You Don't Miss it While You're There

I'm not a huge fan of long poem titles, and there's a chance I'll change this when I think of something better.
This summer, my church choir went on an 8-day trip to Costa Rica. We really grew as a choir and we loved the country, for all of its eccentricities. The day we left, though, I was talking to a friend about the trip and she said something that mirrored my thoughts quite nicely. She'd loved every minute-she loved the people, the plants, the way we got to know each other, the spontaneity of the trip, the relaxed atmosphere, but it wasn't ~stunning~. Of course it was amazing, but sometimes people come back from these trips saying their lives had been completely changed, or with a whole new perspective of the world, and we... just didn't. Looking back on it, though, I would give so much to be in Costa Rica right now. I love the holiday season, but you do grow to miss a place like that, and that whole group will never be together again because some are in college and there are new people who have joined the choir this year. Most of us see plenty of each other because we still have choir practice, but learning music in the US just isn't the same as performing the music you've rehearsed a thousand times, and in a place like Costa Rica in front of an audience that may not have ever heard choral music, or waking up each day to fresh tropical fruit juice and snacking on fried bananas. I guess I could call it "Ode to a Choir Tour..." hmmm...

Costa Rica Poem
It is now four months ago
That we got on a plane to go
To warm beaches and humid air
But you don't miss it while you're there

Rainforest plants with massive leaves
Warm rain but we'll still wear short sleeves
And zip lining through jungle skies
With gorgeous Costa Rican guides ;)

Tropical juice with every meal
This place has such a friendly feel
Toucans and monkeys in our yard!
Each flow'r would make a great postcard

Bananas fried for our dessert
Autographs after one concert
A world of Costa Rican flair
But you don't miss it while you're there

Bus drivers who we loved so much
Huge bugs we were afraid to touch
The children danced so wonderfully
Then asked us "will you dance with me?"

Gabi, who we'll never forget
And all the colones we spent
Kind shopkeepers and priests alike
And guides on that rainforest hike

The kids at one of our fun shows
Taught us "head, shoulders, knees, and toes"
The painted carts in each gift shop
Where we'd make the bus drivers stop

Ticos who were so kind to us
And waved at each big tourist bus
Who never ceased to show they cared
But you don't miss it while you're there

The way we bonded as a choir
When we found our conditions dire
The dance party in that hotel
Although I wasn't feeling well

The birds whenever we performed
The friendships that our smiles warmed
A college choir of such good friends
Of course, Kate's dad's great camera lens

Our giant yellow shirted blob
Or else, the "pura vida" mob
And learning to be versatile
Improving friendships all the while

We laughed at Adiemus then
Not knowing we'd look back on when
Those motions were our day-to-day
Chance to sing as one, and play

All-too-long talks of chivalry
And gun laws still don't interest me
Long bus rides and our spanish talks
A crazy mono I am not!

And staying up til 4 am—
An act the leaders would condemn
Your itch gel has a hummingbird?
No, a mosquito—that's absurd!

Farewell at that Brazillian place
Boy altos singing "Like a Bass"
Hemp bracelets from an awesome friend
We almost forgot it would end

But soon enough we board the plane
Good bye Ticos and summer rain
The US just cannot compare
But you don't miss it while you're there