take it as it comes

Costa Rica is going to be good for helping me take it as it comes! Even the dogs are laid back here, just roll with the flow and hang out with you if need be.
Surfing will be especially good for learning how to just relax and take what comes. If you are tense when surfing you fall off immediately, if you relax a little and just go with the wave you can stand up a little bit better.
So far everything down here has had this philosophy exemplified. Hopefully I will be able to continue to apply this when I return home!

stretch and relax

Today I found out the family I am staying with understands less Spanish than I do English! In so many ways this was just what I was looking for, however for today it proved to be challenging. We drew a lot of pictures and did awkward dances to try and figure out that yes I was hungry for breakfast and yes I like coffee. They then wanted to know what I would call a tortilla and were frustrated by the fact that I just kept repeating their word. Finally they figured out what I was trying to convey and laughed really hard at the whole situation.
I was told that just about everyone I would run into down here would speak English....not today! So I have stretched my brain, it hurts a little right now. I am also grateful to relax and enjoy the forced solitude today. The beach was amazing, I had a wonderful little black dog who sat with me while I read. I tried talking to the owner again to encounter the humors dance that happens when two people do not speak the same language. We were able to communicate that the dog was indeed very cute and sweet.
It is so exciting to be somewhere that will stretch me with people who are so willing to try and communicate with me, very relaxing!

New

The thought of everything being new usually excites me, I really like change! I am not much for planning, I think if you take life with a healthy dose of humor everything will be fine. The last few months I was ready to have some change but for the most part I did not want anything new. I didn't want to move on to a new job, new experiences, new friends, new sports, etc. Because of this I pushed myself to try a few new things and really worked on trying to connect with something new each week. However I found what I really needed was to just tie up a few loose ends.
Now I am ready for whatever comes next! I have a month to try everything new and be totally out of my realm so that I can come back to some level of comfort but also to a "new" life. I am excited to be part of what will be waiting for me when I return to Albuquerque, I am excited to meet the new friends, try a new job, continue with the new sports I took up and try a few new sports and clubs.
I am happy that I continued to push myself to try something different each week. It gave me the encouragement I needed from myself to know that now that I feel ready everything will fall into place. I met incredible people in the last three months, started new friendships that will add to my old friendships and enrich my life. I started doing different activities that will boaster my life and my experiences. I am excited to take a month to really stretch and then return to such a positive environment.