Written by Leo & Annie
Hello Families!
A week has flown by in Costa Rica, tico time has been serving us well! Our first stop after our flight in to San Juan was the Mirador Hotel. We spent our time there looking at hummingbirds, eating gallo pinto, and zip lining as a group. We quickly packed our things and then headed to our next location: the Rainforest Adventure Center. To get to the RAC we hiked in 7 kilometers through the rainforest, stopping by a water fall on the way in and getting our first taste of the days ahead of us.
Once we arrived, we were met by our guide, Mauricio, and his family. They greeted us with open arms and welcomed us into their home which was located right next to the Savegre River, the second cleanest river in Central America. The days were filled with activities like chocolate making, tortilla classes, and night walks. As the days went on, the group bonded more and more over playing card games and swimming in the river together. Each meal was prepared by the family, specifically Doña Rosa’s recipes and we learned more about Costa Rican culture with every dish.
Climbing 300 year old trees led us to push our boundaries of what we think we can do and trust the people around us to help expand those limits. Doing a spiritual Temezcal (indigenous sauna practice) helped us to embrace discomfort to release negativity and reset. Learning about plant medicine from the rain forest builds the skill of survival without western practices— the days were filled with adventure and “pura vida”. Along with curiosity and excitement, especially as we got closer to meeting our host families. Our last day at the RAC was spent asking Mauricio’s family about their time in the rainforest, and more about what it means to be Costa Rican. After our final breakfast at the RAC, we hiked out towards Brujo to meet our Costa Rican families.
The hike back from the RAC was quicker than the one going in! We made our way back to Brujo and met our host families in the same location we’ll be hosting friendship camp. The day ended with everyone in their new homes, practicing Spanish, and embracing the next chapter of this program.
