Lessons Learned (or Recalled) While Traveling by Carolyn

I recently had the opportunity to study abroad a week in Costa Rica. Here are some reflections on that trip:

1. The beauty and variety of nature is infinite. I live in a beautiful place, with rolling hills and blue skies and scenic vistas, but Costa Rica has an entirely different kind of natural beauty. Nature has a perfectly-designed playground there: warm temperatures, fertile soil, golden sunshine, and lots and lots of rainfall. Everywhere you look there are brilliantly-colored blooms, vines and shrubs and grass of every possible shade of green, and towering leafy trees. The flora and fauna is largely different from what I am familiar with, but beautiful and lush and intriguing.

2. Doing hard things is rewarding. Our first outing was a hike through the rainforest up to a waterfall. The trail, about two miles long, wound up the side of a mountain. It was rocky and muddy and treacherous. I am not in good shape physically - my idea of a workout is walking to the mailbox and back - so this was a very daunting prospect for me. It turned out to be even more difficult than I had anticipated. I was gasping for breath just a few minutes into the hike. Many times I was tempted to quit and return to the lodge, but I persisted. My legs shook, my breath rasped, and my hands were stiff from clutching the walking stick. My boots (necessary because of venomous snakes) were heavily coated with red muck. I slipped and slid and saved myself by clinging to branches overhanging the trail. We eventually reached the end of the trail. The glory of the waterfalls burst upon us, cascading into a frothy pool of clear, cool water. The air was full of shimmering droplets carried by the breeze. I felt invincible as sloshed through the pools of cold water and climbed up the rocks to stand triumphant under the falling water. It was a moment I will treasure; partly because of the natural beauty, partly because I was part of a group of lovely people, but mostly because of what I had to overcome to be there.

3. Traveling together can turn strangers into friends. The group of people I traveled with were virtually unknown to me before we went on this trip. I had "met" a few of them online, but the vast majority were strangers. Some were similar to me - white, female, Texan. Others were not. It didn't much matter. We bonded over being visitors to an unknown land: fighting off bugs, avoiding vipers, test-tasting leaves and bark and weird-looking fruits, being sweaty and hot and tired, trying unfamiliar foods, and learning new things. We are now friends.

4. A simple life does not preclude happiness. We tend to judge happiness by the amount of stuff we accrue, how big our house is, how new and fancy our vehicle is. We arrogantly impose our materialistic standards on other societies, believing that others must strive for wealth and possessions as we do. While I was in Costa Rica, the vast majority of the houses I saw were probably less than 800 square feet. Some looked sturdy and well-built, but many others were ramshackle and decidedly leaning to one side. Laundry hung out on lines across the (miniscule) yards. Doors stood open to whatever slight breezes blew through; no air-conditioning. The schools were tiny and ill-equipped. Children played outside - not on playscapes, but in the small areas around the houses or the schools or on a nearby soccer field. The schools were tiny and poorly equipped. In spite of what we might consider deprivation, almost every person I saw was smiling.

5. We get by with a little help from our friends. Some of us needed a boost to climb up particularly steep sections of trails, some of us needed a hand with academics, some of us needed to borrow someone else's phone, some of us needed to use someone else's bug spray, some of us needed to borrow thick socks to wear under mud boots, some of us just needed an encouraging word. We all needed something from our new friends; we all gave willingly.

6. Travel broadens our knowledge and understanding. On every excursion we took, whether on the chocolate and coffee tour, or the hike up the volcano, or the float down the river, or the visit to the experimental organic/biodiversity farm, or our trip to the local schools or the animal rescue center, or the aforementioned torturous trek up to the waterfall, we learned a vast amount of new information. We learned about the defenses plants use against their enemies, how termites can keep you alive, why sloths have spiders nesting in their fur, the reason farmers move their cattle often, what a secondary forest is, what cacao tastes like before it becomes chocolate, how frogs were used as weapons, and so much more. Everything we learned added to our knowledge of the world and therefore, our understanding of the marvelous world we occupy and the other cultures who call it home.

7. There's no place like home. As wonderful as traveling can be, there is a sense of relief at returning home to the comforts we have created for ourselves. Perhaps nothing makes us more grateful and appreciative of our own blessings as coming back to them after being away.