Was it worth it? Sure. It was fun, and I needed a break. I didn’t take time off after college to backpack like so many of my friends did. I went from working two jobs (while carrying a full class load) in school to working 60-hour weeks after graduation, and I was tired. I had hit a breaking point. In hindsight, I wish I’d done something more meaningful and made an impact. But I wasn’t really thinking that way at the time. I didn’t plan my career break the same way I planned my career.

Would I recommend anyone else go and do this? Sure, but I’d advise you to go into it with your eyes open. No matter where you go, you’ll still be you. Some problems you’ll never be able to run far and fast enough away from. It’s been more than 12 years since I took my break, and my life didn’t change in some drastic, pura vida-inspired way. But my time in Costa Rica did teach me something important.

Right now, I’m going through another huge life transition, and I’m facing it head-on. I dream of taking off and leaving every problem behind, but I know it won't help. I may not be as brave as I used to be, and my anxiety definitely gets the better of me. But now, I know what the fearless girl I once was never realised: I can handle anything that life throws at me. Sometimes I just need to chill out and have a pineapple fizz first.