Lessons Learned

First Lesson: There are Good Samaratans everywhere in the world
The first day of travel I left my passport in a shop in the Toronto airport. Someone turned it into my gate number and the flight attendant called me over to return it to me. The same day we arrived in Monteverde and did not know where our hostel was, when we asked around at the bus station, a man who runs a different hostel offered to walk with us and show us the way. In Leon, we got lost on our way to the bus station and a man on a bicycle hopped off and walked with us not only to the bus station but the the exact bus that we needed to take. This morning again, in Antigua, someone took time out of their day to walk with me to find a store that would change the phone chip in my card. And in Esteli, when I got really sick with a high fever and did not have the energy to go get food, the guy who ran the hostel offered to go get it for me. I hope that I can show the same amount of kindness to a stranger in need.

Second Lesson: Amazing experiences aren't as amazing without the right people
I went on a Canyon tour in Somoto, Nicaragua. I hiked through fields and around some rocks until jumping into a river surrounded by huge canyon walls and floated downstream. It was beautiful and yet it was missing something, I kept thinking, how fun would this be with all my best friends? The day before I had been on the internet looking at pictures of my friends attending the Color me Rad event in Winnipeg and seeing how much fun they were having together. The thing about my friends is that it doesn't matter what we are doing, whether enjoying some grand adventure, being stranded in a snow storm, or just sitting on the couch in a living room, it always seems exciting and fun because that's how my friends are. Sometimes we think we need a grand adventure to enjoy life but I think that all we need is the right people and all of life feels like a grand adventure. This is my way of saying, even though I get to do some pretty cool things, I still value the time I get to spend with my friends even more, and I miss you guys.  

Third Lesson: Sometimes unmarked taxis are legit

Fourth Lesson: Learning to surf in El Tunco is rather difficult and a beach full of rocks should be your first clue of how the day is going to go.

Fifth Lesson: Sometimes good friends are easy to find
On the five hour shuttle ride from El Tunco to Antigua, three strangers shared conversation the entire way, covering topics of religion, politics, education, relationships, and travel. They found a hostel together, ate supper together, gave each other travel advice, and wished each other well with intentions of finding each other on Facebook. These are the unplanned moments that I love about traveling.