February 18th:
The adventure has begun! I had a lot of anxiety leaving my house on Sunday morning. My stomach was in knots. I felt like an emotional basket case. I cried and started to ask myself why I wanted to go on the trip. I then reminded myself that this was an opportunity of a lifetime. I have the chance to go to Costa Rica, learn Spanish, make new friends, and expand my horizons. This could be one of the best growing experiences of my life!
As my family and I started to drive out of the driveway we saw a bald eagle. My brother said this was a sign from God that everything was going to be okay. I laughed, but then I thought about that eagle for a while. There was a point in his life where he was protected by his mother, but then she decided to push him or her out of the nest. I felt like this was my first “flight” on my own. I’m spreading my wings and flying for the first time. This trip looks frightening and maybe like a daunting task at first glance, but this trip is also exciting and I feel free to do what I want. Through this trip I think I will become more independent and self-reliant.
As I arrived at the airport and saw the group I felt much better. We all got on the plane and flew to Houston, Texas. We had a five hour layover and then we flew to San Jose, Costa Rica. When I went through customs I felt so many emotions. I was so excited about being in Costa Rica, but I also felt tentative about speaking the language and trying to communicate with my host family.
My host family was there waiting for me once I went through customs. My host mothers name is Maria and my host fathers name is Juan. Andrea, a Costa Rican foreign exchange student who stayed at my house last summer, was also at the airport (with her family) to greet me.
When I arrived to my home I was exhausted. I talked to my host family about there family and tried to get to know them with my limited vocabulary of the Spanish language. Towards the end of our conversation I felt a confidence that I had never experienced before. I actually could communicate a little with my family. I was absolutely dumb-founded!
