Exploring Costa Rica: A Week of Service Projects, New Experiences, and Weekend Fun!

Costa Rica, High School Programs

Petra, Anya, Carlos, and their group have been hard at work on their community service project and a vibrant mural at the community center. Their week’s highlights include a visit to a butterfly dome, experiencing farm-to-table practices, and exploring local restaurants and shops. Read on to discover more about their experiences, the challenges they faced, their gratitude, and the exciting adventures awaiting them in Uvita!

Written by Petra, Anya, and Carlos

Buenos días! We’ve been working very hard on our service project this past week, as well as starting our secondary project: a mural in the community center for everyone to enjoy! After working hard this whole week, we got to enjoy a nice weekend at Hotel Pelicano with fun activities like swimming and a delicious dinner!

Top Highlights of the Week

Exploring New Places: We experienced new restaurants and shopping locations around Costa Rica. (Shout out to Carlos who LOVED the food!)
Butterfly Dome Visit: We visited a butterfly dome where we learned about their life stages and all things butterfly.
Farm-to-Table Experience: We witnessed the full meaning of farm-to-table practices, including a pig slaughter. This new experience allowed us to see the entire process, from touching and shaving the pig (after it was dead, of course) to observing the organs and anatomy during the butchering process. The community was really proud to include us in this tradition.

Challenges We Faced

One challenge we faced as a group was the heavy lifting and hard work, such as mixing mounds of cement and working through angry ant hills.

Gratitude and Looking Forward

We’re all very grateful for the new experiences we had this weekend by traveling outside the community and seeing new places while having so much fun! We’re looking forward to spending our last and final week in Uvita, surfing, white water rafting, and watching sunsets on the beach.