Personal Narrative: Costa Rica

It was my first time in the Dominican Republic, away from my parents and traveling alone. It was also my first mission trip and I loved every minute of it. As I sat and looked around the village of slums and shacks, I saw that the people were so giving and friendly. They had next to nothing, and yet they were still volunteering to give more.

Costa Rica is certainly more than a vacation location, It a place that makes you want to come back for many long lifetime memories. It a place that gives you interactive experience each day. The country provides a collection of biodiversity and environmental charm in which you want to crave more each day. With royal volcanoes, foggy cloud forests, stunning river valleys, and tons of beaches along both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts. Costa Rica can grant you an amazing story that you can explore with its lovely geographic location. It shows the history of how peaceful and family driven culture is. So came explore what we call Costa Rica.

Visiting a different island in the Caribbean each summer has always been a family tradition of mine. The first few years never failed to make me fall in love with each and every one of them, but once my family suggested on visiting Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, the eighth year, my thoughts were not so hyped. Going to the same sea each year can get old and boring. When we finally got to Punta Cana, falling in love was too short of a term to describe what I felt for it. As soon as we landed we were greeted with songs and happiness all around. The nobleness lingering in the atmosphere, coconut smell in the air, and architecture went beyond my imagination.

Even though my mother was Mexican it was hard for me to speak to my friends who knew mostly Spanish and a little English because Spanish was not my first language. As years went on, I went to high school, where now I can have a full conversation with my Spanish speaking friends, and since it is an international high school, it brings in more cultural diversity. With this international high school in El Paso, it has helped me learn new cultures and experience the dozens of traits they do for activities or how they celebrate

We ate at a restaurant there in which the owner made ox carts. He did all of the woodwork using hydroelectricity with a waterwheel in the back. They were all also hand painted and hand carved pieces. It was very beautiful. We finally got to Turriabla that night. The next day we went to the college and botanical gardens of CATIE. In the botanical gardens we got to try all of the different fruits grown in Costa Rica. They are all very good and different tasting. Even the mangos and pineapples taste so much better there. Now that we are back I dislike the ones here. One example of something we tried there was called the miracle fruit. It made anything you ate afterwards that was sour taste sweet and it actually worked. We toured the coffee plantation there as well as the college campus and had more traditional Costa Rican food in the cafeteria there. Finally, in Turriabla we went to a fruit market and an ice cream shop and practiced our Spanish. We then prepared for our third stop.

Among my international experiences, I especially value the two-month study abroad in Spain. I chose to go there because of my interest in Spanish language and culture that was originally developed through a four-week Spanish beginner workshop during the summer break prior to my study abroad trip. In Spain, I lived mainly in Salamanca, a small old city in northwestern Spain, which was declared as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Thanks to my parents, who had the confidence and trust to let me go

I was no longer considered a child on March 29, 2014 when I had celebrated my Quinceañera among family and friends.

Cortez) if she thought he would, because she had also met with the parents before, so she knew of him. Come to find out, Mrs. Cortez was the father’s ESOL teacher years ago at Statesboro High School. She knew him better than I thought. During the process on a one on one interview with Luis Nava, my student’s father, Luis and I sat in my conference room at the school where I teach. He showed very much emotion when telling his story. It was a very humbling experience to here and watch someone tell a story first hand or something that I personally, had ever heard on movies. As he continued to talk, I couldn’t help but think of Nathan, (my student, his son) and how I had treated him as teacher. Had I been as welcoming as I could to my classroom? Had I showed understanding when he didn’t seem to understand? Questions began to overwhelm me as I thought of how I present myself as a teacher, educator, and friend to all of my students that are from a different culture than

The Flores are a family of five that lives in Los Angeles, California. Elizabeth,32,is the mother. Lily,14,is the daughter .Bridget,13,is the daughter. Alexis,13,is the daughter, Katherine,14,is the daughter.Elizabeth is employed at two jobs a cosmetologist and a in Los angeles california why she chose that job was because for one she have four kids two they both make good money and three she enjoy both of my jobs and what she will do.

