My mission to the self. Commitment to the people. Betterment of society. Connection.

Today is the day I was reminded what I’m doing here,
  why this journey started taking place.  

Today,
marks the first class I taught in Costa Rica.
Within moments,
it all became so familiar.
The exchange.
The trust.
The curiosity.
The determination.
The thirst for knowledge.

I sat across from my student,
we exchanged a few words
and the lesson began.
I opened my class using some images from Tanzania as a visual aid.
What do you see?
What is present?
In her limited vocabulary,
she noticed the vibrancy of colors,
expressions on their faces,
the environment around them
and of course the question…
what is on their heads?

The power of knowledge.
The power of experience.
The power of exchange.

Leaving class today,
on this day,
was almost as if being reset.

My first week in Costa Rica was marked just hours before this class. 
And within those first couple days, 
well, 
Costa Rica kicked my ass. 

Rewind. 
A little pause. 
Let’s back up to my arrival. 
Okay, my journey before the arrival. 

Leaving Cape Town was honestly one of the hardest decisions I’ve had to make. 
Daniel and I spent every waking moment together while in South Africa. 
Every moment. 
It was a dream. 
Truly beautiful. 
That is another conversation. 
Another day. 
You may have gotten just a tiny glimpse into our spirits in my last post.
That conversation, 
I could have for days!  

I got on the plane. 
Cape Town to Johannesburg. 
Tears in my eyes. 
Inspiration in my heart. 
The flight was quick. 
All of but 2 hours.
At this point, 
I cannot tell you what I did. 
Cried. 
Read. 
Talked. 
Tried to sleep. 

Off one plane. 
Onto the next.  
Johannesburg to Dakar to New York. 
Crying.
Crying.
Crying. 
The tears didn’t stop. 
Couldn’t stop. 
Wouldn’t stop. 

For a moment, I almost ran off that plane. 
For a moment, I almost changed my decision completely. 
For some reason, 
what reason, 
I am now reminded. 
I stayed on that plane and cried. 
And cried. 
And cried some more. 

The woman next to me handed me a tissue and said she was there if I needed to talk. 
Not sure that was a good idea on her part. 
She didn’t know. 
That I love to talk. 
Love to communicate. 
Love to share. 
And love to relate. 
We talked on and off. 
I cried some more. 
Okay, a lot more. 
Eventually the crying led to exhaustion. 
Exhaustion led to sleep. 
I slept more on that plane than I thought I would. 

Woke, 
Cried a little more. 
Took a deep breath. 
Looked at a photo
Maybe two or three 
Of Dan and I. 
Smiled. 
Took another breath 
And who knows. 

I arrived at JFK in New York around 6 in the morning. 
Anxiously messaging Dan on my phone while waiting for my luggage. 
I messaged and waited. 
Messaged and waited. 
My bags decided not to join. 
Went to the luggage counter 
To find 
my bags were still in Africa. 
They knew, I too, wasn’t ready to go. 

With nothing but a backpack with very few items, 
I was on my way. 
Walked through customs. 
Found my gate. 
Sat and talked. 
It felt good to have an American phone. 
Even if just for a few hours. 
It was so good to hear such familiar voices. 
My friends, 
My family, 
My support system! 
Oh, how lucky. 
Time to get back on the plane. 

A bag of garlic crackers later, 
I arrived in San Jose, Costa Rica. 
Well there I was. 
Waiting by the baggage claim, 
For some reason. 
Thinking my bags would pop out of the center hole. 
They didn’t. 

Back to the lost luggage counter. 
Outside for a taxi. 
It’s late at night. 
Dark. 
My Spanish, far worse than I imagined. 

I made it to my new house. 
Where am I? 
What have I gotten myself into? 
And why is Daniel not holding my hand right now? 
“This is your house,” the taxi driver said. 
“Are you sure?” I said. 
It was dark. 
So dark. 
There were large gates 
And barded wire for days. 

He was right. 
It was it. 
I arrived at my new home. 
With nothing but a few belongings on my back, there I was. 
That first night, 
I don’t even know. 
I walked in to be greeted by such a warm, welcoming face. 
“Welcome! Here is your room.” said Laura. 
We walked around the house, 
I played with the dogs, 
watched Laura put them to sleep, 
Then somehow I finally put myself to sleep. 

And here I am, 
Finding myself back in the space of just finishing my first English class in Costa Rica. 
Sitting on a bench. 
Beautiful new complex around me 
A busy highway just to my right. 
Oh, life. 
Life just does this to you. 
Has a way of kicking your ass 
And then reminding you why you got your ass kicked in the first place. 
It’s moments such as this one. 
Of complete awe and admiration 
Tranquility and determination. 

Above Images: Looking out our living room window, our house, my bedroom and our first "Family" Dinner
Laura and Gustavo (Costa Rica - the owners of the house), 
Brett (Pennsylvania), Arantxa (Spain) & Meira (New York).   

Each day I wake, 
a little sad because a large part of my heart is on the other side of the world, 
but immediately inspired. 
Because 
I know what I came here for. 
I know what will unfold. 
I know my heart is now protected by another living soul. 
My mission to the self. 
Commitment to the people. 
Betterment of society. 
Connection. 
Blessed. 

These are some images from my house and some of my first days in San Jose, Costa Rica! 
As always, 
enjoy, share, love, embrace one another and smile!