11 Things I Learned in Costa Rica
- Poverty is not relative. It’s a curse. I saw real poverty while traveling through the central valley, and I’ll never forget it.
- An American Passport is Platinum in your pocket! We go in and out of customs without a care in the world- while the natives may never get the chance to see anything else but Costa Rica. The friendly skies don’t necessarily work both ways.
- Traveling to a Central American country with your significant other is a great way to see what you’re made of. The four days I spent with T-rock in Costa Rica; both of us stumbling through the mountains and small towns with five Spanish words between us; put our problem solving skills and ability to work together to the test. It highlighted his ability to protect and provide with better accuracy than our Chicago happenings can. (He did not hesitate at an unexpected rental car deposit of 1300 bucks to drive me across the mountains of Costa Rica just so I could spend 2 hours at a beach before we left the country…yeah that’s my baby-a great person, because, I might have told me to go get in the resort’s pool and imagine the waves) This leads me to my next lesson…
- You can travel with your significant other and keep your Christian life intact. Traveling with a man that shares your zeal for new cultures, God, and YOU is a great bonus to any trip, and it has nothing to do with sex (I don’t advise this for those who say they’re celibate just for show and don’t get separate lodging-I’m just saying) T-Rock and I are decidedly celibate until marriage, so we BOTH (key word) knew it wasn’t that kind of a trip. We went to enjoy the world God has made, zip line through the rainforest, and stare at active volcanoes-TOGETHER!
- Beef tastes different in Costa Rica. It’s better. Somehow you know pink slime and other chemicals aren’t being sweetly forced down your system. And it’s cheaper!
- The color caste system is in full effect in Costa Rica. Lighter is better in their eyes. I promise T-rock and I got called Niggas through eye communication. We just kept it moving.
- I cried for the Costa Ricans when I went to their Multiplaza mall in Escazu. A beautiful mall, where all of our regular American favorites cost TWICE as much. I am a passionate shopper-and hate to pay retail for ANYTHING! I got PLAYED in the MAC store. Can you say 28 dollars for a tube of lip glass!!!!!!!!!!! I was so sad. T-rock had to comfort me with a fresh slice of pineapple.
- Serious traveler’s eventually get a grown camera. I dropped 800 bucks on the Canon rebel Ti1 and lens. It was worth EVERY penny. And investment. My pictures are exquisite and I didn’t miss one shot. This leads me to my next point…
- You should take at least 100 shots a day on your vacation. At the end of it all you may only edit and keep 100-but more often than not, it’s the shots you weren’t trying to get that you keep.
- Even if you spend 10 days in Costa Rica, you should never need more than a carry-on bag. It’s Hot and rainy! Maxi dresses, sandals, sneakers, and various leggings and T-shirts will be all you need. This was a big lesson for me-the Chronic over packer!!! Where was I going in Louboutins? Really?
- Black is beautiful no matter where you go. The African Diaspora is a real phenomenon-and I plan to visit all my distant relatives in this lifetime!
