Pura Vida In Costa Rica

Pura Vida
It was an escape, a breath of life, and shock that sent waves of electricity through my body and opened my eyes to the world around me. It brought light to the darkness that was incinerating me, reducing me from the inside out until I was nothing but ashes blowing in the wind.
It took bravery to make myself vulnerable and to leave. I had been pushing on the same concrete barrier that was keeping me from pursuing my passions my entire life. The barricade I had been cracking my head against like a raw egg just trying to feel something. I found that I didn't have to stand there. That I didn't have to wait in Broomfield, and that I could find another path. I'm not going to use the analogy of spreading my wings and taking flight, I am
much stronger than a paper-thin butterfly or a fragile bird.
I’m passionate about the planet and it’s inhabitants.The modern age has established a boundless starvation for timber and agriculture and energy, all of which can never possibly provide for our human consumption. While these commodities are indisputably necessary, it’s not conducive to human health to believe that we can’t have economic prosperity and environmental sensibility simultaneously. It’s true that the planet will adapt and survive no matter the amount of stress we put on it’s systems; however, it’s entirely up to us whether or not the human race will collapse as a result of greed and ignorance. We do not have the luxury of declaring environmental sensibility as discretionary. I want to pursue my passions in ecology to ensure that the frail systems and cycles of our planet are not irreparably disintegrated.
This was one of the things I wanted to explore in Costa Rica. I wanted to see what a rainforest ecosystem looked like, and to immerse myself in a place with one of the richest biodiversities in the world. I was ready to break up the monotony that had engulfed me. To separate myself from the Broomfield bubble and to dare myself to leave my comfort zone. I was not a fearful captain who was desperate to avoid the storm, to flee from the swelling waves and piercing rain and howling wind. I am not the type of girl to take the path of least resistance. I was driving my ship straight through the eye of the hurricane. I wanted to learn a new language, a new culture, a new me. I wanted to know what it was like to live in the moment.
There's a saying in Costa Rica called pura vida, which means pure life.
It’s about going through life wild and free. It means you seize the day rather than taking it on as another task that needs to be completed to reach the next step. It means you laugh and love and live deeply. That you soak in the good and rinse away the bad, and that everything is an adventure of it’s own. More importantly though, it’s also about pursuing your passions, and that’s exactly what I’ve been doing my entire life. I took a leap of faith applying for Teen Science Scholars, and working on my Revolar project, and leaving the only place I’ve ever lived. I’m not reckless, I am adventurous. I’m not fearless, I’m
brave.
I’ve grown immensely in Costa Rica... [complete later]
I want to be true to who I am, though.
I am messy and afflicted and sensitive. I make mistakes quite frequently, but I'm learning, I'm struggling, I’m growing, and I'm fighting. I am not the pile of paper that totes my adequate test scores and my transcript. I'm a three dimensional human being. And I'm so much more than a clone who is simply programmed to memorize and regurgitate its knowledge on a test. I have expedient and applicable strengths, and I’m taking steps every day to make my weaknesses stronger. I'm a problem solver, a perseverer, a critical thinker, a collaborator, a risk taker. I am a leader. Most importantly, I live pura
vida.