Gimme a Break: Spending a Week in the States in the Midst of a Semester Abroad
Most college kids go to warm, tropical locations where they can legally drink for Spring Break, but this college kid left the warm, tropical location where she can legally drink, for a cold North Carolina.
I’m not gonna lie, living in the paradise of Costa Rica has not been exactly, well, paradise this semester. LIU Global is incredible, and the academics and experiences are exactly what I want out of my college education, but interacting with a group of only 18 other students day in and day out can be exhausting to say the least.
After a rough day in February, I let me mom convince me to come home for my ‘Spring Break.’ In reality, it’s time off while Costa Rica celebrates Holy Week leading up to Easter, but I’ll take what I can get.
So, on March 22nd after attending my Communications class, I headed to the airport to catch a (direct!) flight to Charlotte. That night, I came home to takeout Chinese food sitting on the counter, and I was so incredibly happy to fall asleep in my own, comfy bed.
Friday morning found me at CKO Kickboxing. The owners, Danny and Amy, are two of the most incredible people, and always welcome me back to the gym with huge hugs each time I return home from school. I made it to the gym 5 out of my 6 mornings at home to try and take some of my frustrations from the semester out on a punching bag. My knuckles are bruised and bloody, but I’m all the better for it.
On Saturday, I took an interesting excursion to East Bend, North Carolina with my mom and our friends Bernadette and Andrea to enjoy the Divine Llama Winery. This winery has several wines, all named after their llamas, of which they have 65. After watching the women do their wine tasting and having some snacks, we headed out to the fields in the picturesque snow to look at some llamas.
Here are the lovely wine moms as they look (and often yell) at the llamas.
Andrea was deemed the “llama whisperer” as she spoke whale and other animal languages that caused the llamas to come meandering up the hill. Even a 3 legged llama hobbled its way up the hill to come see Andrea. We deemed the 3 legged llama ‘Gimpy,’ but turns out her real name is ‘Noodles.’ Huh. Noodles had a problem with her achilles and a severe infection that caused her leg to amputated at Virginia Tech’s vet school. Now she’s adapting and hobbling her way around the farm to amuse middle-aged women.
Llamas are odd looking creatures, but entertaining enough to make braving the snow worth it.
My other break days were spent working out, catching up on recorded shows (the Fosters, the Good Doctor, the Walking Dead, Young Sheldon, the Big Bang Theory, and Modern Family), and eating as much good food as possible (2 gluten free pizzas, takeout Chinese, a giant seafood soup bowl from E Noodles, Mexican food, 2 Jersey Mike’s subs, and mooooore). I absolutely adore my host family this semester, but the food leaves a bit to be desired…they seem to prefer canned meat and vegetables. Meh. So the food at home was definitely something I missed and had to catch up on.
Also during this break, I cut all of my hair off! For some reason, I had convinced myself that I needed to grow out my hair for Europe or something, but my long hair that had made it down to my shoulders drove me crazy. I am always doing something, and I just cannot concentrate with my hair down for some reason. I wore my hair down once this entire semester, so I figured, why have it at all? I booked my hair appointment directly after I booked my flight home, and my miracle worker of a hairdresser Hailey helped me go back to my beloved pixie cut. Now I feel so much lighter and more like myself. It was a much needed change that made this trip that much better.
Best of all this break was seeing my family (including my sweet chinchilla). I talk to my mom on FaceTime at least every other day, but nothing compares to having her there, in person, all the time. It’s also refreshing to bother my dad everyday with quippy comebacks and bullheaded liberal opinions. I was also able to make fun of my brother and see him throw the shot put and discus in a high school track meet. It’s jarring to see that he’s become even taller every time I come home, but reassuring that he still has a baby face.
My week at home was short, but sorely needed. Like I said, Costa Rica and LIU Global are incredible, but it’s not easy. This program is one of the greatest challenges I have ever taken on, and with this break I feel that I’m now better prepared to take on my last month or so in Costa Rica. It helps that when I fly back to San Jose, I’m not flying alone, but rather with my family and friends. I’m so insanely excited to show them the beautiful country I get to call home this year. Stay tuned for a post about the trip!