in charge

Remember when you would go on vacation with your family and your mom would be overly enthusiastic about everything, making you want to visit the third historic graveyard of the trip even less? No? Maybe that was just our family then.

Remember when you had 8 people in your family scrunched in a hotel room meant for 4 with one lonely bathroom, making the shower schedule in the morning insane? Which meant you had to get up at the butt-crack of dawn so you wouldn't look like a grease ball, in order to visit yet another museum?

Or what about that time your family thought it was frivolous to rent a car to get from Plymouth Rock to the outdoor indigenous museum like 3 miles away, so you walked the whole way (still with your not-so-subtle family of 8) in intense heat? And don't forget about how you complained so much that your parents called a (yes, a as in one) cab for your entire family of 8 for the way back, so you all piled into the back seat as though it were Mary Poppin's purse. But that's fine. At least you didn't have to walk.

the "death walk" from plymouth to the museum. Sorry, ladies, I had to.

And who could forget the time Mom woke everyone up at 5:30 so you could get to early entry at the Magic Kingdom or Epcot or whatever, so you could ride Rockin' Roller coaster one more time?

Rockin' Roller Coaster, 7 am

I think everyone can relate with some ridiculous family vacation stories, because as kids (teenagers, really), there is nothing lamer than being seen with your parents. At 8 a.m. At a museum. With 5 siblings.

So would someone please tell me when I stopped being the complaining kid (grumble grumble, I can't believe Mom's making us do this, gripe complain, go back to texting my friends about how lame family vacation is) and became *gasp* my mom?

I have had plenty of experience traveling with friends and groups. I have even had a little bit of experience chaperoning a high school trip to Colorado, but it was with my best friend. And I was still a college student. Now here I am, overseeing 5 kids in a foreign country by myself. And I discovered a little something that may come as a shock to you:

teenagers have attitudes. 

True story. This specimen of human beings is a mystery to the rest of us, although we were at one point a part of this group. It is difficult, if not impossible, to predict what will make them crabby, what will excite them, and what will make them dissolve into tears. 

Just when I think we're about to do an activity that will change their outlook on life forever, they cross their arms, get a bored look on their face, and mumble something about it not being that amazing. While I may be grinning like a fool, in disbelief of the awesome life I'm living, I look over to find them grouchy and in need of a nap.

For awhile this really bothered me. I couldn't figure out what I was doing wrong to make their trip that forgettable. Did I plan boring activities? Am I already that out of touch with what teenagers like?

But after venting to my mother, she gave me 3 simple words that made me see the situation a little more clearly:

welcome to motherhood

I get it now, Mom. I understand the over-the-top optimism and cheerfulness. I get why you dragged us to every historical site. I know now why it was so important for you to experience everything a place had to offer. You wanted us to look back and realize what cool opportunities we had, and not regret missing out on something. You were trying to make the trip memorable, nay, unforgettable for us.

Which also reminds me that I was once that teenager, rolling my eyes and sighing. Pretending to not care about something that I may truly have been excited about. So maybe my students really are having a good time...it's just not cool to show it.

Whew. It's emotionally exhausting to be a leader. Thanks, Mom and Dad, for putting up with 6 teenage (or preteen...possibly worse) girls at once. We really do have great memories of our family vacations...I swear!

What is your most embarrassing family vacation memory?

Pura Vida, and keep dreaming, dreamers.

great expectations

This is actually not a review of the book by Charles Dickens, so if that's what you're looking for, I will now refer you to SparkNotes.

What I'm talking about is the expectations we have when it comes to big changes in our lives. After watching the "corto" or short movie El Mar in our Spanish class yesterday, it got me thinking about what we expect things to be like, and what reality actually brings.

In El Mar, a little boy wants to celebrate his birthday by going to the ocean. As he waits with his mother in the bus station, the camera pans to pictures little Nacho has drawn depicting what he imagines the ocean to be like. The pictures are full of vibrant color, the ocean is full of octopi and brilliant fish. In one picture, he even imagines the sea to be a bright yellow. He tells his mother that in school, they said that the earth is 70% water, just as a human being is comprised of 70% water. He believes we each have an ocean inside of us.

