Before Sunrise? Before Wednesday.

I will save you all the meta-philosophical rant that I began the last post, as I have decided to turn it into my first article for the first issue of the Advocate. I think that the concepts of law have deviated too far from the discussion of ethics. Mostly I think that we take for granted that progress will be continuous- it’s not unless we fight for it.

Thursday night my new hermanos took me to a bar, Castros, which was a salsa bar downstairs and a karaoke bar upstairs. Basically, it was made for me. For those of you that know how passionate latin music is, I’m sure you can imagine the intensity that comes from the “Ticos” (what the Costa Ricans call themselves) in a karaoke bar. Of course I sang and made a fool of myself but then went downstairs and danced and felt a lot better. I have to say, it feels damn good to be a gringa in the biggest salsa bar in San Jose, Costa Rica, and still be one of the best dancers. Obvs, I had a blast.

Sometime around Wednesday or Thursday, something really amazing happened. That first day when you go around the room and introduce yourself and the impression you’re making on your classmates and teachers hedge on the few words you choose, a young woman named Ashley said she lived in a cabin in a little mountain town in Colorado with her husband a two dogs. She was one of the few that I initially thought I’d like, but had been busy with my new family and hadn’t reached out. She found me at break one day, and we instantly formed a great friendship. At dinner that night, we went to the bathroom and both gushed about how happy we were to have found each other and our other new favorite, Efrain, a married man who was born in Cuba, grew up in Sweden, and who's parents are from Uruguay. Efrain goes to Santa Clara and I am happy to have made a good friend that I can keep at home. It took a few days, but I finally found the people that I was destined to travel, laugh, cry, and grow with.

This weekend we went to Manuel Antontio, a beach on the pacific coast. Somehow by the time we got there, Ashley and I had already made each other cry on the bus. I don't think I've ever met a friend that I've so instantly connected with. I can't really type much about it now, because we're already feeling super emotional and the cafe we are at is about to close.

Ashley called her Dad the day we got to the beach and found out he has to have surgery on Thursday. After much discussion and tears, she decided to go home. It breaks my heart that our little group is already disbanding. Much like the movie, "Before Sunrise," the three of us are trying to suck out every moment we can. We swam for hours and hours, hiked all day, and stayed up talking and drinking all night.

With all the changes going on in my life, my short encounter with Ashley and Efrain really made me remember that what's important in life is always something that you carry around inside of you. More moments that make you laugh so hard that you cry and cry so hard that you have to laugh, are still ahead of us. Home is where we are, and with the people that are with us.

Ashley on the beach the night we got there.

Ashley and Victoria

The group from the first night. My two favorites are on the right- Ashley and Efrain.

On our hike, we almost literally walked into a group of about ten monkeys having lunch. This baby was my favorite.

The beach inside the park.