Costa Rica was my first international solo trip, and I had no plan. I decided just five hours before the flight left that I was going to send it — because if not now, then when? That choice changed everything. I hitchhiked with strangers who brought me along to feed a family in extreme poverty, and the experience was so humbling it shifted my perspective on life.

But the moment that truly transformed me was at a waterfall hidden inside a cave. The water was turquoise blue, the walls were draped in greenery, and the sun poured in perfectly from above. Standing there, surrounded by raw beauty, something inside me woke up. It was the first time I truly felt alive — like I was no longer waiting for life to happen, but finally living it.

Costa Rica was the spark. The trip that reminded me life begins when you’re willing to leap into the unknown. These photos are my attempt to hold onto that moment… the one where everything changed.