exploring, examining, exchanging, expressing
Sunday, May 06, 2007
Buen Suerte
Either I have an incredible guardian angel, or Marta has talked her family into looking out for me. Today, when they came over for Sunday lunch, her brother-in-law asked me if I needed to go to Panama soon to get my passport stamped. The timing was too good to be a coincidence. I've only been fretting over this trip for weeks. I told him that I had to go in a couple of weeks, and he offered to go with me to David, Panama. I wanted to run over and hug him, I was so grateful! Instead, I offered a handshake and a heartfelt "muchas gracias." He gave me his phone number and said to call him a few days before I need to go. I don't know that there's much to do in David, compared to Panama City or Bocas del Toro, where I'd been thinking of going. But I don't care. I'm just happy to have a travel buddy to guide my way. He did say that the trip would be cheap, though the bus ride is about 10 hours. Fine by me.

I swear, some days I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. I worry. I make plans that fall apart. But in the end, things just seem to work out. I think that's the biggest lesson that Costa Rica has to offer me: Go with it. Stuff happens. Make the best of it. Accept what you can't control. Be flexible and go with the flow.

A good attitude goes a lot further than a good plan.

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1 Comments:
Blogger Mika said...
You've really been so lucky to have found familia. It's wonderful that you've become a part of this family and that they're wonderful people. Instead of treating you as just another gringo who's going to hang around for a while and then leave, this family has really taken an interest in your welfare. That's a powerful thing. I may have told you about Armando - He was a student at a local college and lived around the corner from us when I was about 16... We also made him a part of our family - Although, not to the extent that your Tico family has. In any case, here I am almost 15 years later and if I saw Armando tomorrow, it'd be the same as it was then. I've recently contacted him and he's expressed his appreciation for what our family was able to do for him - Giving him a connection to the area while still making him feel at home. What he brought into our lives was as appreciated by my self and my younger sister. I'm sure that your Tico family feels similar -- You've immersed yourself into their lives and have done so much to show that you appreciate and value their company and more importantly, their support. Continue on this path and your journey will only be that much more extraordinary. Tu eres muy especial - no hay mucha gente que son tan intelligente para hacer los que tu has heco - To be a familia you don't need to be blood related and you've really become part of a great one.

*Excuse any misspellings with the Spanish, it's been years since I've written more than hola or adios* :)