Returning home from Costa Rica was bittersweet. It was bitter because we left the warm weather and beautiful scenery for the icy cold temperatures of New England but sweet because we get to flush our toilet paper! This experience has definitely been a reality shock for many of us in the sense that we are amazingly thankful for the little privileges that are incorporated into our daily lives, like having a hot water heater that doesn't have a manual timer outside of the shower. I know that most of us had an idea as to the kind of living conditions that we would possibly witness some of the underprivileged Costa Rican natives living in, but I don't think that we ever thought that it would effect us as greatly as it did. I know that Rachael and I personally saw our lives in a different perspective, suddenly becoming thankful for everything that we had at home and no longer feeling as though we need more. Clinically, we have all grown immensely. Each semester, we have had one subject that we focus on in clinical but on this trip we were faced with patients from all ends of the spectrum. I feel as though we were well prepared and really refined our critical thinking skills. I feel as though we also got a great experience in dealing with patients who have a large lack of knowledge. As Dr. Lancaster had described from her experience at Boston Children's Hospital, people in the U.S. are so aware and sometimes over-educated when it comes to medical conditions. We got to deal with people that have no knowledge of their familial medical history or theirs. I know that I personally encountered one patient who stated that she takes seven pills at home, but she doesn't know what any of them are for. She was also unsure of wether or not she had hypertension, diabetes, or COPD, but her main complaints were symptoms of all three. These people trusted everything that we said to them and were so attentive to all of our instructions. It was such a rewarding and truly invaluable clinical experience, in so many ways that I cannot put into words. This is an experience that each and every one of us will carry throughout our nursing careers, no matter where they take us. I fully believe that it has made us stronger as students, human beings, and medical professionals alike. After this trip, there is no longer any lingering question as to whether or not this is what we are meant to do with our lives. Heather and Rachael