Overall, I've been doing the same ole same ole - escaping to the jungles of my beloved Matapalo, staying in my quaint little tent, and learning to totally carve, shredding the wave, mae (haha imagine that in my best surfer voice). I've even gotten Paco addicted too - he's standing up and turning on green waves! AND, I met the owner of the nicest resort in the area, and he gave me (plus a friend) free lunch (followed by gourmet dessert!) and access to the exclusive waterfall hiking trail. The resort is on the mountaintop overlooking the Pan Dulce break and the untouched jungle, so needless to say that day was full of wonder, adventure, beauty, and the royal treatment!
The new king of surf
And the newest surf instructor in town
A set coming in a Pan Dulce, seen from Lapa Rios (the resort)
Jumping off the falls at Lapa Rios
Other than surfing...A few weeks ago, I had another friend, Robert, come down from Escazu and hike Corcovado National Park with me. If this tell you anything, National Geographic describes the park as "the most biologically intense place on Earth in terms of biodiversity." Pretty cool, huh? We took Friday to hike the 8 hours into the park to Sirena Station, and we spent all day Saturday, and much of the day Sunday, exploring the trails around the station. Our favorite hike was a 4am jungle hike. We were some of the only brave souls going at this whole thing without a guide, but no more than 15 feet into the trail, we see two eyes, about waist level, coming for us! I then saw two of the same eyes that were only maybe knee high. Oh no, had we just run across an aggressive mother puma and her baby cub or something?!?! Afterall, the two were coming straight for us!!! Frozen, we watched a tapir and it's baby emerge into the light of our flashlights. COOL! And what a relief! Tapirs are very docile, and partially blind, so she must have been blinded by our lights. She got about 10ft away from us before she turned towards the river for her routine bath at dawn. We saw many other wild animals (like ant eaters, snakes, crocs, plenty of exotic birds, and monkeys), but we were the ONLY ones to see the tapir and it's baby that weekend!!! So much for needing a guide! We explored each trail in the area except one before we caught the boat to Bahia Drake. We had originally planned to hike out, but our feet were torn up, so we had a change of plans. Thanks to travel agent Paco, we were able to get a boat ride to Drake, where we stayed the night and caught the oddest series of transportation ever back to Jimenez. Let's just say, the 4am "bus" ended up being a pick up truck (that we shoved 15 people into), a broken down short bus, and a regular sized bus that got us home 3 hours later than planned. Oh well, it just added to the adventure!
We made it into the park!
Looonnnggggg hike....
Anteater!
And other "wild life" haha
Taking the boat out to Drake
The last few weeks of school have also been an adventure. I think we changed the date of the last day of school about 3 times, so needless to say, my students stop showing up on the earliest of those dates haha Parent conferences went well - I'm happy and proud to say that I DID make a difference while I was there. My older students were very sad to see me go. They told me they had enjoyed that I made class interesting, and indirectly, they told me that my passion for teaching showed through my work in the classroom. The parents were also sad to see me go, and it warmed my heart when the mother of my most difficult student told me she could tell a big difference in her child's motivation at school. She told me that her child had commented on how well we got along, and the fact that I took interest in her made the difference. More than any money in the world, this is why I am a teacher.
My last weekend was spent in Matapalo of course. AND Mother Nature heard my prayers - a swell came in Friday-Monday, right on the money. I'll admit, the swell was a little HUGE for me on Saturday, but Sunday and especially Monday, I caught some good rides. I am so excited that I can see myself improving. I still wipeout hard, but I have also learned to turn so that I can cruise up and down the face of the wave. A long way from riding whitewater on a 9'6 longboard just months ago! And I am addicted FOR SURE, like I always knew I would be. Ever since I was young, I knew this would be a sport I'd get hooked on. I will never live far from a break ever again. In fact, one of the hardest parts of leaving was parting with my beloved board. I knew it, but I didn't fully realize how good of a match my board and I are. It has been exactly what I've needed to learn, grow, and push my limits on the wave. Just like a first love, my first board will always hold a special place in my heart. I trust it's next owner (a fellow surfer and friend of mine) loves it well.
My true love haha
Being silly between waves
Alright, so now the burning question on everyone's mind - "Are you excited to come home?" Ahhhh what a tough question. I've laughed, I've cried, I've made some big decisions, gone through a big breakup, and had some big adventures here. Yes, living in Puerto Jimenez is very challenging, and would I like to live there long term? No way. But it's been a learning and growing experience for sure. I've learned so much about myself by doing things alone - going to the jungle alone and surfing and forging my own way in the teaching world. Spiritually, I am also a stronger person, and I've seen a few characteristics in myself that I wasn't so sure I had. I've gained guts, or "intestinal fortitude" as a coach once put it. I've made wonderful friends with like mindsets and met even strangers who encourage me along my path of great, unknown adventures, and what I've taken away from that is that I'm NOT crazy! My dreams CAN be real, and I CAN pursue my passion for teaching in this way.
As far as coming home from this whirlwind, I am very nervous. No one warns you about REVERSE culture shock, and it hit me hard when I came back from Escazu last time. The thing is, compared to Jimenez, Escazu is soooooo westernized and similar to home. If I had reverse culture shock coming home from THAT, I'm scared to see what it'll be like this time....I'm going to freeze, first of all, and English will feel somewhat foreign in public places. Everyone will look weird and be wearing weird clothes, and what in the world is a dishwasher or clothes dryer again?!?! Blankets?! What are those? A CAR - like I even know how to drive anymore. Everyday complaints will seem so trivial. Waking up to noisy traffic or people yelling instead of macaws squawking and monkeys howling....Not to mention, by U.S. standards, I am broke out of my mind. On top of all this, I'm coming home for the most chaotic time of year - Christmas. (Luckily, I've already got some presents made and others ready to make!)
So, in the end, yes I will be happy to see friends and family, but I am sad to be leaving friends and the place I've come accustomed to. Matapalo, especially, is such a rare gem that will always hold onto my heart. You never know, maybe I'll end up there again one day, surfing Backwash. Back to my surfing stomping grounds.
The other question on everyone's mind - "So what's next?" Great question. I'll let you know when I figure that part out.......I'm looking for a job though, so please let me know if you know someone who knows someone or anything! My hopes are high to do a Workaway (Google it) on the northern coast of Spain, where I can teach English, improve my Spanish, and live ON the beach, right in front of the surf break. Sounds pretty sweet to me...........
Onto the plane. Peace out, Costa Rica. Once again, you have not failed me. Pura Vida.
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