Fin

Through a recent change in plans, my friend will no longer be able to come to Costa Rica, and I will be headed home tomorrow. So... I guess this will be my last blog post!

Four months ago today, I stepped off the plane and into a country I had never been to before and knew almost nothing about. And now, getting ready to leave for good, I feel that I know it so well it's become a second home. No matter how much planning I've done, nothing ever seems to turn out the way I thought it would, but I've started to actually look forward to being surprised. I've made friends from Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, Cuba, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Portugal, Italy, France, England, Australia, New Zealand, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Taiwan, and I won't forget a single one of those people.

I have a pretty big couple of weeks coming up as I move out to Chicago and start college. It's going to be pretty weird not being here anymore! But I feel that I've grown as a person, and these past four months have definitely had a huge impact on my life. I know that I will take these experiences with me and that they will change how I experience things in my future.

On a final note, I'd like to thank everyone who's been reading this; as cheesy as it sounds, this blog has been my only grip on reality at times. I was watching Yes Man last night on TV, which I hadn't seen in forever and had completely forgotten about. For those of you who haven't seen it, you should, because it's a great movie about learning how to live, something I've definitely experienced this year. The best quote from the movie: "You say no to life, and therefore you're not living." I challenge all of you to try living for the next year, to say yes, and to experience things you never would have in the past. You never know what will happen.

Pura vida!

Lisa