Christmas on a Cruise - Dec 20-27

From December 20th through December 27th I had the wonderful opportunity to meet up with my entire family (mom, dad, brother, sister, and 95 year old grandpa) for a cruise on the Mexican Riviera. It was a great experience. Probably the thing you hear about most in relation to cruises is the food, and it definitely didn’t disappoint. My only critique is that there was not a frozen yogurt or soft serve machine available (my number 1 request prior to boarding) but that was probably a good thing as I definitely got my fill of food and desserts. We have very fun waiters for our evening dining experience and I think they got a bit of a kick out of us as well. Every course of every dinner was a sea of arms and forks and spoons crossing the table as everyone wanted to sample what the others had, and for those of us who had a hard time deciding…the waiters just brought some of both, or all. One night I was faced with a difficult dessert decision (surprise, surprise) and upon seeing my distressed look, the waiter pulled the menu out of my hand. Now I thought he was just going to pick the best one for me, but turns out he just decided to bring me one of everything! So there I was, sitting at the table with a buffet of desserts in front of me (what a shame!). Some of the trip highlights were playing games in the Card Room, watching my parents each go parasailing in Puerto Vallarta, and spending a grandpa-granddaughter day on the boat while the rest of the family explored Mazatlan. It’s fun to watch people’s reactions to seeing my grandpa strolling around the boat, or him and I playing cards at lunch, and even better when they found out he was 95. I hope the Icelandic genes are as good to me as they have been to him!

It was quite the adjustment to come back to the States after 9 months away… When I was at the airport going through customs in LA the man at the immigration counter wished me a Merry Christmas and it totally threw me off seeing how it was the first time I had heard those words (rather than Feliz Navidad). When I was in public it was weirding me out to hear everyone talking in English, and when I would need to approach someone at a store or ask a question about something I had to fight the urge to make my inquiry in Spanish. There were definitely some welcome sights as I was back stateside… Target, for example, and Starbucks (although for my first coffee beverage I selected a push-button cappuccino from the gas station…yum yum).

I definitely went through a variety of emotions during the whole experience on the boat and then the week in LA. It felt strange to be leaving Costa Rica for a “vacation” and then transitioning drastically from living here to living on a cruise ship. After spending the time with friends in LA, however, and being reminded of my “old” life, I began to feel my first signs of wanting to come home for good. Up until that point I had been totally content and happy in Costa Rica, with no real desire to head back home anytime too soon, but I think this trip proved to be a good transitioning step for me. It allowed me to be reminded of why “home” is “home” (even though it is not exactly LA) and that I am indeed looking forward to that life again. I will admit that in the airport at midnight, while I was waiting for my flight back to Costa Rica, I felt my first twangs of sadness about leaving. Not that I was dreading the return, but I did think “I don’t want to leave.” I had really enjoyed the time with my family and friends and that fact that thanks to my cell phone I could be in contact with pretty much anyone and everyone whenever I wanted. That is definitely something I miss here – just being able to push a button and hear a friend’s voice. Now that I am back, I am glad to be here as well, and I am glad that when I left in December it wasn’t my final goodbye to Costa Rica. In the end I think my little American getaway was just what I needed to make the most of my remaining time here, and also allow me to look forward to what is waiting when I get back.