I love my wife. My wife is amazingly unusual compared to the stereotypical domestic housewife that carts 2.5 children around in a Caravan with a soccer ball sticker in the window (we don't even have kids yet). I suppose I shouldn't expect a typical wife as I don't have a typical marriage. I am 25 and have been married for over three years now, which almost unheard of in a post-modern generation of delayed decision and overly cautious attitudes toward the whole "institution" of marriage. But I digress. The reason that I love my wife, or should I say one of the reasons, is my wife's ability to embrace adventure and step into the unknown. She is not fearful of being in unsafe or unfamiliar places and she is definitely not afraid of taking risks physically. I know this for certain because one of our favorite common interests is to go rock climbing together. No; not hiking; 100+ vertical feet with a rope and harness.

It, therefore, should have come as no surprise that, when her best friend decided to cash in hotel vouchers in Panama, she jumped on the opportunity to join in the wild adventures of this trip. Who could resist, after all, with tickets being 350 dollars round trip. It may seem all too easy and inexpensive to get there, but the fact that it's rainy season is just the beginning of what makes this trip so wild and unpredictable. In fact, the weather will probably be a metaphor for this trip; brief, explosive pockets of heavy rain quickly followed by clear, sunny skies. Foreboding? Maybe. Enticing? Yes. We stared at each other making half hearted statements of intention and dreamed out loud sporadically. We argued over the dangers and impossibilities making such a trek. But, in the end, we found ourselves looking at a computer screen ready to buy our plane tickets.
We stared at Travelocity for about ten minutes waiting to see if the heavens would part and would give us a sign that this was a wise and honorable decision, but the excitement got the best of us and we found ourselves with 690 dollars on our credit card and two coach class tickets to the southernmost country in North America. So where is this all going?

The point of this trip is not coffee. I would like to say that my wife is as much of a geek as I am and would love to sleep in trees of the mountainous Boquete region while picking cherries side by side with the local workers, but she is a different person than I am (that is part of what makes her so beautiful). However, the most beautiful thing about my wife is her selflessness and the fact that this selfless attitude births a desire for her to see me fulfill one of my more recent dreams; a visit to origin. I have a deep desire to see the passion that translates into the quality and pure enjoyment that I take a part of in every cup. I have much to learn from an attitude of commitment and sacrifice like this. It is the attitude embodied by people who love what they do. It is an attitude that drives my wife to sacrifice some of her adventure for the sake of fulfilling my desire.

I have no idea what to expect from this trip, but I know for certain that this is something that I want to remember as a part of my shaping in life. I really don't care if people read this, though I appreciate a persistent reader, but I am compelled to have a vivid account of both my experiences and emotions going into this trip. On October 9 I will fly out of Chicago and arrive later that day in a country that speaks a different language and has a different culture than mine. I will stay in that country for six days and try to capture as much possible with my eyes and ears what this foreign place has to offer and what is stands for. I am scared because of my vulnerability. I am excited because of the opportunity. I am grateful for the chance to grow. What will happen?