Wow! How time flies! Four months have passed and it’s already time to go back home. Well, sort of home!
I do feel like I am ready to leave. Yet, I ‘m not very ready to return to Holland. The most troublesome part for me is the cold, followed by the responsibilities of living by myself, assuming my “regular” life again.
The part that just breaks my heart is having to leave all the wonderful people I met here. It’s hard for me to describe how much these incredibly humble people have meant to me. They just opened their homes for me and made me feel welcome. As for work, it used to feel normal being with them every day and drinking a cup of coffee or tea at 10 AM, while talking about silly things and making jokes about the “novios.” But now that I’m leaving it’s getting to me how exceptional that is.
I’m sure that if I had done this internship in for instance Europe I would’ve never had had this type of experience.
What can I say about my time here in Costa Rica? It was Amazing! I’ve seen so many wonderful things that I had never seen before in my life. I explored the beautiful nature and the exceptional wildlife, while also uncovering another side of myself. A side that cares about nature, and that sees the importance of conservation and protecting our planet.
As for my time here at Tropical Adventures / Casa Milagro foundation, I can definitely say that it was a very valuable experience. I will most certainly be using the knowledge and experience I gained in the future. And I am so very glad that I was able to contribute, in any way I might have.
As I may have already mentioned in some of my previous blogs, the best part of my whole experience here, one of the many things I won’t forget and one of the few reasons I would want to come back to visit Costa Rica in the future, are the wonderful people I met during my stay here.
Being one of the few “extranjeras” in town can get you a lot of attention. Especially since I’m not “gringa” (which is what they call most white people in Costa Rica, even if they are not from the USA) and I come from an island many people have never heard of (Curacao), I sometimes got extra attention.
Many people would even know my name, or know where I come from without my ever talking to them!
Even some of the 7-8 year old kids would yell “Hola Tiffany!” if they saw me walking down the street. This could sometimes make my day! There are even some kids who texted me to ask when we were going to do another Cinema Night. And when I told them I was leaving they appeared to be almost as sad as I am. It breaks my heart having to say goodbye, but I am incredibly glad that I meant something for them!
I want to use this blog entry to also thank all these amazing people in the town of Hojancha. The Tropical Adventures and FUNDECODES staff who were so incredibly nice to me. To Marielos, Nelly, Mariana and Maritza who took me into their home, and all of the friends I made there!
It truly was a pleasure meeting you all and I hope to come visit you sometime in the future!
By Tiffany Dunker