your favorite place: Mastatal. I had the most wonderful guides you could ever ask for: Marcos and Jenny.
Finca Siempre Verde, Mastatal is their place. It’s also one of the places you stay the
longest, and by the end of the trip, you’ll hope to come back sometime in the future. I think it’s
safe to say that Siempre Verde has a special place in our hearts, and that’s because we love
Marcos and Jenny, and this place they’ve cultivated for visitors and local Costa Ricans alike. I
love that ecotourism/guiding is their passion, and I’ll not lie, we all shed some ugly tears saying
goodbye to them on that last night. But enough about the end, let’s start at the beginning.
From the first week, I learned to be open to everything. Birding, hiking, napping in
hammocks, drinking new juice, and maybe even eating a termite (ok, I didn’t do that, but it was
offered). Looking back I wish I’d just stopped being in my head and took a breath of the
mountain air for a moment, but in my defense, I did get a sore throat. But that didn’t stop me
from joking around with the other girls by typing my responses on the notes app on my phone.I also learned what a chocolate plant looks like:
2 weeks in, I was enjoying myself. We said goodbye to Mastatal and hello to Hacienda
Baru. I was rooming with friends I’d made so far, and my sore throat was going away, and gone
by the end of the week. We spent the day at Manuel Antonio, watching Capuchin monkeys try
to steal people’s stuff, and I ate some really good shrimp pasta.
Later, was one of my favorite parts of the trip, when met up with Orlando in Las Nubes to plant
trees, and then we met the Boruka (an indigenous group of Costa Rica). Did I leave with a very
large hand-painted mask? Yes, it was on my lap on the airplane back.
At this point, I couldn’t believe it, “is this really my life right now?” I wanted to absorb
every moment, but with a jam-packed schedule and only 3 1/2 weeks, it was hard to take in
every moment as it came. Did I mention we got dessert with almost every dinner as well? (and
sometimes lunch). I learned to record as many pictures and videos as I wanted because as
bittersweet as it sounded, I wasn’t going to be here much longer. Plus, I wanted to record all
these grand memories.
3 weeks in, I won’t lie, I started wishing for the cold Seattle air. But can you blame me?
This is when we lived in Corcovado National Park, one of the most remote areas in Costa Rica,
but also (according to National Geographic) one of the places with the most biodiversity in the
world. So while we lived on a platform with mosquito nets encasing our bunks like weird
princess canopy beds, we also saw so much wildlife. I saw my first squirrel monkey, anteater,
and a tapir! And can you believe it as a former resident of Florida, my first alligator.
At the end of the third week, we hiked out of Corcovado which sounded impossible
before we did it, and after. My tip to you, if you ever decide to do that: have a water bladder
and a water bottle. (Which I did have.) Plus bring snacks, you’re going to get hungry after
breakfast, before lunch, on the car ride, I don’t know. But snacks are good for every hike. At
this point, I learned, how exactly to survive a hike in this type of weather.
Moving on to almost the last 1/2 of the trip, we released baby sea turtles and stayed at a cute
hotel in Golfo Dulce, where I could wave at my friends from our neighboring balconies and I
knew life was good. (Well except for the plague, that’ll be another blog post.)
The last half of the trip, Savegre! At this point, we had Jenny back (she left for part of
the trip to guide another UW group), and we were so happy. The hard hike was done, our beds
had fluffy comforters, and the showers had warm water, but the trip was sadly coming to a
close.
At this point in the trip, I’d learned to embrace my terrible Spanish and just try speaking
to people. I talked with our amazing bus driver Don Henry, I truly don’t know how he gets our
bus down all those bumpy roads. I bought jam from the wonderful Doña Alba on the night
before our last night, and she almost made me cry with her speech in Spanish about studying
hard and becoming good people. She told me, “viene de mi corazon.” It comes from my heart.
After all, I’d seen, and all I’d learned, I felt more prepared to make my way in this major. But I
also learned about how important the people around me were. The ones I made friends with,
our guides, the people who patiently waited for me to speak Spanish…
The journey was about the places, the animals, the experiences, but also about the people.
Isn’t that funny? It really was the friends we made along the way.
At the final dinner when Don Henry said, “Marcos and I will be waiting for you.” And Marcos
said, “Let’s get a cup of coffee and look for toucans,” I did cry.
That’s what happens when you make another country your home, even just for a little bit. In the end, I learned, I did belong.
Pura Vida and All the best ~ Isa
