Written by Jesse Sultan and Zoe DeMichele
A Warm Welcome and New Experiences
Pura Vida!
Here’s what you’ve been missing. After departing the San Jose Airport, we embarked on a two-day adventure at the Hotel Mirador, filled with rice and beans, zip lining, many ice breakers, tons of team-building exercises, and maybe some more rice and beans for dessert.
One long bumpy bus ride and a two-hour jungle trek later, we arrived at the RAC, the Rainforest Adventure Center. There, we expanded our knowledge of cultural cooking, medicinal plants, foraging, river and waterfall swimming, sauna sessions, and more rice and beans. The trek back included the same hike and hand-pulled cable cars, cages sent across the river to carry passengers across the currents.
Even though we were initially apprehensive about the proximity of sleeping quarters and full group cohesion, we left closer than we’ve ever been, with new knowledge and cultural understanding. After departing the four-day experience at the RAC, we arrived at the quaint village of Pueblo Nuevo to meet our families for the next couple of weeks. At this moment, we are adjusting to our new dynamics and working hard at building a fence and beautifying the fútbol field.
Top Highlights of the Week
- To further our understanding of the traditional practices of native people in Central and South America, we participated in three rounds consisting of a polar plunge and a ten-minute sweat lodge session that had many people gasping for air and sweating multiple pounds of water weight.
- Another opportunity we had to step out of our comfort zone was when we zipped through the jungle and dropped from extreme heights at the Hotel Mirador.
- Our most recent highlight has been meeting the generous families we are now calling home.
Overcoming Challenges
Although there are many talented Spanish speakers in the group, it has been an adjustment to live and work with people who are unfamiliar with English. Despite it only being a day, we speak for the group when we say we have already expanded our vocabulary. You best believe your children will come home with much more Spanish under their belt.
Gratitude
We feel most grateful for the new environment. Especially in the RAC, an open-air living space with no windows or doors, we felt particularly connected to the surrounding sounds, such as the birds and the rushing waterfall. Even when driving through the mountains, looking through the window offers a constant view of a new natural phenomenon.
Till next week,
Hasta Luego familias.
