Dear ICDS,

This letter is long overdue but during quarantine, I finally got some time to breathe and evaluate life. I cannot believe it has been a little over a year since I was in Costa Rica. With travel and immersing in a culture, if there is one thing I learned, it’s that our experiences are not always reflected immediately after the experience, but it’s what is reflected upon a year or many years from it that stand to be the most important. That is why I am sending you this email a year later. To begin with, I cannot tell you the number of times I have brought up Costa Rica (perhaps in every conversation) in the last year. It was the country that made me realize that life truly does go on and in the end, everything is all good (Pura Vida). It made me slow down and be happier in the present moment.

The people I met in Costa Rica (both ticos and travelers from other countries) made me truly understand what good energy feels like. I saw this good energy first and foremost in the team members of ICDS. I was grateful to have you all to help guide us through this journey and help us understand and educate us on the art of balance in life. Sometimes, I could barely communicate or speak fluent Spanish to people in my community but somehow, that did not matter as much as I thought it would for connecting with people. In fact, Costa Rica is what motivated me to learn Spanish even more which is why I am now going on to take more time to learn it on my own!

Speaking of what the world has to offer, I have always loved nature and being outdoors, but Costa Rica allowed me to truly appreciate it for what it was. Now more than ever, I strive to live a much more raw and genuine life and let go of the things that did not matter. This includes food, my body, my feelings, my environment and so much more. I want to thank Costa Rica a year ago for helping me embark on this journey. I am sending you this message to tell you that Costa Rica will always have a special place in my heart because of the role it played in understanding the kind of life I want to live. This got me to become more excited about life in general. I am grateful to have such experiences at such a young age.

The activities, trips and everything that ICDS had planned for us was amazing. I really don’t think 3 months was enough to experience the beauty of everything the country and culture had to offer. I do want to thank ICDS for helping us to learn and experience as much as we could in those 3 months. Though I am really bad at naming places and people, I for sure can paint you a picture of every single trip and experience you guys have planned for us because they truly were all amazing. If you need help planning ones for your future students, I would be more than happy to help.

There were many ups and downs we as people face in our journey and the approach that you all took when these obstacles arrived showcased the stride and peace in which the country itself approaches its problems. Again, thank you for giving me the opportunity to take part in this program and for allowing me to experience Costa Rica in so many different ways. I would love to get in touch and speak to you all over Facetime sometime soon!

Pura Vida,

Krishna Venigalla