Costa Rica Epic Service Adventure 2024

June 28, 2024

We started our morning with a Gallo Pinto breakfast consisting of rice, beans, eggs, and tropical fruit. We then took a bus to the nearby mountains to tour a coffee plantation. We were greeted by a taste of their coffee and then saw the process of creating coffee. At the end of the tour, we got to sample the different types of coffee and chocolate covered beans they produced and tour the shop. We then saw a butterfly garden and ate a buffet style lunch. Next we came back to our hotel, Brilla Sol, and had some free time to hang out at the pool. Then we had a group session to create our community guidelines. These guidelines will be the premise of how we are expected to behave for the remainder of the trip. Afterwards we got dance lessons from Randall! We learned merengue, bachata, and salsa. People were so hot and exhausted from the dance lessons that people hopped into the pool again. We’re about to have dinner served at the hotel. It was a great day!

-Stella and Calder

June 29-30, 2024

Our morning began bright and early with a wake up call at 5am. We traveled to the Limon region and had breakfast at the rafting company lodge. For the last part of the journey to the river we traveled in a tractor until we reached the rafts. We started our rafting adventure down the river, traversing class one and two level rapids. By the time we reached our first stopping point at a scenic waterfall, most of us managed to survive without falling off the raft! We ate a snack of freshly chopped pineapple and swam in natural pools created by the waterfall. Eventually, we made it to the place we would spend the night, we had a lovely lunch and dinner at the lodge and fell asleep under the stars. The next day we returned to the river for 27 km of level three and four rapids. We once again stopped at waterfalls to eat snacks and swim. After exiting the water, we started our journey to our new hotel Rosa de America. We swam in the pool, played card games and football under the sun, and chanted “PURA VIDA” at every passing moment. It was a great day, and we can’t wait to experience the next part of our great adventure.
-Slater and Ash

July 1, 2024

Kachow! We hit the road first thing in the morning. The ride was supposed to take 3 hours, but it ended up taking 4 hours because of all the stops. On the way, we sung karaoke and stopped at a gift shop, grocery store and restaurant. Once we got off the bus, we had a two and a half hour hike and it started raining. Once we got to the lodge a little kitten greeted us. We went upstairs to admire the Arenal volcano and get comfy in the hammocks. Afterwards, we had spaghetti for dinner and then practiced our Spanish in order to prepare for our home stays. Right now we’re staying at the research station in the Costa Rican rainforest where we are going to be for the next 4 days. (Hi, mom!)

-Ben & Zahara

July 2, 2024

After our relatively late evening activities, we woke up at around 6:30 for breakfast at 7. We got ready for the day enjoying a nice view of the foggy mountains. We had a nice hearty breakfast of beans and rice… again! Then we all went out onto the porch and split into three groups. For the next 4 hours we did service work around the lodge. One group went around cleaning the trails, digging trenches and throwing logs off the trail. The other one worked on a 6ft compost hole. And the third and final group scraped rust off rusty beams and painted a bridge. After that we had lunch which consisted of rice, chicken, avocado, and tortilla chips. Then we had around two hours of downtime which we used to talk, play games and listen to music on the hammocks. Our group leaders Clea and Liam lead a game of murder detective then volleyball in the mud. We got called in to dinner which surprise, surprise… was beans,rice, and chicken! We had an hour to shower off all the mud from volleyball before playing charades. “What a wonderful day”

-Ceasar, Clea, and Liam

July 3-4, 2024

The morning of July third started with a beautiful walk to a waterfall. We then spent the day doing service work (with some rice and beans for lunch) and rounded out the day with a night hike where we got to see some spiders, a baby snake and a bird sleeping under a leaf.

