Leaving Monteverde

They say that you attract people into your life that are similar to you. I can only hope that is true. When Douglas and I first came to the Cloud Forest School we were introduced to three other international families at the school. These three families became our friends, our support group and a great source of information and inspiration.

Ironically all four of our families started blogs about our experiences in Costa Rica. It seems we all wanted to share what we have done and what we have learned along the way.

http://puravidafamilia.com/ 
http://humansofplanetearth.net/ 
http://hardinnieriblog.wordpress.com/

The first family I was introduced to before we arrived in Monteverde. They came to Monteverde a year before the rest of us and were happy to share their knowledge and their experience in order to help and prepare those of us who were thinking about or already planning our visits. They have been an amazing help to all of the international families and to the school (and that does not even touch on the charitable work they have both done in their own lives which is plentiful). They have taught me the importance of a comfortable home, this is our sanctuary. They have also exposed me to a whole new level of 'giving' as I'm sure there were very few minutes in their day that were not devoted to helping others.

The second family became our neighbours as well as our friends. They are so giving that before they even came to Costa Rica they were thinking ahead to the people they would meet along the way and brought maple candy to share!! This is the family we shared the most with (not just because of the candy). They were the only other Canadian family in our group and the only other family staying for just 6 months.  They helped us create a sense of normalcy in this otherwise completely foreign experience. We enjoyed dinners and game nights together and theirs was the one phone number I committed to memory  These are the people I could ask for a cup of sugar and would be happy to share my home baked cookies with. Without realizing it they taught me to question, they showed what it looks like to be calm and level headed and keep a smile on your face in situations that would have surely driven me to react quite differently.  Even now in our last week of travels they are looking out for us as they want us to touch base before we leave to make sure our journey goes smoothly and that we make it to the airport safely.

The last family have decided to extend their time in Monteverde and are starting a business to reach out and help other families coming to Monteverde (or other areas of Costa Rica).  They will be here to pass along all that we have learned and help make this journey an amazing experience for those that follow in our footsteps. They have reminded me about the importance of getting our priorities straight, how to successfully support each other as friends, as spouses and as a family and how to see things through a different lens.

I can also add that all three of these families have become involved in the community and volunteered their time and/or their skills with the school, with their families and with the community. They are all hero's and amazing roll models for us all, but most importantly for their own children who will be our future.

This in no way completely describes who these people are or how much they have meant to me but I could not end my blog without saying that they have been a significant part of my life for the last six months and it has meant a great deal to me.

If this is what I am attracting into my life then I consider myself successful. I could not have asked for better friends to share this time with.  Thank you.