Was that a dream?

I’m going to dedicate this post to my weekend trip to Costa Rica, because it deserves a different category than the journalism reflection I will write about the week following my vacation. I have been dating a boy there for almost two years, and I am so happy. I met him while studying abroad there and studying spanish at one of their universities. It is the definition of  a LONG-DISTANCE relationship, but we knew it would be from the beginning. He is a Costa Rican, and his life and history is so different than mine. Picture My Big Fat Greek Wedding… but Hispanic style. He has the big, loud, super fun family that all live in the same little neighborhood. They are always in each other’s business, always planning reunions and cooking way too much food. I am that little, quiet, Caucasian family from the movie. We are conservative in our way of life, and the few relatives we do have live hours away. I’m not saying we don’t know how to have fun, but it is very different from my boyfriend’s lifestyle!

Anyway, I am a student and currently have no income, and although he has a fantastic job in Costa Rica, the cost of life there is a lot lower. Therefore, buying plane tickets all the time takes a toll on the bank account. We figure we get to see each other every 3 months, which is a lot considering how far away we are! It is cheapest for him to travel to my house in Los Angeles. Flights into LAX are a lot cheaper than into St. Louis, and we get to stay at my parents house for free! This time however, we were in a pickle. His travel visa expired, and he wouldn’t get a new one until the end of this month. We didn’t want to risk buying $500 plane tickets if he didn’t get his visa approved, so I decided to take a mid-semester weekend vacation and go back to Central America! Not complaining!

I flew into San Jose, Costa Rica, on Wednesday night. We planned to spend the evening watching the Costa Rica v. United States soccer game at our favorite pub, but by the time I got out of customs, the game was over . Instead, we decided to go out to a nice dinner and act like a normal couple on a date! (We usually end up having Skype dates once a week…. Thank goodness for technology! I don’t know if this relationship would work 10 years ago.)

We got up early Thursday and drove 5 hours to the prettiest beach in the country. Honestly, anyone planning a trip to Costa RIca, Guanacaste is the place to be! It may be far away from the main cities, but worth it! Since it was “low season” for the tourism industry there, we got an amazing deal on a gorgeous hotel right by the beach. That’s the thing… it stinks not being with him all the time, but when we do see each other, it feels like a honeymoon! We spent the whole weekend at the beach, the pool, shopping for souvenirs, and doing absolutely nothing. It was perfect. Actually, I would have liked to take a nice boat ride, but he gets REALLY sea sick. I’ve seen him turn green before .

We drove back into his home town on Saturday, and met up with his best friend for a late night showing of Inglorious Bastards. It was fun to catch up with my old friend again (even though I made a big, classic clumsy American scene and knocked over his beer when I hugged him… sheesh). Also, I think I missed a third of the movie hiding under my sweater. Too much unnecessary gore. But then again, that’s Quentin Tarantino for ya!

It’s always hard to say goodbye. We kept it off for as long as possible on Sunday morning. We went to the airport, checked in my luggage, and then left AGAIN to go out to breakfast (They have Denny’s in Costa Rica!) and stayed together until the last possible minute.

In the end, it was an amazing trip, and I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to have such a loving, trusting person who cares for me.. even if he is thousands of miles away! The only unfortunate part of the trip was the plane rides back! First, I lost my cell phone somewhere in the Dallas airport. I still don’t remember if I left it in the restroom, the bookstore, or the lounge area. THEN… when I finally got home and unpacked at one in the morning, I realized that someone had taken my camera out of my checked suitcase!  I had no idea I had to be careful about putting valuables in checked bags. I learned my lesson the hard way, but was devastated to lose most of my pictures from the trip.

My boyfriend and I already planned out next trip for the Holidays! He will come stay with me and my family in Los Angeles, and we will go snowboarding in Mammoth Mountain and stay in my family’s condo. It’s fun to see a Costa Rican in the snow.

~ by stylerspeaks on October 24, 2009.