We started our day, today, with our last session of service work, followed by a delicious lunch of chicken in red sauce, vegetables, and of course, rice with beans. Our day then moved into an Olympic style tournament celebration of Leif’s birthday. After an hour of free time (and a couple well deserved naps) we had our first event, volleyball. We ended up having so much fun we decided to drop the rest of the competitions and just played more volleyball for a couple hours. A few people lounged inside while the rest of the group went mud sliding. Dinner was pork chops with sauteed onions (+ rice and beans). As we finished dinner, a chocolate cake rounded the corner, accompanied by sweetened condensed milk and dulce de leche. The group then found a movie to watch, The Princess Bride, and as we write this we are about to start.

-Miles and Talia

July 5, 2024 

Today was our last morning at San Gerardo Station. We woke up and ate pancakes while enjoying the beautiful view of the Arenal Volcano. Everyone trudged up the very long hill to get to the bus. After about 2 hours of everyone whining and complaining about the hike, we all screamed with joy to see the bus. Due to a mudslide blocking our route, we spent 7 hours driving to a hotel near La Fortuna. Upon arrival, we were all delighted to see how nice the hotel we were staying at for the next three days was.

-Jackson and Natalie

July 6, 2024

After waking up in this super fancy hotel everyone was excited to eat a breakfast that actually tasted like home (didn’t have rice and beans.) We loaded into two vans and drove about 20 minutes to the Two Little Monkeys chocolate factory. There we learned the process of making different types of authentic chocolate and got to make and try some ourselves. During a quick tour of the farm we saw our first sloth. After the chocolate factory we got lunch and afterward some people played soccer with local kids. Although they were no older than four years old, they were insanely talented. We then drove a short distance to Proyecto Asis, a wildlife refuge that rehabilitates injured or surrendered animals. After getting to go around and meet all of the animals, we were able to make their lunch for them. Due to social hierarchies in the animal kingdom we had to make various “toys” to make it harder to get their food out, enabling every animal to get equal portions. After being entertained by mostly monkeys we got back on the bus and sat in traffic for about 40 minutes on a 5 minute car ride. We got back to the hotel, rested until dinner and had the best pasta we had all trip. As we write we hear all of our friends playing in the hot springs and are about to hop in ourselves!

-Jackson and Natalie

July 7, 2024

Our day began around 7.15 when we were woken up and we all quickly ran to breakfast. We were served a stack of pancakes with chocolate sauce and sprinkles. We left promptly at 8 to go ziplining, which was a 45 minute drive to the Arenal Volcano. We all got on harnesses and in groups made our way up to the top of the ziplining via gondola. We then went on 7 different ziplines, some in pairs and others by ourselves. The view on each zipline was incredible, we saw the Arenal Reservoir and the greenery. Everyone had a great time and many screams were from both fear and excitement. After ziplining, we stopped for lunch at probably the best lunch we have had so far. We all either had falafel salad bowls or pulled pork sandwiches and we all had the option of smoothies, which were delicious. We then took a short drive to the town of La Fortuna, where we spent the afternoon shopping and then enjoyed ice cream at Pops. Many of the boys bought tunics, but we also bought Costa Rica t-shirts and other Costa Rican paraphernalia. Afterwards, we made our way back to the hotel and enjoyed some freetime, which included swimming and relaxing in our rooms. We then gathered in the gazebo to prepare for our host families. Following that was dinner, where we were served burritos and plantain chips. After we did an appreciation activity and finally learned who we were staying with during our homestay. We then received letters from our host families giving background about who they are. We then spent the next hour hanging out in the hot springs and spending our last night before the homestay together. Ziplining tip- sway the handle side to side rather than up and down to avoid crashing into the stopping breaks

