And it's already been a month.

How cute is this little guy?

“They say I'm old-fashioned, and live in the past, but sometimes I think progress progresses too fast!” 

― Doctor Seuss

Today, I have been in Costa Rica for exactly one month. In fact, I was making my way through customs at this very moment.

Time here is a very funny thing. I have definitely had to re-adjust my expectations when it comes to people being 'punctual' and events, taxis, school, and church being 'on time'.

In the states, I feel as if the clock is definitive. Often, people's lives are planned down to the minute. Don't get me wrong: my former roommate Anna would be the first to tell you how much I loved - LOVED - being on time. She hated it. I hated being late.

But here... I've had time (ha) to really consider the significance of that. The worldview here is different. People take time to enjoy what they're DOING, not think about what they have to do in the next hour, minute, or second. Often, this means that they aren't exactly on time. Okay, fine, no one is EVER on time. Still, they always make it to where they're supposed to be.

At first, this really frustrated me. I wanted to plan out my days, know when I could do what, where I was going to be and when.

However, in only my month here, I have realized that not having everything planned to the second is, in a way, liberating. I still often find myself checking the clock, only to realize that hey, it's different here.

Time is slower, people are happier, and life is just more... full. More enriched.

Time is slower, I am living more in the moment, allowing God to take more control of my life, even second by second.

That being said, I look back on my time here and can hardly believe it's already been a month. Where did that time go?! If it's slower, why has it gone by so quickly?

Of course, it has been hard, and I have been tired, and hungry, and sick, and terrified, and lonely... but today my stomach is full, my heart is warm, and I am more than content.

I know I still have 8 months here. And I do ache for Walla Walla. I miss the fall, I miss my family, I miss the Longest Table, I miss my friends, I miss studying, I miss showing up at Chelsea's apartment with Kenton and Daniel to bake cookies whether she and Ashley liked it or not.

But this moment is fleeting, no matter how slow it feels. This chapter of my life is just that - a chapter. It will end, the next one will begin all too soon. This is an adventure, and it is beautiful, and I am growing. While I miss the comfort of my home, and the security of the familiar, I am being used by God here.

That is the most incredible feeling of all.

So, here's to the next 8 months. May as well be 8 blinks.

Smiling. Always smiling.

Pura Vida.
(: