Welcome Home, Sweetheart!!!

Daniel's Story:

When he first got there he was soon singled out as the only person without any medical background. After they all arrived he was the last to introduce himself to the group and lead doctor. When he told them he was going to major in English the doctor asked several times (through her translator) "Why are you here?" He was so embarrassed and immediately wanted to come home. He emailed me and told me how miserable he was and that he's shouldn't be there. After I told him that he paid money to volunteer he decided that it didn't matter what the doctor thought. He was there to serve people and not to worry about one person's opinion. He was constantly mistreated by their lead doctor but he stayed positive and made it a group joke with his peers. He was able to make some good friends because of it. He was able to call home and email constantly. While there in Costa Rica the group was able to go down a zip line that was (if I remember correctly) 2-3 miles down the rain forest. People reportedly saw sleeping bats, birds, monkeys, and even large wildcats.

The next week he told me that they were traveling to an indigenous village in the middle of the rain forest and then moving on to Panama. Phone conversations were very limited. The village was hard to get to, hard to live through, and hard to come back from. His group had to hike 2 hours in the heat and humidity to get there. While there they helped a lot of people who had parasites that, if not treated early, ensured death. Most everyone had it, including children. The symptoms left open sores all over their body. And even those who had the parasites taken care of would always have the scars to remind them. It was difficult for Danny to see little children living with something so terrible. It made him think of and appreciate Kailyn.

After they left the village they went to Panama. I think they only did a clinic once. Then they had another play day. Danny got to go see Dolphins (his favorite). He loves how intelligent and unified they are. Me? I'm a shark person. So, he brought me home the perfect souvenir: A necklace with a shark tooth! I know that they've been popular before but mine is the best because it's not a fashion statement. It has real sentimental value. He hates sharks but loves me enough to get me something I will always love. For Kailyn, he bought a key chain of a cute yarn doll that reminded him of her. What a sweetheart!

The next day they all traveled back to Costa Rica and the next morning they flew out for an all day trip back home. When I saw him come around the corner at the airport he smiled his perfect smile and I melted. He was home. And he looked AMAZING! He was wearing one of the local shirts he purchased. My man looked like he's been living in Costa Rica his whole life. So tan and healthy looking. Anyways, Kailyn spent the night at her grandparents to that we could clean him up and inspect his body for any open wounds. We wanted to make sure that he didn't pass anything to Kailyn. And that was it. We spent the night without worrying that Kailyn would disrupt our night together. It was a really good experience for him. It was a really good experience for me. And it has made our relationship that much better.

I'll be sure to post pictures of his trip and all the goodies he brought back.