This posting was submitted by the Costa Rica students with 1 week left in their host communities…
With only one week left in our villages it’s hard to believe we will soon be packing up all of our things and saying goodbye. It feels like just yesterday that we arrived here in our communities, meeting everyone for the first time. All of the people who were once unfamiliar to us have become our Costa Rican mami’s, papi’s, hermanos, hermanas and amigos. I would say that they are just our temporary family but I know that for many of us, although seperated by distance, we will remain close with these people for a long time.
Individually, spread out between 3 villages, we have all formed strong relationships with our families. Allie had a big family reunion, over 80 family and friends came to her house to celebrate! Elana went to her sisters high school with her and spent a whole day there. Emily has been enjoying time with her grandmother who has fully recoved. Emma experienced an authentic Costa Rican quinciñera and has enjoyed spending time with her extended family. I, Blair, have been thrilled to finally have my newborn baby brother home from the hospital.
Our last week teaching at the school will be spent finishing up our final lessons and projects. We will also be cherishing each of our final moments with our families. I can confidentally say that we will all miss our families and our communities very much. We have truly become a part of this culture and able to really feel comfortable in our routines here.
