A bus is coming to pick me up at 2:00 am and take me to the airport for my 6:30 am flight, so with a little more than 18 hours left in Costa Rica I will share with you this list of the top ten things I learned here.
10) Coffee is a delicious and wholesome way to start your morning.
9) No matter your doctrinal or political views on the Catholic Church, you've got to admit they build gorgeous churches.
8) The Metric system.
7) There are mindblowingly dumb people everywhere.
6) There are amazingly intelligent people everywhere.
5) No matter what you do to a plantain in the kitchen, it will still be delicious.
4) Public transportation is a fantastic way to travel.
3) Alcohol is not a big deal: that goes for both the party crowd and for the teetotallers.
2) Spanish
1) We in the U.S. live like very few people in the rest of the world. We put emphasis on our wealth and our material possesions, equating them with "the American way". We then miss out on paying attention to more important things: our health, our environment, our education, our community. We justify this lifestyle through our God-given right to live as we please; in reality, this is little more than an excuse for self-centeredness and social irresponsibility. We see problems in the world around us and complain that nothing is being done, but do not realize that every single one of our actions effects something or someone in the world. If we want to solve global social problems, WE have to take charge of how we act, what we expect in our lives, whom we elect for office, what we truly value, and most importantly what we do on a daily basis. Seeing how another culture lives has really opened my eyes to the grave faults of the American lifestyle.
On that note, it has been a pleasure to share my experiences with you through this blog. I have a million more stories that I simply did not have the energy to recount here, so please find me and ask if you ever want to learn more. We'll chat over coffee and fried plantains!
Pura vida,
Eric
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