La Familia

This morning I woke up at 9:30 am, walked 15 minutes to return my surf board to the rental place, came back to the hostel, and slept from 10:30 until 3:30 pm. My body is constantly reminding me that I have four years of sleepless high school to make up for, and I could not be happier that I can sleep as much as I want during my time in Tamarindo. I'm starting to really become comfortable in this town.

I've also realized what a gift this hostel is. Everyone from the volunteers working the front desk to my roommates to the folks I meet from other rooms is a friend to me from the moment I meet them. Despite the dizzying rotation of 4-day guests making way for new short term visitors, I can always count on having someone to go out for some food and drink with. The new "Botella de Leche Family" group chat includes besties such as Rosie, Matilda, Denise, Ofir, Malka, Sofia, and more. Jimmy from Atlanta, Georgia (NOT Alabama) left this morning with a sweet text message. My time with that hooligan never ceased to be interesting and I'll miss him dearly. Hopefully we'll meet up one day with so many stories to exchange. Matilda has been such a comfort no matter the scenario and I'm so happy to have made a friend like her.

Already I see the appeal of a setting like a hostel and all the connections it has to offer. I'm so grateful for my temporary Tamarindo family. People like Adrian the glassblower/local guide and Marco the bartender at Suck My Cocktails have shown me the locals here are just as crazy as the tourists- thankfully the exact same kind of crazy that I am.

I wish I had some mild misfortunes or important lessons learned the hard way to share, but at this moment my reviews are nothing but positive. A particular lifelong friend from MA called Anna asked me last night over the phone: "What have been your favorite and least favorite things about the trip?" and it genuinely took me some thinking to come up with an answer to the second part. That being said, I can feel my body tensing up and my flexibility waning. I made the decision last night to make my physical health more of a priority, and since then I've spent more time relaxing my body and doing yoga with friends! Thankfully, it's not hard to find someone here who is willing to lead a stretch class in the fitness room upstairs or show you some good stretches. Tomorrow, I plan to go back to the rock wall and do some more bouldering. It's hard in a place where mental health, conversations, and connections have become such a priority to keep my physical wellness in mind. I will say that it's nearly impossible to return to the position I was once in during senior year at an IB school in terms of physical health.

My friends! Drink water, take 5 minutes to stretch in the morning, keep yourself moving, and maybe get a massage!
Peace and love, Jonah

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 23, 2023 at 7:17 PM

    Hostel life is the best life. That is the moral to your blog. And I ADORE that ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ . I’m also so happy to hear how much you love Tamarindo. It seems like the perfect place to unwind from ALL things leading up to it. Great job staying aware of what and where you need. I miss you sooooo much, but those feelings are softened by the reality that YOU are thriving. #teamtamarindo ❤️❤️❤️❤️🙌🙌🙌👏👏👏💪💪💪 Love, mom

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousSeptember 24, 2023 at 8:30 AM

    Oh Jonah! I’m SO loving hearing about the “Jonah Zone” (I know… so corny). It sounds like you’re taking good care of yourself! I’m anxious for pics too! I googled Tamarindo and see that it is indeed a beautiful place. We think of you every day, and I find myself wondering what you’re doing at that moment. We so appreciate you taking us along on this journey! Can’t wait to see what’s around the corner.
    Love you much! GrammaM

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dawn SpunzoSeptember 24, 2023 at 5:34 PM

    Sounds like such a blast and the perfect blend of relaxation and exertion - glad you are developing an awareness of what you need and when and not being apologetic about getting after it. Enjoy living in the moment!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Luke cameloOctober 5, 2023 at 1:51 PM

    Dude I’m so happy for you sounds so fun enjoy!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Adarsh BhatOctober 6, 2023 at 8:32 AM

    Yooo, I have been reading your blogs man! Amazing work 👍🏻
    If you decide to make vlogs, I'd love to watch them as well 😬

    ReplyDelete

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