Carly: Living in the Moment

       Recently, I have been making friends and spending a lot of time with people who don't attend Del Mar. Since Nosara is so small, most of the teenagers who have lived here for a while know each other, even if they go to different schools. Additionally, as schools in the US have started letting out for spring break, several people who used to live here have come to visit. It is amazing to see the joy that their visits bring to all my friends and the excitement beforehand. Since people come and go fairly frequently from Nosara, everyone seems pretty accustomed to it, and it is easy to fall into a rhythm with whoever is here. I think this is one of the reasons why everyone here seems so friendly and welcoming. They are used to making friends fast and then seeing them go. This is kind of sad to think about, but it also means that everyone is living in the moment because they want to enjoy every moment with the people currently around them. Especially in the last few weekends, I have felt myself doing the same. It is an incredible feeling to not be worrying about the future and to just enjoy every moment with everyone around you. I hope that this is something I can bring back with me to Houston and my life in the future. While it is important to think ahead, I think that it is equally important to be able to just enjoy yourself and live life in the moment.

Carly: Me Gusta Mucho Surfear

       Yo he estado surfeando entre 3 y 6 veces cada semana desde llegué en Nosara. Es un deporte divertido, pero es muy difícil. Voy con mis amigos de Del Mar y también he conocido amigos nuevos en el mar. En la semana pasada, finalmente, yo hice  progreso en mis habilidades del surf. No sé que pasó, pero tuve un progreso grande y realmente surfeé bien. Puedo ver porque mis amigos quieren surfear cada día. Es adictivo. Es una manera perfecta para ejercitar, socializar, y refrescarse después de un día largo de escuela.
       La otra cosa que me gusta mucho cuando yo surfeo es para mirar el atardecer. Es hermoso y único cada día, y nunca me canso a mirarlo. Me gusta mucho surfear durante el atardecer porque tan pronto como ya no puedas ver el sol, muchas personas salen y es mas fácil para atrapar olas buenas. También me gusta ser en la playa cuando es oscuro porque es posible para ver incontables estrellas y el Vía Láctea.

Carly: Risk Taking

       I realized recently that I have taken a lot of risks coming to Nosara. Not just physical risks, but  a huge jump outside of my comfort zone for an extended period of time. I keep hearing from different people how impressed they are by me, how scary this all seems, how brave I am to try something like this, and etc. I always just brush it off and say thank you and I just wanted a change in my life. I was so determined to get myself here and find my place that I didn't really reflect on how much of a jump outside my comfort zone this was until recently.
       I have always seen myself as a driven student, but I never saw myself as the exchange student type until this year. Now that I'm here though, I'm so glad that I did it. I feel like my perspective on life has changed forever. For example, I used to be convinced that I could never thrive outside of a big city, but Nosara is a pretty small town, and I'm doing great. I've mentioned this in several previous blogs, but the attitude and lifestyle differences here are also shocking and amazing things for me to see and experience. I hope that I can bring back what I have learned from this experience and share it with those around me for years to come.
       On the topic of risk taking and comfort zones, I have realized recently that one of my big roadblocks of learning Spanish is just trying to speak it and being alright with being uncomfortable. My comprehension is improving drastically, but I'm still having to really push myself to try speaking to people. It's scary to try to communicate in a language you aren't confident in. Thinking about this though, and all the other risk taking I've done on this trip, it should be no problem. In the last month and a half, I've left home, started at a new school, made new friends, moved between two host families, started learning a new (sometimes terrifying) sport, taught voice lessons for the first time, and so much more. Just looking at this list makes it obvious how much I have grown during high school and while I've been here. I have always been a little risk averse, but obviously I have grown to a point where I can push past that. I am thriving on all the new experiences I have had here, and I am so glad my time at Post Oak has helped me grow to this point in my self confidence and individuality.

Carly: Aparentemente Me Gusta Enseñar

       Aparentemente me gusta enseñar, porque yo lo he estado haciendo mucho aquí. Durante las últimas semanas, los Martes, yo he estado ayudando enseñar dos clases del cuarto grado en Del Mar Academy. Ha estado muy divertido y me gusta mucho los alumnos. Algunos están tomando los clases que yo enseñar en el Nosara Performing Arts Academy (NPAA). En uno de los clases en Del Mar, yo ayudo enseñar los estudiantes que no hablan español, y en el otro clase, todos los estudiantes hablan español, entonces ellos están ayudando sumergirme en español como tanto estoy ayudando como su clase.
       Esta semana pasada, en la primera clase, me sentí realmente útil por el primer vez. La maestra necesitó hacer varias cosas a la vez, entonces yo ayudó los alumnos con un proyecto por treinta minutos. Fue un poco difícil porque todos los estudiantes necesitaron ayuda al mismo tiempo, pero fue divertido.
       Esto combinado con las clases en el NPAA me mostraron que me gusta enseñar.

Carly: Sunsets and Stars

       As of tomorrow, I have been here a full month, and I am getting pretty used to the routine of living in Nosara at this point. I have started working at the Nosara Performing Arts Academy a few times a week, and my other time outside of school is spent surfing or with friends. While Nosara is a beautiful community and I love everything and everyone here, the one thing that never ceases to amaze me are the sunsets. I never thought about how we can't really see the sunsets in Houston until I got here. Now I get to watch the sun set everyday. One of my favorite parts of surfing is just being out on the water and watching the sunset over the ocean (surfing itself is pretty fun too though; I am improving a lot). I think this act of seeing the sunset everyday is good for my health. It grounds me, makes me appreciate the Earth more, and has set my internal body clock right. I have not slept past 8:00 in the morning a single day since I've been here. My internal clock is up and ready to go soon after the sun rises and ready to go to sleep by 9:30. It is a great feeling to have a consistent routine that really feels healthy.
       Another amazing thing here is the stars. You can actually see them when the moon isn't too bright. When we went to see the turtles lay eggs a few weeks ago, I was stunned at how dark it is without light pollution and how many stars I could see. It was beautiful.