19
Location: Costa Rica
Author: Eva C.
After thanking our families for the wonderful homes they have provided for us, we said our goodbyes and headed toward the new destination the bus would take us to—the Poas Volcano. There we walked to what would have been a view of the crater on a clear day, except all we could see was a curtain of white fog all around us. Occasionally, the fog would part and allow us to catch a glimpse of the barren rock below. We made our way through an eerie Alice in Wonderland looking forest to a view of the ancient crater, now covert with a beautiful lagoon. It was fascinating to think about how something could change from spewing, burning lava to being a pure, peaceful body of water. After a long bus ride in which we, unfortunately, heard the commentators loud GOOOOOOOOOOAL resonating in our ears as Germany beat Argentina to become the World Cup champions, we arrived at our hotel for the night. We enjoyed some time in natural, steaming hot springs in which we voiced some thoughts about our thoughts here in Costa Rica. Like the volcano’s ancient crater, each of us has gone through some deep changes on some level. Not only has this trip allowed us to overcome certain negative habits or mindsets, but it has also given us a new perspective of the world and a pool of positive thoughts that will follow us home.