I cannot believe I will be in Costa Rica at this time, 48 hours from now. Just after pushing through a tough week of exams, I am getting ready to embark on a whirlwind adventure. Its tempting tonight, after staying up until 3 a.m. studying to just want to go home and enjoy the comforts of my Mom’s cooking and the blissful days of no productivity. Instead, however, I’m headed off on possibly the biggest adventure of my life, into a totally unfamiliar realm, that I can hardly even imagine right now. I am going to meet people unlike those I have met before, coming from totally different backgrounds than mine, be exposed to new foods, new places– pretty much the opposite of any other Thanksgiving Break I’ve had. Its daunting, but I can already tell that I will get so much out of it. Of all the things that currently mystify about this trip, I know I will be familiar with one: Coffee. Its what we’re coming for. Its a beverage, but its so much more. Drinking it is a spiritual experience, enjoyed by and bringing together people worldwide. I am so excited to dive into the culture behind it all, and understand it in a way I never have before. It culminates so much of what I am interested in with my major, and I feel honored to be given to opportunity to learn in this way. My goal is to try my best to immerse myself in my foreign surroundings until I can come to appreciate and love them as much as the ones I will be missing back at home.

– Leah D.