Hopefully, this end is just the beginning.

Cherie, 17

Well, I guess it’s my turn. I’ve edited this a million times. If I don’t post it now, I don't think it will ever stop changing or getting longer.

I woke up the first morning home with a bitter-sweet feeling. It felt nice to be in my own bed in my own room, but something just didn’t feel right. I missed waking up to the sun shining at 6 AM, with my girls in room 15 (which includes those in our two-night sleepover) around me. I missed eating with everyone, every single day, even though I rarely ate. I missed everything. I still miss everything. It was so hard to actually leave the airport because though I was going home to my loved ones, I felt like I was leaving another family behind. I really needed this return home I suppose, but it just felt a little weird to be back.

This trip was more than I imagined it would be. I heard of how amazing it could be from people who have gone through the journey before, but I never really thought the affect it would have would be this big. I had my doubts about the trip in the way beginning, relating specifically to my main struggle of being able to control my frustration with others and its effects on my mood. I thought, “I can’t spend twelve days with these people. I’m going to be miserable. The trip is going to be pointless if I’m just going to be angry the whole time.” Eventually I changed my mind set, and got excited for the trip. I wanted to make it something worthwhile; something I could remember forever and I decided that the people who annoyed me weren’t going to ruin that. That was probably the best decision I’ve ever made.

I don’t regret going on this trip one bit. The hard work, the annoyances, the struggles; it was all worth it. I learned that you shouldn’t let the little things that bother you and prevent you from participating in something, because you just might miss out on so many amazing experiences. I kept that in mind the whole trip, and I think that really helped make everything, for the most part, so fantastic.

I learned so many things from our visits with so many different groups of people throughout the trip. I can honestly say I never knew how cement was actually made, or even where chocolate came from. However, the most important thing I realized during our stay was that the residents of La Carpio and the indigenous people of Yorkin have it good, despite the fact that they materialistically have less. They have what some people spend their whole life searching for; they have happiness. They taught me that happiness doesn’t stem from having things that provide me with entertainment, like my camera, the internet, or time spent relaxing. Happiness is something that you really have to create for yourself and even further, for your people. It comes from being content with your life and not putting unnecessary worrying on things that other people have and you don’t. It comes from building strong relationships with the important people in your life. It can come from so many things; you just have to know the right way to find it. This was especially shown through the Bribri community in Yorkin. They, as a community, have found what makes them happy and are living their lives accordingly. They’re not concerned about how life in San Jose could be better; instead they care about the important things, like friendship, spending time together with family and improving their community. Before this trip I could honestly say that I didn’t have true happiness. I wasn’t really upset with my life, but I noticed a big difference between my happiness and theirs. It’s hard to explain, but I can now say that I pretty much have a perfect understanding of how to achieve true happiness; now, it’s just a matter of going after it.

Let me tell you something funny--other than a few things, I basically had this written last Friday, the day after we came back from the trip. Larry told me his was done, and I thought that I had better go do mine as well. Thing was, I couldn’t turn it in. I still don’t even really want to do it. I think this kind of shows that I’m still caught up in everything. I feel that once I post this and finish other things related to this trip that it’ll really be over. It’s kind of hard to explain. I guess I just had such a good time, that I’m not ready to give it up even though obviously it’s been over for more than a week. That needs to pass though, because you can’t learn from a past experience when you’re still trying to keep it as the present. I guess all there is left to do is put what I learned into action and keep moving forward.

P.S - Though this goes against what I just said about moving forward, I miss all of you and can't wait to see you on Monday! And I also can't wait until we have our 2015 reunion trip!