The Place it All Began...

I sit on the roof of the backpackers hostel where this whole crazy adventure began almost three years ago.  I look out at the same city lights, the same McDonald’s arch… but the feeling that accompanies these sights is as different as it is to take a shower with hot water ;] 

I remember the night I arrived to Costa Rica for the first time in the summer of 2012.  I was terrified. I was trembling.  I took a taxi from the airport (that the hostel had organized), went up to the roof, and felt like I was a fish looking out of my bowl at the big scary world.  Let me help you understand that image by explaining that the roof has a glass wall surrounding it.  When I called my parents I cried.  I felt so alone and so far away.  I could not believe what I had done and was pretty sure it was not a good idea.  Oh, how wrong I was and oh, how much I have grown.  

Now, I navigate the bustling streets with the ease of a local – popping in and out of shops, purchasing the last minute clothes and shoes I need for my voyage to the US.  That in itself is pretty amazing to me because shopping had never been something I enjoyed… in fact it was something that gave me much anxiety.  Therefore, last minute pressure shopping in an unknown city should be super stressful for me, right?  Another example of how we’re presented with the tests we’re ready for in order to grow.  In only 3 hours, running on only 5 hours of sleep, following a 4 hour bus ride, I came out with: cute grey boots, leggings, underwear, a pair of dress pants, and a nice dress.  Yes!!! Maybe I do better when there’s no time to debate or think or consider.  Gut instinct, risk, next thing.  That’s what shopping was today.  It also helped that the Ticas in each store are so attentive that you have a personal shopping assistant that also acts like your girlfriend and tells you exactly how she thinks you look in the whole outfit :] 

So now…I embark on the next adventure that also feels a bit scary.  Maybe the best adventures are.  And because of my bravery today, maybe I’ll match a little bit more. Now, I can walk in more confidently dressed… ready to present my shining inner self safely and warmly wrapped in those clothes.