October 2021, was a time in my life when I was feeling the most lost. I was working, having fun but something just felt unfulfilled in me. As my 25 birthday approached I realized I needed a big change. I googled teaching abroad and I found TEFL Costa Rica. There was a company that promoted getting your TEFL certificate and then living and teaching in Costa Rica for ten months. Before I could even think of logisitics I booked it. The year 2022 was a really tough one for me in so many aspects of my life, but one thing that was always in the back of my head was my trip to Costa Rica.

Flash forward to October 2022 and I am boarding a plane in Edmonton, saying goodbye to my mom and grandma and heading into the abyss of this adventure. I really had no clue what I signed up for, all I knew was that I would be teaching in some capacity and living the beach life.

The month of October was intense. I took my TEFL certification course with a group of 7 other amazing indiviuals. This course was more intense then some of my years of university. There were long days, planning, teaching, and learning. Although I was living at a hostel on the beach, I had only weekends available to explore. Luckily it was still rainy season so I wasn’t feeling too bad about missing the ocean right outside the classroom doors. The day of my 26th birthday was the last day of this course and a great beginning to the adventure to come.

Once my group all finished the course we left Samara for a week to explore the beautiful Monteverde (I will write about this place in another entry). When we got back to Samara, real life started. I began my teaching career online, through a great platform that allows me to pick my own hours and days. I had the most amazing schedule. I would wake up in the morning, teach four hours, have lunch, spend the whole afternoon at the beach, home to teach three hours, and then hung out with friends. The most perfect schedule one could have. I was creating a good base of regular students and was consistantly busy. I was also able to explore the little beach town I was living in. Life was beginning to feel comfortable and amazing. But of course on this crazy adventure I decided I wanted to push myself and decided to travel aroudn south america instead of staying put. As my mom put it “you’re already half way there, might as well”. I agreed and I find myself writing this first post in Santiago, Chile.

Samara is a place that will forever hold a special place in my heart. I found amazing friendships, and was able to work on healing all of the things that I struggled with for so long. I lived in this place for three and a half months and I have no doubt in my mind I will be back again.

This blog is going to be a journal of my travels, funny stories and encounters as well as travel tips for some of the places that I have visited. Also a place where I can put all the worried adults minds at ease, so they know where I am and what I am doing.