Al final del arco iris

Not all idioms are different between Spanish and English. The literal translation of this Spanish phrase is "at the end of the rainbow," which shares its figurative translation with English: an unreachable place with an unattainable prize. The phrase fits very well for us this weekend because Tim and I chased a pot of gold we would never find: a relaxing beach vacation. We had reserved a rental car so we, including the dog, could find some solitude in a cabin in Manzanillo, on the Caribbean coast. The plan was to do nothing but rest and recover.

But upon going to Alamo right after school on Wednesday, excited to start our road trip, we found out that we were not allowed to rent the car. Because we have been in the country longer than three months, we are no longer classified as tourists; therefore, we must have Costa Rican driver's licenses to be on the road. However, the type of work visas we have do not allow us to get such licenses. Heck, we're not even able to get a cell-phone number without a cédula, a legal identification document.

So there we were, down $50 for our lost cabin reservation and lacking the escape we so desperately had awaited. I was in need of serenity, now, so I decided to look for another rainbow. The next morning, during my regular walk with Sage on our property, I was able to find one:
Unfortunately, there was no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow either. But I did reach a small epiphany about unattained prizes. With all the crap being thrown my way, there are still some flowers worth stopping to smell.