As my head emerged through the surface of the ocean, I was met with vision of nature. Looking west, I saw an endless array of water hitting the skyline in a perfect horizontal line. Looking east, I saw a mountain covered in trees and a beach filled with lush sand at the bottom. Few people were in the water, but that was how I liked it. I let buoyancy do the work to keep me stable as I floated in the water with ease, looking up at a big blue sky.

 

This beautiful oasis was my family's home away from home. The Tulemar Resort in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica had been ranked #1 and #2 top hotels in the world by TripAdvisor for the pat 6 year, according to Laura Alvarado from The Costa Rica Star. Our first time here, I was merely 13 years old with my biggest worries being finishing the eighth grade. Now, coming back in 2021 right after the pandemic and three weeks before the first day of my freshmen year of college, I was a different person with a newfound level of stress and worries for this big change. This pressure carried over into what should have been a relaxing vacation. The peaceful thoughts in my brain were being interrupted as I started creating a mental packing list for school.

 

Grey clouds started rolling into the area overtop the resort as sprinkles of water started hitting my face. This created an odd but refreshing sensation from the mix of the warm ocean and the cool water droplets. Typically, the rainy season in Costa Rica happens from May to November. Standing in the rain is usually avoided by people in most parts of the world, but it is actually celebrated in this beautiful country. Sarah Mayo from the Costa Rica Experts describes the Pura Vida way of life in Costa Rica to be a go-with-the-flow type attitude, meaning something as simple as rain does not ruin the day of a local. Because of this, there was no question whether I should leave or stay in the water, until it became too late.

 

Unfortunately, this sudden rainstorm grew with gusts of winds that challenged my stance in the water. Calm three-foot waves started increasing in size until they reached ten feet. My heart started pounding out of my chest as my anxiety filled the air. Suddenly, I was sucked under the water as if someone pulled my leg out from underneath me. As I gained my footing, I jumped to the surface only for another wave to crash right on top of me. There was no time to yell, scream, or cry. I was only plagued with the thoughts in my head as I tried to figure out a way to safety. My brain went into overdrive where my senses were all fighting with one another. My eyes were sealed shut under the highly concentrated salty water. All I could feel was the water swarming around me, spinning my body in a circle over and over again while my hands tried to find a large rock at the bottom of the ocean to stop my movement. Water filled my ears making it hard to hear, except for the loud thumps as the waves crashed above me. A massive headache started forming. I couldn't tell if it was from the lack of oxygen, the pressure of the waves, or the stress that had been building and building as the first day of college grew closer. Maybe all three at once. The ringing in my ears grew louder and louder, I thought my head would burst.

 

Then, I felt a hand grab me and pull me out of the water. Even though the storm still swirled around us like a tornado, I could finally breath. I rubbed my eyes red raw which only made the stinging worse from the salty water on my hands. From the depths of my blurry eyes, I could see my dad looking at me making sure I was alright. We managed to get back to shore together. He immediately grabbed a towel and some band-aides. I looked down to see blood streaming down my leg and one toenail practically gone. I was numb to the pain. My dad frantically ran around me in a state of panic, but my own panic had finally subsided. My body melted into the white beach chair watching the sun as it peaked its way out through the clouds. I knew everything would be okay now.

 

It's two weeks later, and my dad is lofting my college twin size bed. For once, I am silent as I watch him struggle to lift the heavy bed and come to terms with the fact that his oldest child is leaving him. I think back to Costa Rica and how he has always there for me. I realized he is just a phone call away in those same times of need. I also learned to live life with no worries. Right on my college bedroom wall, there is a Pura Vida sign to remind me about my struggles, but also about living life to the fullest with no regrets.

 

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