Preparation for the trip has gone smoothly; I've had lots of time to be making my packing list. Over the past two months, in working as the Costa Rica Center Liaison for Whitworth "North" while I was finishing my last semester of undergrad studies in Spokane, I have been prepping the Jan Term freshmen and spring semester students who will be studying abroad at the CRC. This has provided me with much advanced thought and preparation for my own move abroad. So I had a nice list that I just had to follow. I spent yesterday (with my sister Audrey--thanks so much, Budsey!!!) and this morning checking off all my little "to do boxes" and packing... and trying to cram it all into 2 suitcases... which I failed at.
You see, there is a difference between packing to LIVE abroad and TRAVELING abroad. Traveling can be done with very light packing; you can wear the same clothes day in and day out, and you pretty much require the same gear on a day to day basis. You're being on the road, and not settling in. Living abroad requires packing up a variety of belongings, to suit a diversity of settings and circumstances, and then getting settled with all the amenities of day to day life. The lifestyle is different. It requires not only a bit more diverse wardrobe, but also the supplies of a more permanent life... and in the case of working at a university academic center, books and technology. Aaaaand, when you're moving across the world, it's rather hard to pack light (especially being FEMALE!). If i was male, I'd just throw some clothes in a bag, not worry about toiletries, and then have plenty of room to pack electronics, paperwork, and other items that are imperative supplies, necessary to have with me at the Costa Rica Center (the CRC). But, if you didn't notice, I'm NOT male. Being female requires a blow dryer and straightener and lots of toiletries and such. Also, being Lara requires many layers--sweatshirts and blankets--because i get cold. And we're up on the top of a mountain where it's frigid at night (ok, not below freezing, per say, but in a place where there's no heating, 40º with wind is chilly!). So until summer comes to our Whitworth hilltop, Monte de la Cruz, San Rafael de Heredia, I'm going to be wearing many layers! Also, being Lara means that I need to be super-prepared and have all my supplies on-hand and thought out ahead of time. Soooo many details and logistics! My point: packing to move 3,500 miles away wasn't quick. All of my list making and preparations finally paid off, but not without a little frustration along the way.
Okay, maybe not just a LITTLE frustration. I experienced a considerable amount of frustration in figuring out just exactly how I was going to get everything I needed TO Costa Rica WITH me! So, it's January 3. This is during the 'holiday rush season,' so Continental Airlines has this 'embargo' through Jan. 15. Each passenger is allowed to check ONLY two bags, aside from the 40-lb carry on that is allowed. In conjunction with the two-bag max policy, you have to pay $30 for the second checked bag. And both pieces of luggage HAVE to be under 62 inches and 50 pounds. No oversized, overweight, or excess baggage is allowed to be checked. Buuuuut, since i'm moving my life 3,500 miles across the world, and have to bring more than just clothes, things got a bit heavier, and I had to pack a third suitcase. Problem: I can only check two! Solution: praise the Lord that some of my Jan Term freshmen students will be taking the same flight. One of them will be checking my third bag under his name since only has one bag of his own to check, and I'll just pay the $30 fee on my bag.
Summary: I have 3 bags and one carry on. Ugh. Never in all my moves back and forth abroad have I traveled with so many pieces of luggage in my life; and I can't stand it. I look forward to the days of lighter traveling!
So, those are my anxious thoughts dispelled from my mind, as I prepare to take off for the airport and spend the next 20 hours or so in transit from Sequim to San José. In response to the inevitable question of, "Are you excited?" let me just go ahead and answer that. Yes and no. I have been preparing and in the "Costa Rica mindset" for months now, as I'm transitioning from my former position as CRC Liaison to living down on the ground in CR and working at the CRC. The novelty has worn off. Also, I've lived in CR before, so I am not as anxious to find out what awaits me, as far as culture and language and weather go. Given, this experience is bound to be unique and different in its own capacity (I've never lived on a mountainside in CR before, nor have I worked at an academic center...). But I have been getting good mental preparation from the two other "24/7s" who work at the CRC--Emily and Kristina, or "Bean." The two of them have been down there since summer 2010, preparing things and working with the first bunch of study abroad students who studied at the CRC during the 2010 fall semester. I will join them to help in the "volunteer" stipend positions as Whitworth staff members at the CRC, entailing many different capacities of around-the-clock work in student life, academics, host families, coordinating field trips and traveling, etc.). I am ready to learn from all their experiences, and embark on this new year of continuing to establish Whitworth's new Costa Rica Center! Once all the airport and travel business is over with, I'll be catapulted into arranging details and working with our group of 31 Jan Term freshmen. And Feb. 1, about 20 students will arrive for the spring term. I am prepared for a whirlwind, but also for the "pura vida" lifestyle and new relationships!
In closing, my friend Andrew sent me this comic last night, which summarizes this transitional period of my life pretty well... minus the sewage (thanks, Chuckles!):
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| Thank you, Whitworth education, for enabling me to understand this lovely piece of humor. |
2 Samuel 22:50, "O Lord, I will praise you among the nations; I will sing praises to your name."
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