In my travels around the world, I have found myself immersed in many cultures and varieties of ethnicities; I have been fortunate to live in a time where such communication and experience are possible in a single lifetime. I saw Notre Dame Cathedral, the Statue of Liberty, Da Vinci's house and many other wonderfully spiritual and historical monuments. Yet I can say with the utmost certainty that no place has left such a lasting impact on my soul as the simple and picturesque country of Costa Rica. Although many places have penetrated me with a sense of what the majestic land and its inhabitants are capable of and forced me to question whether or not there is anything beyond the reach of human ingenuity, none have impressed me. led to acceptance of dissatisfaction and imperfect pursuit. of happiness in my life like Costa Rica. I never imagined that a group of people could live in such “poverty” with such satisfaction and spiritual contentment; and as I traveled the countryside, I had never felt closer to understanding my creator and my own mortality than when I stood at the highest point of my journey on this precipice overlooking the vast valley below me , eclipsed by the imposing mountains that surround me. Nor had I on the beaches of the Pacific felt so powerful and yet so insignificant, swimming beyond the dividing line while gazing at some of the world's biggest waves with nothing but my own rebellion against fear and a piece of paper. of fiberglass to conquer them. Costa Rica changed my life, if only for a moment, like nothing or no one has since. As I got off the plane for the first time I was thinking about the chances my friends at home were partying without me and...... middle of paper ...... how bad are you really brave and what you are really willing to risk. It's a terrible dilemma to have to make the decision to put everything on the line for a few possible seconds of triumph and satisfaction. How simple our lives are in such watery light. Returning to the town where my journey began, I recognized nothing. As I boarded the plane back to my old life, I vowed to never forget the wisdom I had seen and discovered and that I would tirelessly apply it to the life I had left behind. I never again wanted to live day to day without appreciating what the world could be. But as I sat on that plane, looking out the window and seeing my reflection mixed with the blue and white background, I fell asleep. That I, the one born in Costa Rica, would not wake up even though I still remember him fondly today.