Day 4- By Will Hughes

Today was definitely one of the best days of the trip. This morning all of us went down to the school to be with the kids. As we walked down the road and approached the school, all of the kids were lined up against the fence waiting for us to get there. That was really awesome and made us all feel great that they were excited to be with us.
While we were at the school, I was with a group that went to play soccer with some of the older boys. They were extremely good at soccer, and since we split into teams of the Costa Rican students versus the Aggies, the game was pretty one sided. Even though I have no soccer skills, this was one of my favorite times of the trip so far. It was really cool to see the kids having so much fun with us, and even though we were speaking different languages, we could still communicate with each other. I took a lot from that soccer game besides just having a fun time. It is an amazing experience to be in a situation where there is a language barrier, but despite that fact you are able to clearly understand and connect with another person. This showed me how even though we may come from different countries and cultures, we are all similar in a lot of ways.
The more time I spend here and the more I interact with the Costa Rican people, my understanding of "pura vida" seems to become clearer. The people here live such passionate lives. They are connected to the natural world around them, and have deep respect for the rainforest and its wildlife. Everyone that I have talked to has seemed genuinely engaged in our conversation, and not once have I felt like they had better things to do or that what I was saying was not important. I feel that it is a lifestyle as much as it is a phrase, and it is a mindset I hope to adopt and take back home with me.