I love Costa Rica! It's true. I'm in love with a country. It's okay. My husband knows and has come to terms with it. It's been four years since I headed south to my favorite place. So I set out on a whole new journey this time and went with people I had never met before. Scary, yes....Bad, no. Actually, it was the best trip I've ever had there. Usually my trip consists of door knocking, vacation Bible school, gospel meeting, and lots of visiting. This time we didn't do any of that. (My family and friends are on their way down there right now to do all of that stuff.) I finally set out on my first, and much-desired, dental brigade.
I started dental assisting almost ten years ago and quit twice. But I missed it entirely too much and had to go back. I've been back in the field for almost 3 years now, and I really can't figure out why I quit in the first place. Oh yea, to pursue bigger and better things and finally get that college degreee. Oh well. It's overrated. Anyway, I have always wanted to do a dental brigade and the opportunity finally presented itself. Steven, who is my friend and "Costa Rican brother", let me in on a trip being planned by a group from Tennessee. So I got connected with them via email and it was set. The trip was to take place from June twelveth through the nineteenth. Skipping a few details....here I am at the airport with people I've never met, heading to a foreign country. Luckily, it is a country that I have been to three other times so I wasn't worried. Much. Right away, I knew I was going to be okay. I connected with them right away.
We worked for four days doing dental work. The first day we worked at an orphanage. That was a mistake because I really wanted to bring those children home. Really, I just wanted to bring one child home. She was 2 1/2 and had the most beautiful dark curly hair. So after I fell in love with this little girl, we still had three more days of clinic left, which we did at a community center where the church meets. We saw over two hundred people total and did a ton of work. The doctors that I was with actually let me try my hand at doing some dental work, which was amazing. There are a lot of things that I cannot do in the States because I will lose my license, as well as whoever I am working for. So Costa Rica is definately the perfect place to do everything I have always wanted to. And I was so blessed to go with people who walked me through those things!
So here I am two weeks after returning, wanting to go back and do it again! I guess I'll just have to wait until next year. There are rumors that we are going to Peru next year. I'm game.
