Bridge Year Costa Rica – Fall 2025

These first few weeks of settling into life in Costa Rica have been thought-provoking. The excitement of arriving has started to settle into everyday life – adapting to a new culture, language, and rhythm. It’s been a time of reflection, especially about what it really means to be content.

I’ve caught myself wondering: are we ever truly content?

One rainy evening as it began to get dark, I was walking through the city with my fellow Bridge Year students after Spanish class. As we each headed to our different bus stops, we talked about this feeling – how we’re always looking ahead to what’s next. We realised that even though we’re living this incredible experience, part of us still misses what we left behind, or wonders what comes next. That conversation has stayed with me.

I think back to this time last year, when life was so busy and fast-paced – school, college applications, endless deadlines. During that time, I couldn’t wait for it all to be over. Or when sitting my A-Level exams this summer, I told myself that once I got to Costa Rica, I’d finally be able to relax. But now, it feels strange to simply sit and chat with my host family for hours, because I never had that time before. And when I did slow down, I often felt guilty for not working or studying.

Part of me even misses that constant busyness – the structure, the pressure, the drive – though I never thought I would. But I’m realising that here, productivity isn’t what defines life. What matters more are connections, shared meals, laughter, community. That’s a value deeply embedded into Costa Rican culture – and one I’m slowly learning to embrace.

Still, the mind loves to wander. The grass is always greener on the other side. I’ve found myself missing the small, ordinary things from home: preparing Sunday roast after church, grocery shopping with my mum, walking the dogs. Little routines that sometimes felt like chores now feel like small joys I used to overlook. This experience is teaching me not to see things as tasks to get through, but to appreciate them – to not take the everyday moments for granted.

I used to find the winter months back home in Wales the hardest – cold, dark, and rainy, with everyone counting down to Christmas. But even that, I now miss a little. I miss stepping off the bus after school into the rain, getting home to warmth and a cup of tea, and telling my mum about my day. But life has to change at some point. Even next year, when I’m away at college, that season of life will have passed. And that’s okay. Change is necessary for growth – just like I’m learning this year.

At first, it felt like no amount of reflection could help me feel truly content. I could tell myself that one day, when I’m back home or starting college, I’ll miss this time – but that didn’t make it easier in the moment. One day after class, my Spanish teacher told me something that stuck: to never look back at what you’ve left behind – live in the moment and look ahead.

The longer I’m here, the more I understand that. It’s not wrong to miss home – that’s natural. But contentment isn’t about pretending I don’t miss Wales; it’s about accepting both realities. It’s possible to hold both a gratitude for this experience and a longing for what’s familiar. Usually, finding contentment has been easier for me when situations are short-term. But this year, I’m learning what it means to really stay with something – to live in the in-between, where comfort takes time to grow.

This year isn’t about counting down the days until I return home. It’s about learning to be fully present here – with all the emotions that come with it: excitement, gratitude, homesickness, curiosity. It’s okay for them all to coexist.

Now that I’m starting to find my “home away from home,” I’m making the most of every moment – knowing that I have strong support networks both here in Costa Rica and back in Wales.

The truth is, these nine months will fly by. But I’m learning to slow down enough to truly live them – to be content in the moment I’m in. Because when the time comes to go home – and I start missing this chapter of life in Costa Rica – I want to remember what this year taught me: that contentment isn’t about where I am, but how I choose to be there.