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proud boast from the winner, who would celebrate as
would someone winning the lottery.

So together we spent Easter, visitors to the home of a
welcoming and gracious family, playing cards and
gathering for a delicious meal of fresh fish, rice and beans,
homemade breads, fruits and vegetables, and Lidia's bread
pudding. All of our differences and traditions were put
aside as we adopted those of the farm. My week of work,
relaxation, and realization came to an end with a
celebration of a new family. Such experiences allow
travelers to understand that though the lifestyles of others
vary from country to country, when life is slowed down,
all humans want to connect and create a family. As I
made my plans to return to San Jose and continue with
weeks of classes and tours of the city, I vowed that I
would remember the feeling of existing in the moment,
free of obligations and stress.

In embracing the slow lifestyle of the family at La
Iguana and taking the time to get to know all of the
visitors, I had learned that sometimes doing nothing is
more fulfilling than any busy, adventurous outing. I lay
under my mosquito netting that night listening to the
silence and taking deep breaths of the smell of the earth,
engraining it in my mind before I went back to the city.

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