Aero: Mary Erb – Costa Rica 2015 – My Expectations
Aero: Mary Erb – Costa Rica 2015 – My Expectations
Creative Commons Image via The LEAF Project
Aero: Mary Erb – Costa Rica 2015 – My Expectations
Mary Erb
CR@FLCC 2015
While Considering what my expectations are for Costa Rica, it dawned on me that the very word “expectations” implies that I already have decided ideas and even preconceived notions of what the country is like, when really I have a relatively small imagining of what the existence is like there. Mentally, I’m hoping for and picturing a large and eclectic amount of fresh fruit, landscapes, animals, and people. One of the most particular things I’m hoping to see is an Armadillo. Armadillos are one of my favorite animals, but since I live in New York, their presence in my life is sadly missing.
I suppose a good amount of what I imagine Costa Rica to be like comes from the surprising number of people I know who say they have American acquaintances that have moved or retired there because of how much they enjoyed visiting. By all relayed accounts, the atmosphere is exceedingly laid back, and that is an element of the culture I’m really excited to witness, especially in the context of a hectic trip. As I’ve heard, the Costa Rican sense of time is a bit mellower and more eased in comparison to ours, which again is something that I think will be a really interesting counter to what I assume our fast paced days will be.
ML@FLCC Costa Rica
2015 Flickr Gallery
Being that I’m a people person, I’m really excited to become well acquainted with my host family and others that I meet while I’m there. Of course, one of my worries is that I won’t be able to articulate myself as fully and as eloquently as I would like to, but I think ultimately I’ll be able to communicate, and I’m really hoping my Spanish will become more natural and improved. Something I’ve noticed, and something one of my Spanish professors has noted and laughed about, is that when I’m speaking and I’m at a loss for how to say something, I use my hands a lot, and do a lot of gesturing, so I’m hoping I don’t look too silly to people!
I also think the very outdoorsy feel of the trip will be interesting, since I’ve never even been camping before, and I have a bit of an aversion to creepy-crawly things, something I know Costa Rica has a fair share of. Therefore, I’m hoping this will foster more of a rough, outdoorsy nature in me.
Lastly, I think one of the most interesting parts of the trip for me will be the initial traveling we do through the airport. I’ve been to many airports throughout the country, but I’ve never flown internationally, and I know it’s said to be completely different from just flying within America. I’m actually one of those odd people who tend to like a certain portion of the airport experience (namely people watching), and I think I might get a bit of a kick out of an intensified version of what I’m used to.
In closing, my ideas of what the trip will be like are still a little foggy, but I think once I reach the airport, my still slightly murky expectations will begin to materialize into the reality of the travel and exploration I’m doing, and I will plan to happily go along with the reality, regardless of how similar it is to what I’ve imagined so far.
Mary Erb
LEAF Contributor
