10 more days

I can't believe that this experience is already coming to an end. I have so many mixed emotions about it; it's a very strange feeling. Don't get me wrong, Michigan is the best of the United States in my opinion, and there are so many things that I miss and can't wait to return to…but I don't feel ready to leave Costa Rica yet. It's really sad to think about the fact that I may never see the people that I see basically every day again. Especially speaking of the international students; there has to be at least about 100 of us going to the same small, two building school that are going back to so many different places. It's almost been three months that I've been here, and it's sad to think about having to say goodbye. I would love to say that I will return, but that's not likely to happen in the near future. It's a conflicted feeling when you feel like you belong in more than one place. I feel like I haven't had enough time to do everything. I'm scared to come back to the states because things are just different here. For example, you can travel for crazy cheap! Once I land in the USA, graduate, and start paying off debt, who knows when I'll get the chance to travel like this again? To people thinking of studying abroad in the future: three months is not enough! To Spanish students looking to fulfill the study abroad experience requirement prior to graduation: choose Costa Rica! I have been learning in depth about the different dialects throughout the Spanish speaking countries (in-class and by meeting people). Costa Ricans use a pretty easy-to-pick-up dialect of Spanish. And the accent isn't obnoxious or anything weird like that! Also, ticos are super nice, which makes it easy for practicing outside of class and getting yourself out there and making new friends. On another note, I think that having been here three months I can now explain pure vida. EVERYONE SAYS PURA VIDA! I'm kind of jealous that we don't have a phrase that EVERYONE says like it at home. It means pure life, but it has a bigger meaning aside from the exact translation. It's another way of saying my favorite phrase: "embrace the chaos!" It can also mean: "well, I didn't plan on this, but what the heck?" Some may like to relate pure vida to YOLO. People say pure vida all the time, arriving late, leaving early, saying hello, goodbye, what's up, etc. How cool that it's culturally a "thing" to say pure vida to basically anyone at any time. It's just like, spreading happiness to other people and being nice to others just for the heck of it. ¡PURA VIDA! P.S. I'm sorry I don't have pictures to post, my camera broke :(