Día 10 - miércoles, el 18 de enero

We’re leaving today.  We got to sleep in a little bit this morning, which was nice, especially since we will have a very late night by the time we get back to Spirit Lake. 

Of course I’m anxious to get back home to see Josh & Lucas & Leah, but I will miss it here, too.  One of the YouTube videos we watched during class before we left said that Costa Rica was “the home of the happiest people on earth.”  I thought, “Yeah, I’m sure they’re just saying that.”  But seriously, everyone here is really happy. From Jimmy & José to our host families to almost every single other person we’ve encountered, the Ticos are truly happy people and seem to be very thankful for all that they have and truly appreciate the people in their lives.  I’d even say that they’re more than happy - they’re joyful.  It’s interesting because most Americans have so much more material things, but we’re not as happy. 

I’ve been thinking about this trip from my role as a teacher’s standpoint, wondering if I would change anything for future trips, and I honestly don’t think I would.  I think the itinerary has been great--a good mix of different activities, and enough to keep us busy and occupied but not so much that we felt like we were running every moment of every day.  It was really a good balance.  We had outdoorsy activities and educational activities, active and more laid-back.  It was truly a great itinerary.  I think the students feel the same way, at least that’s what they told me last night in our nightly meeting.

I mentioned in yesterday’s post that I feel so thankful to have been able to experience Costa Rica with such a great group of students.  I truly am thankful!  They’ve been so awesome - everyone has had a great attitude, and they’ve been respectful of everyone in every single situation.  They’ve participated well in every activity and have been open to new things and ideas.  They have made what would have been a really good trip into a fabulous trip!  I am truly thankful for all of these students!

Tomorrow we will be back in school, getting to work on our projects for class.  I’m anxious to see the students’ work and their reflections on the trip. 

We’ll be leaving the hotel soon.  Hopefully all of our travels will be safe and will go smoothly.  It’ll be a shock to step out into the cold midwest weather tonight in Minneapolis.  (It’s absolutely perfect weather right now here in San José - it’s 78 degrees, sunny with not much humidity.)  I’ll definitely miss the Costa Rica weather!

Hasta luego, Costa Rica - it’s been an amazing week and a half.  ¡Pura vida!