"Let it change you"

As the days count down to my departure for Costa Rica, the excitement and anticipation is getting crowded out by anxiety and nerves. I've been told so much information about this place I'm going, this sustainable center in the Costa Rican Rainforest, and yet, I haven't a clue what to expect.

The topic of all my conversations, be it with family, friends or strangers, is this trip - the coming chapter of my life. My future plans have become right now. There is no second guessing. There is no uncertainty of my destination.

But with this certainty comes a jungle full of unknowns - new people, various climates, different cultures, innovative research. With so many changes in my surroundings, it is most surely going to change me. Before, this thought was frightening. But now, after the numerous well wishes, tales of the natural beauty and the happy people, and of the rewarding experiences of study abroad, I find myself nothing but excited for the change.

Yes I will come back with some obvious changes. For one, I will be tan (this is new for me). Also, I will be far better at speaking Spanish. I'll have made some new friends, had some memorable experiences, lived some unforgettable stories, and learned a great deal.

But the most important changes, the most lasting ones, are not the superficial or the certain ones. It is those changes that I let affect who I am and how I see the world. The changes that will alter the way I live my life. Yesterday, I received the best advice I have gotten in preparation for my travels. A past soccer coach and a good friend of mine left me with just four simple words that I will carry with me every step during the next four months.

"Let it change you."

And I will - knowing that every change will be for the better.

REI: Ridiculously Excessive Inventions

Despite the troubled economy, REI has nothing to fear, for the Hostetler family is here.

Today we made our first of a series of trips to REI* for things we "need". Even Dad joins these family shopping trips (little does he know that our next stop is the mall..) because he can't get enough of those useless camping gadgets and the newest energy powders.

Unlike the rest of my family, I consider myself immune to the temptations of excessive camp gear. This is partly due to my practicality, but mostly due to my fashion sense, or even more generally - my fashion awareness. There is a fine line between mosquito-repellent, quick drying, button-up, plaid shirts and the fashionable long plaid blouses with a cute tie around the middle. This is a line that many outdoors-men, especially my family, ignore. Let me explain.

I tried to keep an open mind. I headed straight for the shoe section - my most practical need was a pair of hiking boots. It's slim pickings, but I manage to find the least rough boots on display. My mom asks if they are comfortable. I shrug. Who cares, they're the best looking.

Moving on, I peruse the entire store in search of some long sleeve shirts. My packing list says they must be insect resistant, rain resistant, and temperature resistant. It might as well just read "fashion resistant." Before I thought camping was a cheaper vacation, now I glance over these price tags. So much for after Christmas sales. I take a deep breath and begin to flip through the clearance rack. With (a little too much) help from my Mom, I somehow accumulate a rather large pile of prospective shirts and pants*.

In the dressing room I give each garment a fair chance. Well, except those MEN'S shorts that my mom threw over the door, claiming they were "very practical for the jungle". Those stayed on the hanger, though they should have stayed on the rack. To make a long story short, I came out with two items out of the 20+ I tried on. I was not fully satisfied with these items, but I knew I needed to purchase something to make it out of the store before closing time.

My swift shopping proved effective when I barely evaded a purchase of gators, only possible with the unknowing help of the saleswoman. If you don't know, gators are a thick gortex material that strap under your shoe and tighten with a pinch cord just below your knee. They are worn to keep snow out of your boots, and for some reason my Mom* thought they would keep the poisonous snakes from biting my ankles during my many jungle hikes and field studies to be had in Costa Rica. Thankfully, the saleswoman piped in and told us that snakes could probably bite through this material, anyhow. Rather than be caught dead in those gators, I said I'd rather suffer numerous (potentially deadly) snake bites.

Moral of the shopping trip - fashion still exists even in the jungles of Costa Rica. Even though it is to a much lesser degree than that experienced in New York City, it exists. Even though there are 3x more girls in the program I'm headed to than guys, it exists. Even though the necessity of hiking gear limits my options, decency exists. And even though the economy is receding, REI has nothing to worry about because my family (and some others) find their expensive and excessive recreation equipment necessary for our inexpensive and natural outdoor pastime.

*For those of you who don't know, REI is a massive outdoor equipment store that was founded in Seattle (of course.) It has overpriced equipment for any outdoor sport or activity you could imagine. Just like an iphone has an app for everything, REI has a gadget for everything outdoors.

*Please note, these are not just any pants. These are the totally hip and fashionable pants that zip off into shorts. Multi-functional, multi-fashionable? Oh, yes.

*Last note. I love my Mom. I give her and her fashion sense a good knocking in this post, but that is only because I know that outside the mystical walls of REI, she has perfectly acceptable fashion.