Let’s talk about adventures. Merriam-Webster defines adventure as “an undertaking usually involving danger and unknown risks” and “the encountering of risks”. From previous weeks, our beach trip to Manuel Antonio, hiking around Volcán Irazú, and exploring Sanatorio Durán first came to mind when I thought of adventures. They’re a change in scenery, active, and a sizeable distance from our home base and, although they weren’t risky, they were still exciting: a bustling beach with noisy waves, a foggy and mysterious active volcano, and an abandoned, haunted sanitarium.
But our adventures aren’t exclusive to these. The second definition of adventure is “an exciting or remarkable experience”. This weekend was the first where we stayed local to San José and split up. On Friday night, Theresa, Paula, and I went to hear the Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica at the stunningly ornate Teatro Nacional. We were worried at first because we had to purchase our student tickets the night of, so we arrived early and picked seats in the very back row of the top floor. With an hour left to burn, we checked out the quaint café in the theatre. There weren’t any open tables, so they opened the back room for us – a beautiful little room painted with detailed murals from the floor to ceiling. We enjoyed rich, strong coffee and giggled over taking photos until it was time to go inside. The orchestra performed a world premiere of a Cohn concerto for English horn, a Schubert opera, and more. From the killer acoustics and a perfect view to chatting with our neighbors during intermission, the entire experience with this top-notch professional group far exceeded my expectations and was essentially heaven for me. There aren’t enough words to describe how excitingly wonderful everything was about that night, because just about every little moment was so special and memorable.
Music transcends boundaries.
What I just described is a perfect example of what an adventure is to me: an exciting or remarkable experience. Adventures aren’t exclusive to weekends either, but also to the other five days of the week when I’m at my internship. Every day at work poses a new challenge and a new experience. To name a few, on Monday, I toured the clean room that manufactured implants for a growing international market. On Wednesday, I worked closely with our designer and electrical engineer and experimented with SolidWorks. On Friday, I watched the Costa Rica vs. Brazil match with my coworkers in the cafeteria and didn’t need coffee for the rest of the day. Never in my life have I felt such energy and national pride in a group of people at 7 in the morning.
I invite you to pause for a moment and slow down, and seek authentic moments with people, as well as with yourself. Oftentimes we tend to rush from event to event and skimp on sleep without leaving adequate time for ourselves to self-care, rest, and reflect. Once you slow down, the seemingly smaller things reveal themselves to be just as beautiful, vivid, and meaningful. When you’re going through a rough patch, a little appreciation can go a long way to help you find that little something in the world that makes your day a little brighter and makes your heart feel full again. Pura vida.
Three summaries of local adventures:
- Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional de Costa Rica (described above)
- Feria Orgánica de Escazu: Rows of blue tents line the street filled with people buying affordable fresh fruits and vegetables at this weekly event.
- Vurgers: We joined some of our short course friends at a vegan hamburger café in San José. I tried the quinoa and garbanzos patty option and it was SO flavorful and filling. It reminded me of Thanksgiving stuffing, so that was delightful. 10/10.
AN EXTRA SPECIAL FERIA Bonus: Week 4 Exotic Fruit Bingo: Mamón: If a lychee was fibrous and squishier and had an eggshell that looked like a lime, it would be this. The flavor is difficult to describe, but it is sweet and mild, and more dry than juicy. This may be my favorite fruit encountered so far, albeit the granadillas that we picked up at the feria might give the mamón a run for its money.
Guacamole toast with fresh basil, using ingredients from the Feria Organica de Escazú