Post Trip Reflections: Renée Larios

Our Costa Rican travel experience brought us closer together than we thought possible. The 17 of us stood together in awe of nature and of life itself to witness the cycle of death and rebirth before our very eyes. We learned that nothing in nature goes to waste and that everything has a purpose. Everything can nurture something else, and we nurtured one another. We shared stories, laughter, and pain, shed tears and cackled gleefully. We learned to sit silently and listen - to nature, one another, and ourselves. We began to live pura vida and became huggers. We know we’ll never experience those exact moments again, but we also learned to accept that life comes and goes, and we need to appreciate life on life’s terms if we want a chance at happiness and peace. 

At the end of the trip, in our final circle, we all answered this question: “If this trip, this Costa Rican experience were a person, what would you hear it say to you?” Here are the students’ answers:

~The trip would say to me, “Live your life. No matter how rough and tough it may be, you should live your life your way.” 

~I heard this experience say it watched new connections form between members occupying the same space. I heard Costa Rica say goodbye to our group, with a smile on its face, as we complete our last full day. 

~Costa Rica told me I need to be more open minded when met with conflict. It told me how beautiful and different the world is, and how I should leave behind my stress and worries of both the past and future and focus on the present. 

~“Go, live your life with connection and purpose! Never forget where you came from and be okay with where you will end up, even if it is not known. With love, Costa Rica.  

~I heard this trip say, “Please remember not only the memories you made, but also the things you learned about your world. It would make me happy that you not forget; try to change things about the way you used to go about life in order to make yourself a better person and the world a better place.” 

~If the trip were a person, it would tell me to live in the present and not worry about the past or future. It would say everything will get better over time, no matter how bad it seems. 

~There were times where you drew into yourself, putting up the walls that keep you safe as if your heart wasn’t with me at all. But there were times where you let go and let people in - those are the bonds and memories that will sustain you through your struggles. 

~I heard this trip say not to worry so much about the future or regrets about the past that you lose sense of the beauty of the present. I heard this trip say it’s okay to want your own private moments and not constantly have to be positive and happy. 

~Pain is impermanent. Listen to the trees. 

~I heard this trip say enjoy what life has to offer - every natural thing, just everything. You get a lot more out of life that way if you appreciate and accept. 

~I heard “Be grateful for everything and everyone in your life. Live in the present, take everything in, and don’t regret anything.” 

~I heard this trip say you are here to nurture, be nurtured, and live. Live in the present as the past will never be tangible and the future will never exist in its form; only the present exists, so live in it. 

~I heard this trip say be patient with yourself, others, and the world because there is always going to be growth - in the rainforests as fires become memories, in animals as babies learn their way, in the waves as they come and go, and as people as we experience new things and perspectives. 

~Take your time to acknowledge and appreciate every aspect of every moment that you experience. Allow yourself to depend on your connection with others. 

~Don’t look to the future, instead, stay in the present - the future will come as the present, so accept all as is. Your preoccupations don’t better an experience. Instead, embrace everything with a free mind and heart, take it in, the good and the bad - it is what it is. 

I’ll wrap up by saying thank you to our trip leader, Barry Vargo. It was an honor traveling with him. He kept his cool at all times and stepped up to every challenge, decision, and impromptu need. The students respected his leadership, had fun with him, and felt safe with his guidance. I know I have a new, trusted friend in my wonderful colleague. Pura vida! -Renée Larios