And another one's gone..

Said goodbye to my Swiss friend this past weekend. We went out for a wonderful dinner on friday at a local indian restaurant (mmmm......) and then out for coffee yesterday before her plane left. I realized that her departure actually marks the third time this year I've said goodbye to a close girlfriend here in CR. My first CR friend left in February with her partner and their new baby for a new life in New Zealand. My friend the intern left in the last week of June, and my Swiss friend left last night.

My Swiss friend said something important to me this weekend that stuck with me. She encouraged me to think about how I can get prepared to leave this place. What do I need to do to properly prepare myself for moving on to the next step? I just looked at a calendar and realized I'll be back in the US next week (!) for my friends' wedding. After their wedding, I only have three more weekends left in CR. So, I'm going to think more about this leaving business. E-mail me or post comments with any suggestions for farewell to CR strategies. (Also if you have any ideas for goodbye gifts for the host family, please send those too!)