Sep 21-24: Final Week in Costa Rica

Monday was my last real day in my community as a Peace Corps volunteer. I woke up early to take one last run around my beloved Parque La Libertad before making my way to the colegio. There, I gave my counterparts some letters and some cookies called alfajores that I commissioned from my host sister who runs a dessert business. The English department gave me a custom water bottle and treated me to lunch. That afternoon, I went to the escuela where I gave my counterparts there the same thing. I said goodbye to all the students over the microphone at an assembly and then received hundreds of hugs and high fives from them afterwards. It was a really special moment that I’ll cherish forever (I almost cried but I promise I didn’t). That evening, I bought some fried chicken for my host family at their favorite local establishment and we reflected on the past 2 years. They were a great host family and I’m super grateful to them. 


Tuesday was a long and heavy day. On Tuesday, I made the commute to the Peace Corps office for my “gong out” ceremony. Striking the gong and saying a few words marked the official end of my Peace Corps service. I was fortunate that my girlfriend Keily was able to accompany me to celebrate and got to meet a bunch of the Peace Corps staff too. Afterwards, we returned to my homestay to pick up my luggage before making our way to her house where her family prepared a goodbye lasagna dinner for me.





Wednesday was my last full day in Costa Rica and I wanted to cherish every moment I had with Keily before entering the long-distance portion of our relationship. We grabbed some brunch in Desamparados before I went to the Banco Nacional in order to close my Costa Rican bank account. It’s never an easy and efficient experience at the bank in Costa Rica, especially with a unique account that’s co-owned bt the embassy, but after awhile, they were able to figure it our. That evening, Keily and I traveled to Alajuela near the airport to stay the night there before my early morning flight on Thursday. We ordered in some Chili’s and watched a movie to maximize our time together.


Thursday morning, we woke up bright and early for my 7am flight. I’m not always the most emotional person, but saying a (temporary) goodbye to her (and to Costa Rica as a whole) was one of the hardest things I’ve done. After a tearful send-off, I jettisoned off for home in Southwest Missouri via Houston where I was welcomed home by my Aunt Shirley and Uncle Allen with Springfield-Style Cashew Chicken waiting for me.






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