I'm 15 now, but I was 7 the first time my family visited Costa Rica. I totally loved it. One of the coolest things that I did on that first trip was stay up until like 1:00 in the morning with my mom netting bats and working with some scientists to study them. I couldn’t believe I was SEVEN and working with scientists!

What’s cool is that, once we moved here, we went back to that same place (Tirimbina Rainforest Center) and I got to work with the scientists for six weeks studying the bats. I’m pretty sure when I grow up I want to be a biologist. And a competitive surfer and maybe have a little band.  What do you want to be when you grow up?

When we moved here I was turning 11. I was really excited about the idea of living in Costa Rica. But I was also a little nervous because I didn’t speak Spanish and I knew I was really gonna miss my friends. Other than that, I was totally psyched. Especially about all the animals—snakes, monkeys, spiders, lizards, frogs.

After being here for two weeks we started going to the local public school. That was crazy. We didn’t speak any Spanish, we were the ONLY white kids in the school and we had no idea what was going on. It was so crazy even our parents felt it was whacky.

The first weeks were pretty hard. Have you ever gone to a new school and been the new kid?? Try doing that, and not even speaking their language! It was pretty torturous. But I learned from it and now I can be the new kid anywhere and be cool with it.

I think maybe that’s why I feel comfortable trying lots of new things now. Like, I entered my first surf contest after just a year of surfing. I was up against the top surfers in my age group in the country. I was so scared that my heart was in my throat. But I got out there, surfed my best and ended up making it to the semi-finals. I was super stoked! I was calling my grandparents, my cousins, my friends, my mom’s friends—everybody!

I love surfing. It’s a great way to get to know people, be close to nature, do something active and hang out with friends. It’s a solo sport, too, because in the end it’s just you and the wave. When I get on a huge wave everything goes into slow motion and I’m super-excited, my adrenaline is going crazy. It’s just awesome. You gotta try it to understand it.

Starting a new school in 8th grade was sort of intimidating, even though I'd done it before.  But the excitement of it was more than the fear of it.  Now I'm looking at maybe doing a year abroad next year. 

Send me an e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and tell me about YOUR hobbies, what you want to be when you grow up or about an experience you've had being the new kid or trying something new.