Reflection

Prior to Travel

This trip was my second Study Abroad trip. Last May I went to Japan with the Computer Science department. This time I chose to go to Costa Rica. I signed to go because I felt in me it was to go back to Costa Rica. I signed to take a biology course which would meet my Science requirement. I had asked early on about spending some hours with family there. They money came easily. As we began to meet once a week for the class requirement, I got more excited about the trip. I was more excited about seeing my family than I was taking the course. As the days went on I began to review the material for the course and got it straight that this was for course credit and not for my family (family was an added bonus). The day came when I had to get my injections and buy things that I needed for the trip. I felt really excited about going back to Costa Rica. The following week we left. Going into this trip I only knew one person and that was a fellow Computer Science major named Larry Williamson. As we got to Costa Rica people in the group began to talk to talk to me. We talked about Costa Rica and most interesting was my dad. Apparently some went to see him talk about his life in Costa Rica and in the stated.

Arrival

When I arrived outside of the airport, I started to remember the first time I arrived in Costa Rica in December 1994. I looked around to see what had changed. I noticed the taxis had changed since I was last there, after a while I was asked more questions about Costa Rica. Then as we boarded and proceeded to travel, I looked for more changes. I noticed there were more road signs, more restaurants, etc.

The Course

We stayed in three places while in Costa Rica. One was for Biological Study, Fun Time and Biological Study, and to just have some fun time. La Selva was our primary place we stayed at. I got to see (I didn't know it at the time) and cross the suspension bridge were "After Earth" was filmed. There we did nature hikes and worked on our research projects. I got to use my computer science skills to do my research project. While were in La Selva, we visited the Poas Volcano and got to see chocolate be made from Cocoa Beans. This location we saw various types of wildlife. Most commonly we saw Peccaries and Howler Monkeys.

The next place we stayed was Tortuguera. We had to take a boat to get there. We were greeted with a cocktail. This was a resort: it had a pool, a canopy zip line, and a list of activities to do. We saw were turtles go to nest, saw a three types of monkeys in one tree. We had the opportunity to swim in the pool and some us took advantage to swim. We had another nature hike and a boat ride down the canals. Apparently you can get to Nicaragua from Tortuguera. The highlight was doing the Canopy Zip Line. What a time that was. In Tortuguera we had a lot of free time.

The last place we stayed at was El Ricon de San Jose. This was to go around and do some shopping. At this point I had made arrangements to go see my family. This is thanks to my professors on the trip.

Family Reunion

As soon as I arrived at El Ricon de San Jose, I put my stuff in my room and left to get a ride with my Uncle. We went to buy some souvenirs for some people I was going to buy stuff for. Then we went to my relatives’ house. By driving in the area I noticed some major changes. I went into the house and got to see a lot of people from my family. We went to the pulperia down the street and it is now a Mini-Supermarket. On the way back I went to see my third house I lived in (which is right across from my relatives’ house) and saw that it was painted a different color and had a garage door. One thing I noticed was that my relatives’ house was smaller but I guess that is what happens when you come back years later. There was a huge party in my honor. Throughout, the night my aunts, uncles, and cousins (from my dad’s side of the family) came to see me. This was a great time because I was surrounded by family. On the way back to the hotel we took a highway to get to the hotel. This was near my relatives’ house. I learned things do change and nothing stays the way it was.

Trip End

When I left Costa Rica, I was really happy. I got to see my family, get a course credit, and I learned how my priorities should be. By the end of this trip my priorities changed. I was more focused on the task at hand than seeing my family. I really enjoyed seeing them but I was worn out because of all the week long activities we did. I had a tear drop down my right cheek when the airline attendants said we had reached Georgia. It is a great experience but at the beginning my priorities were not in the right order. When I saw "Costa Rica" I thought of my family. I really love my family and my love my education. I am glad I learned this lesson and I am glad I was able to see my family again. Now to see what happens next in my life. I mean life after graduation.