Yes, today was the last day. The saddest day. We packed up the bus and went to the Teatro Nacional in San Jose. It was very beautiful, and it had a lot of cool paintings and architecture. Finally we went down to the Central Market for some shopping. We were told we only had a half and hour!! I'd been waiting the whole trip to go shopping here, and so little time!! I was angry. But I ran around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to buy stuff for people - and I couldn't get something for all of my friends! It was very sad times. And I felt bad because I couldn't get everyone something. But we really didn't want to miss our plane, so we had to book it out of there - we ran to the airport and bustled to get tickets. We had a very quick lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiched in the airport. And that's when it really sinks in. I'm not going to be seeing Karla or Karen or Ozzie or Abril. And as we had to leave them behind to go through the rest of the airport, that's when I started to cry. I'm not big on crying about emotional stuff, real stuff. I don't like it, and I don't do it very often. But I just didn't care. I was sad to leave and it was probably the first time I had cried in public. My last first in Costa Rica. I wasn't sobbing or bawling, just quiet tears, which is the way I usually cry anyway. And I hugged everyone, especially Karla and Karen, and went in to wait for the plane at the gate. We got on the plane, and from then on things were pretty uneventful. But in telling people sitting near us on the plane about all the things I had done in 2 weeks, I really realized how much I had done! The whole trip was just amazing and indescribable. And even when you tell people about what you did, there's still so many feelings associated with each thing that it becomes difficult to express. There have been so many firsts for me on this trip, I don't even want to count them. It was just so much more than sitting in a classroom - and I will explain that to whatever school board I need to to keep trips like this running. I know the 3 main crops of Costa Rica off the top of my head - in order - because I've been through a banana plantation, I've seen coffee plantations, and I've eaten fresh sugar cane that Karla cut with a machete. Not because I read it and barfed it back on a test. My biggest fear regarding this trip is that time will fade my memories. And no, I didn't want to do the work. But it was all worth it to go, for the experiences. I know I couldn't have done the things that I did anywhere else, on any other trip. And I always tell the stories about the worst times, about the Long March and no showers because they're the funniest. But those experiences mean a lot to me. I've gotten close with people who I never used to talk to in school, and seen new sides to people that I saw in the hallways every day, but never really saw. So maybe you read about 3 km treks and showers in buckets, and you think - that must've sucked, I never want to do that. Maybe I would've thought that too, 2 weeks ago. But while it does suck on the surface, it brings out parts of you that you never knew existed and forms bonds that cannot be broken. I know I'm writing a lot of sappy stuff, but sometimes I don't realize how much something means to me until I write about it. Through this journal, you have gotten my truth, and I've given you honesty. I've included some things that I really wanted to leave out. In short, I've given you a piece of myself. Oh man, I really don't want to stop writing. Because I know when I put this pen down, my trip will be really be over. And then I'll be left with a bunch of bird drawings to complete and some labs! So, now I really have to force myself to let go and finish the last entry of this journal. I hope you loved reading it even more than I loved writing it.

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