The Transition



After I landed and went through my little turmoil (see my last post), the next day I stayed in bed almost the entire day. My stomach wasn’t feeling the best, and I was absolutely exhausted. I messaged my host on WhatsApp because I didn’t want her to think I was being rude or avoiding her. I ended up sleeping most of the day away.

That night, when she finally saw my message, she knocked on my door with a warm cup of green tea and some Pepto-Bismol in her hands. It was such a small gesture, but it meant a lot to me. Like I mentioned in my last post, on my first day here she had already seen me struggling to figure things out and even offered to take me to the grocery store with her.

After my long rest, I finally decided to venture out and get something to eat. My appetite had started to come back, and I remembered seeing a Caribbean restaurant on my TikTok FYP. Ever since I arrived, TikTok has been flooding me with recommendations for places to visit while I’m here.

The Ubers are incredibly cheap, and the food? My God, the food. Everything has been affordable, flavorful, and absolutely delicious. I honestly haven’t had a bad or even mediocre meal yet. The Caribbean food was amazing, and the owner even asked me to come back for breakfast the next morning.

The next day, I walked back to the grocery store my host first brought me to. On the way, I met a beautiful white-and-orange cat. She came running right up to me because, of course she did. I’m a whole cat woman. She recognized her people immediately. 🐈

At the store, I picked up some fruit, water, yogurt, and juice. Slowly but surely, I’m navigating this experience pretty well.

And honestly, when I’m not out exploring, I’m perfectly content sitting on my host’s beautiful porch, watching people and cars pass by, listening to the birds, spotting squirrels in the trees, and crocheting quietly. A luxury vacation wasn’t really what I came looking for. That part is easy. What I wanted was to experience the culture and the people firsthand. I wanted to see how other people live, move, and navigate their world.

I still have ten more days here, and I plan on taking the ferry to the beach, touring the historic city, hiking to a waterfall, and visiting a village in the jungle. Then it’s off to another destination to do it all over again.

The only thing I wish I had done differently was learn more of the language beforehand, but so far I’m managing with what I know.

Overall, though, I’m realizing something important: I’m being taken care of. I always have been, and I always will be.

Location: Central America

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