It's Not Over, So Grab It

Courtney, 17

Our plane touched down at Pittsburgh international around 11:20 or so on April 15, 2010. Despite the fact that I’m home, things don’t seem to be like they were which I believe is because huge parts of my heart were left behind in various parts of Costa Rica.

Once we reached the airport and said our goodbyes to Matt, who had been with us the entire trip, things finally started to set in. The time had come and the trip was over. At this time I was filled with an indescribable sadness, yet relieved by the fact that I was coming home to open arms. At this point all I could do was try and focus on the positives and remember that I control my future and whether or not I will return to Costa Rica.

A few of the other group members and I have made a pact that we will return in 5 years to pick up where we left off in San Jose, Yorkin, and Puerto Viejo. Though I’m a part of this pact, I created a personal pact to go back to Costa Rica during my undergraduate studies. I hope to stay with a family and learn more about the culture of Costa Rica and how things are run, while I take classes at the university.

It sounds cliché to say that this trip has completely changed me as a person, as well as what I want out of life--but it’s true. When I signed up to be a part of this experience, I had no idea that I was going to take so much from it. Since being back in the states, I haven’t really noticed myself being grateful for what I have. It’s almost as if I’m upset because I have everything that some would call “life’s necessities” mainly because I was happier in Yorkin where I didn’t have a need for them at all.

Upon returning from this trip life has become interesting and scary because of the things I know I will have to face soon. Decisions will have to be made and I will be the one to make them. I’m worried that because of this trip I will be so stuck on all the fun and different experiences I had in Costa Rica, I will forget or ignore all the fun and different experiences I can have here in the states. This is the time when I believe I will have to find a balance between fantasy and reality; otherwise I will be stuck in the Costa Rica 2010 trip forever.

This may not be all that bad, but it could prevent me from having as many amazing stories as I have from Costa Rica. Either way the moral of my journey to Costa Rica is that life is yours for the taking and it’s up to you to either grab it or watch it fly past you.

My only option is to grab it.