"Traveling forces you to trust strangers and to lose sight of all that familiar comfort of home and friends. You are constantly off balance. Nothing is yours except the essential things - air, sleep, dreams, the sea, the sky - all things tending towards the eternal or what we imagine of it."
Cesare Pavese
 
Today we said goodbye to Bocas, and hello to Costa Rica! The next two weeks are the "adventure" portion of our trip, so we'll see what's in store. Until next time!
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World's Smallest Plane. (yes, we flew in that)
 
"Let yourself go. Pull out from the depths of those thoughts that you do not understand, and spread them out in the sunlight and know the meaning of them."
E.M. Forster
 
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Photo by Mikaela
Can you say a la playa? This past weekend my friends and I hit up the beach hard. With no Spanish classes, we spent our days soaking up the rays, catching some waves, playing beach volleyball with some locals, and snorkeling. It was so totally radical, dude.

 
Hola mis amigos! Yo tengo los clases de Espanol para cuatro horas, todos los dias. A mi me gusta las clases, pero yo hablo espanol un poco.
Translation: Hello my friends! I have Spanish classes for four hours every day. I like the classes, but I can only speak a little Spanish.

Check that out! I've been really enjoying my Spanish classes here (they are held outside! So cool!) even though they are incredibly long. It's crazy to think about my classes in high school which were 45 minutes and held 4 times per week, making a grand total of 3 hours per week. MEANING I study more Spanish in a day here than I did in a week back home! Es muy loco!

Over the past few years I have found that it's a lot more interesting to study a subject when you have a background to apply it to. This especially holds true for languages. I've been really eager to learn Spanish while I'm here (I wish I was fluent) so that I could actually converse with the people I'm surrounded by. I guess I'll just have to keep practicing! AKA Yo necessito practicar.
 
After a mere three days in Panama City, our group embarked on a small flight to Bocas del Toro where we oh so luckily got to share a plane with some classic, complaining American tourists. After being sufficiently obnoxious before and during the entire flight, they, upon landing, proceeded to become overly excited about a stray dog and decided they wanted nothing more than to snap 27 photos of it. Oh the exciting things you can find in foreign countries!

For the next ten days I will be attending more clases de Espanol in the morning, doing service work in the afternoon, and enjoying some sun in my free time.

So what are you up to?
 
Despite a rather eventful day of travel to get here, I did make it safe and sound to the school where we are staying for the next few days. Once I arrived I met the rest of my group with whom I will be traveling with for the next month. Meet: Jimmy, Ryan, Spencer, Jace, Mikaila, JT, Tucker, Me, and Melissa.
For the past three days we have been taking Spanish classes in the morning, and have had the afternoons free to wander around Panama City.

Trip Highlight:
On our last day of Spanish classes, we visited a local school so we could practice speaking with some local students. While I was there I had a most charming conversation with a man who told me he had had botox done a few days prior, and that he works for a safe sex company. He then so graciously gave me a handful of condoms. Just peachy.
 
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Ciudad de Panama
Hold the phone. Back this bus up. Because I am in Panama. Yep, you read that right. Panama. And oh my goodness, what a wild ride to get here. 

 
Well, this is it. In exactly 5 hours and 13 minutes I will be departing for Panama City, Panama. Holy cow is right. How did this happen?! (If you know the answer to that question, PLEASE fill me in, I am dying to know). I spent the majority of today stressed, anxious, terrified, tired, and about every other emotion in between. At lunch I ran away from home, back to the farm, and promptly decided to work there that afternoon. When 7 o'clock rolled around I seriously considered setting up camp in the little barn and staying there until the end of time. Who said anything about leaving? 

See the problem is, I am slightly addicted to adventure. I am constantly looking for the next great thing, and am always eager to try new things. Yet I always seem to conveniently forget the minor detail that I am TERRIBLE at transitions. Settling in somewhere is not my forte, and leaving is even worse. Yet, the majority of experiences that I find most fulfilling are the ones with a finite time attached. Sigh. 

All fear aside (with some difficulty), I am excited to go. I have never been to Central America before, and am eager to explore a new part of the world. I expect to meet some spectacular people, eat some scrumptious food, and partake in super fun activities such as surfing, service, rafting, zip-lining, learning Spanish, and who knows what else! I'm ready for something new, and eager to meet whatever is coming my way. 

So adios for now, but just for now.