In the unknown I find myself

May 5th, 2013, the day was finally here. I had flown 13 hours, met a surfer on the plane who was flying to see his girlfriend and a woman who had packed her whole life to open up a coffee shop amongst people who spoke in a language she could only half understand. "She is loco" was my initial thought but what I was doing flying to Costa Rica all by myself didn't seem so sane either. Now there I was, as the plane landed in Costa Rica I had a mixed emotion of happiness, nervousness and chaos resulting in anxiety. "Is the volunteering program I applied to a scam?" "What if no one comes to pick me up at the airport?" "but the program had promised someone would come pick me up, oh yes I remember, what if the program was a money making scam?" However when I saw a lady holding a board with my name along with 5 other names I just said,"yes!" to myself with a full grin. As I stepped out of the airport the weather blew me away. It was 9pm and I did not need a winter jacket like here in Calgary, Canada I reside in. I saw palm trees and felt humid breeze on my face, it was at that point I knew that that I made a right decision. I was to stay for seven days in Costa Rica and spend five days volunteering in a day care helping children from low income families. Costa Rica was just beautiful, not only for the nature it holded but also for the friendship the Costa Ricans could provide. I was staying with a host family who made delicacies such as gallo pinto( rice and beans) and casados (mixture of salad, beans, planktons and more). In the volunteering program I met people from around the world with whom I could share ideas with, expand with. There were beautiful churches, even the crowd and traffic had left me adrenaline high. There was never a dull moment, the girl who found herself comfortable surrounded by her room, music and books was now either out volunteering with kids, exploring the street markets and bargaining, asking direction in a broken spanish or chatting with the roomates on the backyard of her host family. I don't know if I already knew the answer to why I made such an impulsive move but by the end of my trip I definitely transformed into the living entity of those very wanting- Independent, happy and accomplished.