Well, a bit more sad news from Stateside.  Last Tuesday an old friend Maya McReynolds passed away from cancer.  A firecraker of a person, Maya was one of my American students who studied Spanish from me in Costa Rica.  Her and her older sister Chinue were great friends to have in my first months in a new country.  They had tips, advice and even went on adventures with me.  Maya was such an adventurous spirit, randomly going with me to find papayas without thinking through exactly how to get it down from the tree.  We spent an impressive amount of time shaking random trees.  I spent a lot of time laughing when with her.  It’s hard thinking through how this can happen to such a vibrant 19 year-old girl.  The pain of this one might stick with me for a while.
I’m so glad that she was a part of my life in one way or another.  She will be missed by many, but I have no doubt will continue as an inspiration as well.  And the first step will be to enjoy the people around me while we’re both here to experience it.  So off I go to roam the halls looking for friends to chat with.