La Pura Vida

Departure approaches!

Well, here I sit - in this internet cafe for the last time til August. At 7:30 tomorrow morning I´ll take a taxi to the local bus terminal and get on the bus to Guacimo - should arrive around 10. My family will be waiting... will be living with Erlinda Quesada, husband Mario Vargas, sons Adrian 20ish, Freddy 23, and daughter Jenny 20ish.

So many thoughts fluttering through my mind but can´t begin to know what to put down. Have been in this sort of lingering state a lot - as if I am trying to remember an important question, though at the same time I know that I never even formulated a question to begin with.

At this moment, I feel ready. Welcoming the newness and unknown - I recognize this pattern from leaving the United States. In the days before I was more emotional and pensive but then when the departure time grew closer I snapped into ready mode. Perhaps - though when I read that over it doesn´t describe my thoughts exactly...but then no words really can. And who knows how I´ll be feeling in an hour. This summer journey is definitely an interesting one for emotion-tracking!

Checked out books today from the ICADS library:
Culture and Imperialism
The Development Dictionary: A Guide to Knowledge as Power
Free Trade and Economic Restructuring in Latin America

Excited to delve in.

Final classes today and then a fabulous lunch at Cafe Mundo. Bread with olive oil, mozzarella and tomato salad, and then the high point a Pecan Pie with Ice Cream (deserves those caps) that I´ve heard much about. Wow...full now but oh so delicious. The coordinators treated us - (somewhat jokingly?) told us to savor the rich food (Que Rico! a common expression here esp in dining situations) since off in the campo we´ll only have rice and beans.

Just did errands in the local supermarket with Jess and Erika after saying goodbye to everyone (how strange-didn´t we just get here?) and then parted ways from them. Indescribable feeling walking away on my own-independence, a little abandonment though perhaps in a positive way, excitement, incredulity. Will hopefully see them in a couple weeks.

Much to say but no words. I feel alive, ready to go enjoy this time with Mary at home, and then ready for what tomorrow will bring! No doubt this first week will be a time of acclimation - Jose a coordinator explained that we´ll probably feel overly sensitive (to sights, sounds, words, everything). That´s a good state to be in I think.

Off to the land of bananas and more as yet undiscovered goodness!

Thanks for reading. More to come--sometime, couple weeks, sooner perhaps? Unsure. Will be thinking of those at home and everywhere.

Guacimo/Africa here I come!

posted by Colleen @ 5:31 PM