Goodbyes

Benji and I on Masaya Volcano.

Its very hard to explain the feelings I'm having right now. One of the most interesting experiences in my  life is about to be over. You would think that I would be used to this by now...but nope, it still sucks!

The rafting crew

We came together as 31 strangers, not really sure what to expect out of each other and this semester. Costa Rica was new to all of us not like anything we'd ever experienced before.
Now, there's only 3 of us, and I'm stuck in some weird emotional limbo. I've said goodbye to everyone else. But I'm still here on campus, waiting as if they're just in town and will be back any minute.

Chirripó summit!

Our first hike with Achim

Prom pic!

The rest of the group left at 4:30am for their flights home. We said our goodbyes that didn't seem quite real yet. "This is weird," I kept telling myself. "This is really weird." We stood at the gate, and down the line they went, wishing us each a safe flight home and good next semester, many of us blatantly ignoring the fact that we might not be seeing each other for a very long time. The goodbyes were rushed and unreal. Before I knew it, they were on the bus and we weren't. I couldn't stand it any more and the emotions finally caught up with me.

on Maderas volca

A final wave and the bus was out of sight. We stood there in silence as we let it all sink in. This was the end.

But now I'm still on campus, making this goodbye even more surreal. We had a great semester. Not what I was expecting, but exactly how I wanted it to go. I have a new family of 30 people and I'm sure we can all say that this was a life changing semester.

I'm going to miss them a lot these next couple weeks. But that's life and things will get easier. Its important to remember: without a sad goodbye, the hello wouldn't have been worth it.


Pura Vida, mae.
SFS Costa Rica Fall 2012