After waiting for hours in the bus station, a long journey to the coast, and a bus breakdown, Nacho and mother finally arrive at the ocean. By this time, it is dark outside, and the sea appears drab, gray, and lifeless to poor Nacho. The sea did not live up to the grandiose image he had in his mind's eye.

But isn't that life? Won't life be better when we have finally switched jobs? When we have finally purchased that one item? When we have moved to the perfect city? When we finally get to take that trip? And then we discover, life just keeps being life. One day at a time. Good and bad, up and down. We get sick of things, or they don't live up to our expectations to begin with. ¡Que decepción! What a disappointment!

I am a daydreamer. There's no denying it. I am constantly looking up flights to exotic destinations. I am constantly scheming about how I can take my next trip. I imagine a romantical city with cute street side cafes, quaint houses, parks teeming with culture and picnics and life, art museums, vibrant markets, and sidewalk vendors with charming personalities. The history! The people! The culture!

This was the case on my second trip to Ecuador. The first trip had been magical, with one adventure after another. The jungle, the beach, horseback riding in the mountains, ziplining, volcanoes, and breathtaking scenery. 5 weeks. Still new and exciting.

Then I spent 4 months in the very same place, and it took on a new personality. One of routine and everyday life. I passed the same shops and people everyday on the way to school. I frequented (mostly) the same restaurants and bars. Sure, adventure was interspersed sporadically into our lives, especially on the weekends, but we were there to attend school. And guess what? School in Quito becomes a mundane activity, just like it does in America.

Did that stop me from daydreaming? I should say not. I still imagine romantic Paris, historic Italy, and quaint Germany. I still hope to become familiar with those places I can only dream of right now. For me, I guess, the lesson is to not let life be a series of disappointments. Find routines you love. Savor your daydreams while you have them. And when you fulfill your dreams, don't let your expectations get in the way of enjoying the reality. Sometimes, reality exceeds even the greatest of expectations.

Have you ever been disappointed by something you had dreamed about?

Pura Vida, and keep dreaming, dreamers!

alone

I love being alone. I love having time by myself to read, write, wander around and take photographs, or even just watch a movie. I feel my social battery recharging whenever I can steal a little time all for myself. It makes me a better conversationalist when I do have to go and socialize with the masses.

Traveling alone is a completely different story. As a chaperon for a high school trip to Costa Rica, I feel like I really am by myself, even though I am surrounded by students most of the time. I am at a host family by myself. That means no one to pick up the slack if I can't think of anymore small talk. That means no one to vent to about the 2 year-old child at my host family's house who keeps biting me (literally leaving teeth marks). It means being a little bit nervous to walk out anywhere by myself, and that I have to go out of my comfort zone to make new friends if I want to go out at night. And most of all, it makes me dependent upon my own Spanish speaking and comprehension skills.

When the tour guides give instructions that are crucial to our safety and well being, or when the school gives a time and place to meet, it is up to me to relay this information to my students successfully. A situation like this could either make someone shut down completely, or it could be an opportunity to grow as a person and as a Spanish speaker.

Since I am in the land of Pura Vida, it is difficult not  to be optimistic about everything. The people are incredibly kind and accommodating, the weather is hot, hot hot, then scenery is humbling, and the culture is one of contentment. How could I not smile, throw my shoulders back, and give it my best shot?

I am by no means a native speaker. I make tons of mistakes. I still get frustrated when I can't convey a particular thought, or when I forget a vocabulary word that I already know.

But I can have a profound conversation with a native speaker. I can finally understand Spanish in a loud bar (not an easy feat...try understanding a second language shouted over speakers pumping out deafening beats). I can make jokes in Spanish. I can easily circumlocute when I don't know the word I'm looking for. Most of all, I feel confident when I speak, and not many things slip past me when I am listening to a native speaker. No longer do I just smile and nod as I pick up one word here or there. I am working my way up the ACTFL inverted pyramid!

I give serious props to those people who travel completely by themselves, especially females. It requires courage, self confidence, and a positive outlook on life.

I hope to try traveling completely on my own at some point in my life. It would be a great opportunity for personal growth.

What are your tips for traveling alone? Would you ever try it?

Pura vida! And keep dreaming, dreamers.