Buen Viaje

It all began when I was traveling thru Central and South America. The whole Buen Viaje thing. But I feel like that’s when my life really began too. Or when I really found myself. I was 23 and free with no plans or agendas. My friend Anna and I were off…..We left Southern California with a backpack full of our necessities, a return ticket from Peru in 6 months, and open minds. First stop was a language school on the coast of Costa Rica so we could brush up on our skills before we hit the road by bus. I remember showing up at my host family’s house around dinner time. I couldn’t say anything except for “Hola. Me llamo Emily,” followed by, “I’m really tired and this is really uncomfortable.” And then I just smiled and kept nodding my head so they would at least know I was happy and content. My first night in Portrero. In a bedroom that didn’t get any air flow, was positioned in the center of the house (yes, that’s right- the center) and just as I fell asleep, I was awakened by the roosters. I remember thinking, “This is absolutely crazy. How do these people sleep with those annoying things making those sounds at 4 AM?! How am I going to last here for 4 weeks?!”