Fireflies, Power Outages, and Packing Out

You guessed it–rainy season is back in all of its glory! But its advent is new for us since the season was well underway by the time of our arrival last September. And like all of the seasonal changes thus far, this one comes with upsides and down ones. Every imaginable species of insect has just hatched, seemingly in the last 48 hours or so, and they are everywhere. The upside is that  I have never in my life seen so many fireflies. Just as the peepers wake up and start their frenzied chirping at that specified time that only nature knows, it was the same here with the fireflies. Gazing into the dark jungle behind our house, you might as well be looking into the twinkles of fairyland. I tried to get a picture, but it was beyond my skills in photography. And also, just loads of multi-colored butterflies…and I cannot get pictures of them either.

The mud is back, along with the treacherous canyons on the roads to Pelada. I smiled wryly to myself as I recognized the mid-calf streak of mud across my left leg from getting in and out of the car. It was like an old friend. The mango season has passed, and after a spell of denial and a stubborn continuation to buy mangos, I have accepted it. They are past peak, and usually rotten on the inside. (This alone would have once caused me to declare my work finished here. ) And my nasty beach sandals (the ones that were so ratty that I was confident that they would never be stolen left unattended on the beach) are now so disgusting, that I might just leave them on the beach myself.

Henry has insisted that we will come back, after we settle our affairs in Nantucket. His plan is that Oli will work at the local gas station so that he would not have to go back and forth. He is still on the watch for a suitable job for me. Russell is ready to return home after all this time, and I sincerely hope that home is as good for him in reality as it is in his mind. They have grown un monton this year, both boys, and I have no doubts that what they have learned by living in a different part of the world will serve them well going forward.

Time has assumed warp speed as we head into the final month of our adventure; real life  is beginning to impinge upon my tranquility with sports camp solicitations, health form requirements for next year, and thoughts (both good and bad) of returning home. Friends in Nosara are prefacing plans with “Before you leave we should…” I keep trying to trick myself into believing that one month for any normal person on vacation in a tropical paradise is plenty of time, but I just can’t get myself to drink that glass of Kool-aid. I am on the Friday of my one week long vacation, and that’s where my purgatorial existence stands. Y ya.

And so what have we learned from our gap year in the end, aside from the obvious? That leaving your life is easy, and the less you need, the easier it is. And that goes for both people and things. As for people, I really only need a few, and they know who they are, to get my requisite level of companionship. In my twenties, I would have been frustrated at how hard it is to break through the levels of acquaintances in a new place before finding genuine friendships. But when that really is not a priority, it is amazing how it just happens by accident.

As for material things, this is a bit more complicated since our existence all year has been overshadowed by our transience. We have made do with much that we may not have endured were our plans to take us into “forever”. But you can do without most anything if it is only for a year. Even as I feel our imminent departure every sunset, every walk through the jungle, every congregation of monkeys seems so much more important, more poignantly beautiful than usual because it might be the last time. How to bottle up this appreciation for everyday living? You can’t, so maybe you just keep moving?

My boys have not pondered these existential lessons, and they should not, given their tender handfuls of years. The future is interminable for them, yet I hope that they have learned at least that it is a wide world, and changing your path is less daunting than it seems. There are amazing people everywhere, some you may meet, but many more you will not. And so, we will be back of course, because there are people here whom we truly love, and the scenery is not so bad either.

As for my people in Nantucket, I will be happy to see you soon and my beautiful Nantucket beaches as well. There is too much to explain and tell about our year here, and I hope this blog has served to at least give you an idea of how it has gone for us. That way we can all continue where we left off.