This past winter break, my family and I took a trip to Costa Rica to visit my mom’s family. This was the first time I had gone to Costa Rica and met all of my mom’s first cousins. It was quite an emotional experience! Seeing where my grandma lived and learning about my ancestors’ history made me leave Costa Rica with a full heart. I truly found a missing part of myself in Costa Rica, and I am more than grateful to have this cherished experience before I turn 20!
I have little experience with traveling; I went on my first airplane ride the summer of my senior year in high school to New York, and I went to Nashville, Tennessee this past summer. So when my dad had booked a flight for Costa Rica last year, I did research on what life was like in Costa Rica. One thing that I quickly learned while researching was that I had to set aside my American ideals and keep an open mind. My mom is the first of American descent in her family, and even though she grew up in a Costa Rican household, my grandma Americanised many things in order for my mom and her siblings to fit in American society.
The first few days that I was in Costa Rica, we stayed at my cousin’s secluded beach resort that was located in the Puerto Viejo rainforest but was also right on the beach! Puerto Viejo is about a five-hour drive from the capital, San Jose. My family and I took a van that picked up other tourists on the way to Puerto Viejo. During the five hour drive, we all talked about how excited we were to be in Costa Rica! Many of the tourists were also there for the first time, while others came back to visit friends that they had made from a previous trip. My family and I stayed with my cousin and her three kids. It was crazy to see that my family lived in a rainforest all year round! The only thing that I had to get used to was being around wild animals. The only time that I was exposed to animals was when I went to the zoo, so being around animals that had the freedom and space to do what they wanted was terrifying! Luckily, the animals were never in close contact with us, but I was still scared when I heard the gorillas at night before I went to bed! Despite the gorillas at night, having the opportunity to be in the rainforest for a few days was an experience that I will never forget. I learned that I was able to adapt to new environments well, think thoroughly during hard situations, and realize how much I truly enjoy being with my family. On the second to last day in Puerto Viejo, my family and I visited the area where my great grandmother raised her eight kids. It was so heartwarming watching my Mom videotape the area that my grandma grew up in! After we left Puerto Viejo, we went to San Jose and stayed with more family for the last two days that we were in Costa Rica.
