Refreshing Perspective

'Journey in an Unknown Culture'
When I allow my mind to wander back to memories of Costa Rica, I immediately pinpoint a memory of hiking in the rainforest—sticky, sweet and of course, quintessentially dripping with rain. I took this trip with a group from my University and it was much like bungee jumping in the dark. I had never left the country before and the elementary years of Spanish had, of course, proved futile.
Yet those worries fluttered away once I arrived. Coming from my hometown which had been hit with a blizzard a few days prior, I literally soaked up the sunshine. With utter awe and eyes wide open, I feasted my eyes upon rolling hills that looked like they were asking to be put on a desktop background. We rented a van to drive around the countryside between destinations and my forehead would be pressed to the glass, wiping away my preconceived notion that there was nothing but rainforest. Among the various sights were fresh banana and papaya stands in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, spectacular volcanoes in the distance and a glowing green landscape due to the layers of fertile volcano ash. However the most exotic aspect was the wildlife. Besides seeing a multitude of cows and horses every which way, I spotted wild monkeys, hummingbirds in a rainbow of hues, and most excitingly a wild green parrot.
What I enjoyed most about the trip however, is that instead of doing touristy activities we were immersed in the casually hidden culture of Costa Rica. In the midst of million dollar resorts attracting celebrities, are forgotten native people. The people, despite being devastatingly poor in American standards, were content in enjoying company with others and even life itself. Such a seemingly small, yet significant life lesson is what travel is all about. I am a strong believer that we must indulge ourselves into travelling to see how others live in order to better understand ourselves. No matter what the location is, we must continue to strive for a connection between our neighbors within this wild place call home: Earth. I took the opportunity to go to Costa Rica because I was itching to travel. Now I can safely say that I have found a passion in both looking at the minute details as well as the big picture. Yet for the time being I try and hold on to the nostalgia of bikini weather and sounds of calypso in the back of my mind, that is, until the next journey.