Saying Goodbye

Last night my host mom prepared a nice goodbye dinner for me to share with my family. She wanted to make sure I was comfortable knowing I could go out and enjoy my last few days in Costa Rica without feeling the responsibility of staying at home, so she made the meal on Wednesday. It was a tasty meal... and it was just nice to sit down with the whole family and goof around a little bit. It is amazing how close I have grown to this family in just 4 months. They are some of the kindest and most welcoming people I have ever met. We even had a cake! (I know you all understand how rare sweets are here... since I have only emphasized it daily). It was a sweet gesture, but it made me realize how much I will miss things here. I have been homesick the past 2 weeks, so I hadn't put a lot of thought into how much I was going to miss this experience.

I cannot believe how close I am to coming home. As I look back and think of the fact that I have spent 104 days in this country, 2 more days here seems surreal. I have learned and gained so much through this experience, with all the good times and the bad, that I cannot imagine never being in this situation again. I am sitting in the same building that I have sat in almost every day that I have been in Costa Rica. I am surrounded by the faculty and friends that have made this experience so enjoyable and memorable. Tonight, I will go home to the host family that welcomed me into the country with love and respect. How can it be that I may never see these people again? People have been heading home gradually throughout the past hour...and I feel so torn with emotion. I am SO excited to get back home to the people I love most; yet, I am sad to leave those who have shared such a unique experience with me. All goodbyes are difficult, but I have never experienced one like this. I thought it was hard to say goodbye as I was leaving for Costa Rica... well-knowing that I was going to return in 4 months! Recognizing that I may never see some of these people who have changed my life again is impossible.

All in all, I just want the faculty and students of ACM to know how lucky I am to have gotten to know them, learn from them, and grow with them. It has truly been a life-changing experience. I cannot wait to go home and share the many things I have learned with the people that mean the most to me.