For the third and final post in the blog series from the Texas Tech students who volunteered in Costa Rica, here is Taylor’s post. She considers the whole group’s time in Costa Rica and the ways in which they have changed together and individually as a result of their exposure to this new place and its culture.
As we prepare to embark on our long journey home, there is a lot of self-reflection occurring. Some debate within themselves over whether they are ready to be back home 
or want to stay forever, and others look back on what monumental lessons we have been learned in such a short time. I think we can all agree that this experience provided us a lot to think about in comparison to our lives back in Lubbock.
Costa Rica exemplifies the ‘Pura Vida’ lifestyle in almost everything you see. The people here are friendly, and everything is vibrant, green, and full of life. In Costa Rica we observed long term volunteers subjecting themselves to outdoor showers, no ac, and daily hard work- with no complaints. We watched as nothing was wasted- not even the leftover food that became compost- and as strangers formed a family. There were no protests against late nightlong patrols or rice and beans served for the fourth time in a two-day span. In every action you could see the reasoning behind it- giving back to planet earth and saving the turtles.
Our small group bonded in the same way- over a common goal and shared passion. As pointed out by the program leader, our group encompasses several different personalities with no two of us being alike; but it works. 
We have taken these ten days and developed from strangers into friends. We have learned things about each other, and ourselves. The experience would have been cheapened without every single one of us here. Personally, I enjoyed watching the growth of each individual as the days went on; reflections got deeper, and understanding went further. I loved the look of awe on everyone’s faces as we watched the baby turtles get swept into the ocean for the first time, and the determination to make a difference running through everyone’s mind.
My takeaway lesson from this service break is that sometimes, it’s better when you don’t follow the path you’re expected to. We all left our comfort zones and ended up better than we thought possible. Any perceived negative was always turned into something great. I want to encourage everyone reading this to quit doing things others think you should, and start doing the things you want to do.
Break Away from the Expected, and you will be rewarded exponentially. I am grateful for the time we have been given here, and hopeful that we will be able to carry these concepts back with us and apply them in both our own lives and our community.
– Taylor
Learn more about volunteering in Costa Rica and our animal volunteer abroad quests
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