The time leading up to a trip has always been stressful for me. I always end up going through my luggage multiple times out of fear I might forget something essential or simply to reassure myself I’m doing something productive. Preparing for my study abroad trip was even more stressful, despite how excited I was to finally go to Costa Rica. I’ve wanted to go to Costa Rica for years because I love seeing natural wonders. I also make it a priority to see waterfalls, volcanoes, cliffs, or any other amazing landforms on my trips and I’d heard Costa Rica had an innumerable amount of these spots; yet, I was very nervous because this was the first time I was traveling completely on my own! I’ve only been out of the country on two other trips and even then I was always with my family. I had never gone through the airport on my own, and of course never ever flown by myself. I was really nervous, but my family decided the easiest way to calm me down was to walk me through it the night before. They gave me a few important things to do on a list before I got to the airport so I could make sure I was getting to the right place. They also made sure I had plenty of time to get to my plane without rushing and a good way to get in contact with other people going on the trip. By the end of our prep session, I was no longer nervous and only my excitement for the trip remained. When I landed in Costa Rica that excitement continued as we journeyed to the first our many natural hot spots, Poás Volcano.
