Our trip to Costa Rica started with some unexpected challenges and travel changes! As they were arriving, heavy fog in San Jose diverted students’ various arriving aircraft to Panama City, Managua, and Liberia (another small city in Costa Rica). After hours of working with airlines, our fearless leaders, and our even more fearless students, our group finally united the morning after they began to arrive in country. It was a long journey full of delays, bus trips, and unexpected flights, but the students were total rockstars! They showed resilience, patience and positivity in the face of a lot of uncertainty!
One of our students, Arvin, put some of his thoughts down in writing at the beginning of the trip. The anticipation and excitement ran high!
“From the great failures of forgetting the route to listening to amazing music while enjoying the warmth of the humid weather, I believe this first day was a success. Together as a group we were able to join as a family the minute we stepped into the plane- the best of all was solving the smallest problems together such as finding the gate to our next destination. I believe something we will all remember is the huge smile Sam (our leader) had while waiting for us to show us the fantastic world of Costa Rica. And with that alone we realized that this is the start of that famous quote “Pura Vida.” I believe deep inside that we all miss our families and wish to go back, but at the same time, we also wonder what will happen next. We the group have seen that what we expected to happen presented itself in a whole different way. So, for now I leave you with this question: what does San Isidro have to show us and what new surprises does it have to offer?”
From San Jose, our group was headed to the Rainforest Adventure Center (RAC) deep in the jungle, via the town of San Isidro. The journey there involved a few delays caused by the van breaking down, but everyone loved driving deeper into the jungle and seeing all kinds of new vistas. Once we all made it to the town closest to the RAC, we had a 1.5 hour hike ahead in order to get to the Center! This was one of the most remote areas many of us had ever been, which was both exciting and nerve-wracking.
Once we made it, we were treated to several days of amazing home-cooked food, adrenaline-boosting activities like zip lining and waterfall-rappelling, and plenty of time to continue strengthening our bonds. Here is some of what we were up to!
Gathering around the RAC! We spent the first day tree climbing and waterfall rapelling. We stayed in this big, wooden tree house in the jungle!
Qin has been nothing but positive since the day we met. She always has a smile on her face and encourages others to keep up with the positive vibes!
Alan spun once and crash landed, but quickly picked himself back up and went for another ride on the zip-line. His cool, calm and collected self make him a great listener. We love his artistic side too!
Jason is always participating in the group and has already made strong friendships with Alan and Arvin. Although the three are the only boys in the group, they hold it down by being there for one another. Pictured here is Jason using his excellent photography skills with Alan at his side. Zip-lining was a BLAST!
The very adventurous Micaela leading the pack to our next activity! Her warm spirit inspires everyone to put their best foot forward, especially during hikes.
Eve has been a rockstar throughout our rooms at the RAC. Whether it be rappelling down waterfalls, climbing giant trees, or zip lining, she has done an incredible job of conquering her fears, exposing herself to new things, and bouncing back with resilience. Always has a positive attitude and something constructive to contribute to the group!
Valeria has the most contagious laugh around and she’s quickly shown what a sweetheart she is! She’s also a huge help, using her fluency in Spanish (thanks to her awesome Venezuelan parents) to help translate for students who struggle with both Spanish and English.
Sohee not only makes us laugh until we cry, but she’s super brave too! I’d say she’s pretty much conquered her fear of water and heights, eh? Here she is ziplining over River Savegre!
Here’s Rocío posing for a photo before we headed off to our host community, Aguas Buenas. We are amazed by her incredibly sweet, caring soul. Stay tuned to see her shine! She’s got some pretty cool secondary projects in mind.
Pictured here are Xochitl and Mya being silly with a tiny little coin after our hike through the jungle. They always make us laugh and lift our spirits, even when they’re tired and soaked from mountains and tropical rains.
Catalina’s quiet confidence and calm spirit bring so much happiness to our group. We love her radiant spirit, and how sweet and caring she is!
Diana loves kids and it definitely showed when she used her free time to hang out with one of the local kids at the RAC. We’re super excited to see her work with more kids in Aguas Buenas and we’re thankful for her awesome translating skills!
Here’s Annamelora contemplating life in the Costa Rican cloud forest, which seems to be her natural habitat! We love that she’s been so present-minded and open to new experiences.
Lou, pictured on the far left with some of the girls in this year’s program, is a rockstar. She demonstrated her cool, calm and collect personality upon arriving to Costa Rica with NO luggage! We want to thank her for her patience and the rest of the girls for lending her clothes during our RAC stay. (Thankfully, she got her bag yesterday.)
Chloe had a goal not to be at the end of the pack while hiking to different locations. Here she is, at the front the pack and following through on her pact to herself! She did great with all the outdoor activities by pushing herself out of her comfort zone and looking cool while doing it.
Arvin has admitted that while he’s a really outgoing person, he’s also got an introverted side, too! He’s an artist that loves soccer, and a great listener with many interesting stories to tell. We’re so glad to have such a humble student with us on the trip!
