First Experience in a Latin American country
For some people, travelling is an important part of their daily routine, while for others it is a nice way to escape reality and enjoy some free time. Many have traveled outside their home countries at least once in their lives; however, this 25-year-old was about to experience leaving Canada for the very first time.
“I’ve never been one for travel,” said Zackary Foster, “but I figured may just give it a shot.”
Foster is a nighttime supervisor at a local coffee shop. He has been living in Fredericton his whole life since his family is close, he has a stable job and a comfortable apartment; and no urge to find a new place.
But a couple of weeks ago he found out he had the opportunity to explore a completely different culture and enjoy some weeks off work.
“My girlfriend wanted me to go with her to meet her family, so it was a good reason,” said Foster.
Foster met his girlfriend, a Peruvian living in Canada, at the beginning of the year. She joined the coffee shop where Foster works and instantly became friends. After a couple of months, they started dating. He instantly knew his life was about to change.
On Sept. 1st, Foster’s girlfriend invited him to vacation in Costa Rica. He was really nervous and didn’t know what to expect because it was his first time leaving the country and his family for so long. His main concern was that something would happen when he wasn’t around.
After leaving his fears behind, his excitement got over him. Foster instantly fell in love with the amazing and beautiful views the central American country offered him. He was also amazed by the delicious food he tried during the whole trip, including his favorite one, Anticuchos, a Peruvian dish.
“It is really nice to go to a different country and see how things are done differently, see how other people live,” he said. “The food was really delicious too, and cheap.”
Foster also met his girlfriend’s family. It was a challenge for him since they speak a different language, and he wasn’t sure if they were going to like him. However, after spending some days together getting to know every member of the family, he felt part of the group after finding out they have many things in common.
He met his girlfriend’s sister-in-law, Isabel Torres, who also travels a lot. The 26-year-old student was born in New Jersey, U.S. Her first trip was to Lima, Peru, when she was only one year old. After that, she travelled to several countries to discover new cultures or visit her relatives.
Torres married her Peruvian partner in 2015 and moved to the South American country for a couple of years before moving back to the States.
“I made the choice to move to Peru first to try it out there so my husband wouldn’t change his job, his friends, his whole lifestyle,” said Torres.
Like Foster, Torres was able to compare both cultures. She appreciates, and sometimes misses, how friendly the people were or how easy and cheap was to have fun in Peru. But she chose the country she believes was the best one for her and her future,
Foster and Torres consider travelling to a different country is one of the best experiences everyone should try at least once to discover new places and learn about new cultures, plus discovering tasty food is a nice extra.