-I learned error, I made it the Dominican Republic and was to have given affection, friendship and confidence to people who did not deserve. This happened out of nowhere and It was created a serious mistake in my life, people existed which gave him affection, help and there was no care about anything. I started to love and treat them like family to me, they were people who shared daily, at school, my free time and the more things. Always looking for the best for everyone on Regardless nothing, always I wanted to know how they were, everything.

After a short while, it became a bit of a family tradition to take trips down to the sandy beaches of Mexico, and see what new things we could discover. Yet, that wasn't enough for my father, so when I turned eight, my parents sold everything, bought a sailboat, and we moved aboard. Having grown up abroad, seeing new people, learning how to speak Spanish, adapting to new cultures, my childhood overseas has given me the chance to see the earth from a whole new perspective.

This question drove me back to high school. I attended a military school back from my home country, Ecuador, we only where surrounded by males. It was not difficult for me to cope, because I was in my comfort zone. However, I moved to New York City 10 years ago and I am still in the process of adaptation. I am still seeking to develop coping skills to adapt to my new environments, work, school, friends. Similar, I wanted to fit in and I seek for people that look, think and come from my same backgrounds. But, I did not give myself the opportunity to look for other friends. I even isolated myself. Once I started to give the chance to other people I got in trouble, because they want to use you, people want to take advantage of you one way or another,

In my travels of the world I have found myself immersed in many cultures and varieties of ethnicity; I have been very fortunate to live in a day and age where such communication and experience is possible in one lifetime. I have seen La Cathedral de Notre Dame, the Statue of Liberty, the home of Da Vinci, and so many more wonderfully spiritual and historic monuments. Yet still I can say with the utmost certainty that no location has left such a lasting impact on my soul as the quaint, simple country of Costa Rica. Although many places have penetrated me with a sense of what the majestic earth and her inhabitants are capable of and have forced me to question whether or not anything is beyond the grasp of human ingenuity, none have brought

Hello again, Alexa here, back in my home town safe and sound. Words cannot express how grateful and blessed I truly am to have had your financial and prayer support these past six months! Costa Rica has been not only an adventure, but also a journey. It was an adventure because I was able to go somewhere with a new culture, different ideas, and unfamiliar faces. The foreign aspect of the trip allowed me to place my total trust in God. I ventured up mountains and played fútbol (soccer) in the dirt. I served in villages so dangerous, even ambulances were instructed not to go in and help. I witnessed little ones cry tears of joy when they were given a soccer ball to keep but also their eyes light up with excitement when I taught them how to apply temporary tattoos! Moreover, Costa Rica was a journey because of what i underwent spiritually throughout my time there serving. I was humbled and made more culturally aware especially in regards to the needs and struggles Costa Ricans face everyday. The second day in Costa Rica we spent at a church in a secluded village near the valleys. Each of us had a station whether it be face painting, passing out bags of different foods (rice, tuna, vegetables, beans, and other canned foods), dancing, craft making, or just playing ball with the boys. I was instructed to apply temporary tattoos on the children. Many of the tattoo designs included the well known Jesus fish with words like Faith or Hope. I would say "Quieres solo," or Do you want

It was the last day of my trip, and while I was washing plates in my grandmother’s house, the sunlight was reflected on the plates to my eyes. The fear going through my veins, my mind confused with everything that have happened two weeks ago. Uncertainty of what event would destroy or rebuild my heart. What would happen next ?. The future is unpredictable, so far that is a concept that now I understand. Considering the time spent in my country Colombia , vacations, friends, and parties were the words that stay on my mind for the first two weeks, otherwise the next two weeks were not what I planned. Firstable I was not supposed to be there for these last two weeks, but I am grateful. “No puedes viajar hoy” were the words asserted by the airline