Changes

        Not everyone has the opportunity to live in different countries.  Not everyone thinks moving from one country to another, is an opportunity.  Changes can be either defined as a crisis, or as an improvement. Whenever people see a change in any part of their life, the word ‘’crisis’’ rapidly appears in their mind, but they have to learn that sometimes, changes are improvements in our lives. Changes sometimes happen for a reason. We don’t have to see changes as a crisis, but as a way of improvement, to overcome ourselves. When you make a change from one country to another, the changes you feel the most are the weather, the people, and the landscapes each country posses.

     When I was ten years old, my dad was asked to move from Guatemala to Costa Rica for business. Guess what? Crisis came to me. I couldn’t even have the thought of leaving all my family and friends.  It wasn’t not only that, but the idea of having to change everything. Suddenly, the word “change” began to appear in every single place I used to go, when months before I used to barely say that word. Change of house, friends, bedroom, food, school, cars, furniture, phone number, address, because every single thing I had was going to change. The problem was that I had only ten years old, and what can a ten-year-old girl do to picture all of these changes at once.

     We did it, we moved from one country to the other. This was where the real changes began. My first impression was the weather. You can see Guatemala as a cold country. The weather is both hot and cold, which makes the perfect weather combination. In the summer, Guatemala becomes lightly hot, and in the winter it rains a lot, and it gets very cold. The perfect climate to take a hot chocolate and watch a movie, but usually it has a “perfect climate”. On the other hand, Costa Rica has a permanent hot weather, which is beautiful, because the sun is always raised up above.  Whether it is winter or summer, you will never be cold. The ideal weather to take a tan, and a long swim at the pool.

       Another first impression was the people. In Guatemala, we have two types of people. People who work in restaurants, stores, and any other places, are usually very nice, are aware of your concerns, kind, sympathetic, and generous persons. On the other hand we have the insecurity, which comes from the Guatemalan people who are dishonest, impolite, dangerous and violent. Both types of Guatemalan people are usually very short. If you compare Guatemalan people to the people who live in Costa Rica, the people who live in Costa Rica, and work in the restaurants and any other places, aren’t as polite as the Guatemalan people. What Costa Rica has that Guatemala doesn’t is that in Costa Rica, you can take a walk at whatever time you like, in whatever place you like, security is everywhere.

      The biggest impression of all, are the landscapes. Guatemala’s landscapes include volcanoes and mountains. Guatemala is defined and recognized as a place that is surrounded by mountains and volcanoes. You can see the sunset hiding in the back of the mountains at six o’clock in the afternoon. Guatemala posses eternal spring, flowers are everywhere at anytime. All with their different types of colors, smells, and shapes. Costa Rica’s first impression to me was that green areas surrounded it. You could see green everywhere.  The streets, the houses, and any place, is surrounded by trees and plants that makes Costa Rica a tropical, and beautiful place.

     You have these two beautiful places, unique in their own forms, which make each one of them beautiful as they are. That change from Guatemala to Costa Rica, stopped being a crisis to me, the moment I arrived Costa Rica. Guatemala and Costa Rica are magnificent places to live. I didn’t have any reason to worry. I knew that both places where different, but beautiful in their unique way. It wasn’t a crisis, it was an improvement, because I learn to live and adapt in both different places, and live a happy life in both of them. Whenever you see a change in your life, take the bright side, and enjoy that change. The change is there for some reason, you just have to learn to enjoy it. :)


“Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”- Maria Robinson