– Christina and Sarah

July 8, 2024

We had a final breakfast at Hotel Heliconas, and packed up for our homestays. Next, we went to a cheese farm and learned about how cheese is made. We also went on a tour of the farm and saw pigs, chicken, cows, and a poison dart frog. We headed back to the bus and we loaded up. We took a short drive over the the village where we would live during the homestays. We got off the bus and heard music coming from speakers. It was our host families welcoming us! We all stood in front of tables and we waited to meet our host families. Soon after, we had lunch and then got our suitcases. Some of us had to travel to our houses by car or bus, but some of us walked to our houses. We got acclimated and walked around the neighborhood to see our friends. Some of us played soccer while the other half played basketball. Slater revealed his hidden talent to the kids, which is a very hard skill with a soccer ball, and they were very impressed. The local kids were very excited go play futbol with us and it was a very cool experience. Then, we headed back to our homestays for dinner, which was very tasty. Que Rico! Many homestay groups taught their host families card games. There was a sloth spotted in the tree of a host family. Then, we went to bed early because families wake up at around 6 to the sounds of roosters.

-Leif and Beckler

July 9, 2024

Today was a dia de trabajo, or day of work. We arrived at the community center at 8:30, and began the project of painting the fence around the center and the bathrooms green. It got a little messy, but luckily there were sinks to rinse off in. We had two breaks plus a lunch break, where we played our favorite card game, president. Later we will play with other kids in the area. And have dinner with our host families!

-Leif and Beckler

July 10, 2024

This morning, we woke up at our homestays to breakfast. We arrived at the community at 8:30, the same time we got here yesterday. We promptly got to work finishing painting the green fence and we filled all the orifices. After taking a lunch break and playing Pres, our favorite card game, we painted the inside of the community center white which was a very satisfying process. We watched the Netherlands vs England soccer game and England won and Calder was mad about it. Adelina was indifferent. Later, we hope to start a soccer game and have a nutritious dinner with our host families and practice our Spanish skills.

Hasta luego!!!

By Adelina & Calder

July 11-12, 2024

Kachow, we woke up thirty minutes later than we usually do yesterday (July 11th) because we weren’t going to be painting fences anymore. At nine o’clock we walked over to the community center to join the rest of our group. We then walked over to the gymnasium to meet up with the local families and their kids to play some traditional and fun games. We started off strong with a game where everyone stood in a circle and passed a broom around to music. When the music stopped there were three people who held brooms that had to go dance in the middle of the circle. A lot of the kids were embarrassed to dance so it ended up being just the Global Works kids dancing. After that, we all held hands and played a different version of duck-duck goose. There were two other games which consisted of lime on a spoon, and jumping rope. After the games had ended, everyone made their way outside to go on a fun slip and slide (it was pouring rain). Some of the kids went on it and a lot of the guys started playing soccer. After the slip and slide and soccer, everyone was sent home to go eat lunch with their host families. After lunch, Vie decided to take a 2 hour long nap with her friends. While Ben on the other hand, went to his friends house to play song good ole poker for some strong US dollars. Once the time had reached five o’clock, it was time to meet back up at the community center to make empanadas with a few of the host moms including but not limited to Ben’s host mom. Everyone made their own empanadas which consisted of toppings including, but not limited to; ham, cheese made by one of the host moms, red peppers, and onions. They were delicious. Ben made four empanadas and he gave one of them to his host mom, Vie made; including but not limited to, two empanadas. After empanadas we had a small bonding activity and a logistics meeting and then we said good night :(.

Today (July 12), We had to wake up zero minutes later than we usually do because we’re going to start painting at eight thirty in the morning. We got started right away at the neighborhood school painting all of the walls for blue, to white. We took one long snack break where we had crackers and fruit, and played a lot of pres. Then we went back to work at painting until lunch, which included, but was not limited to: rice, beans potatoes and chicken in a yummy sauce and a side of salad. After lunch, we spend time preparing for our English classes that we’ll be teaching tomorrow morning to locals. Afterwards we got back to work after getting a little sweet treat from the store. Which bring us to now, 2:48pm on a Friday afternoon writing this blog while everyone is painting, besides Liam who is taking a break sitting on the bench with us.

Sincerely,

By Vie and Ben

July 13, 2024

After getting to sleep in until 9, we had our English lessons with the local children at 10. It was super cool trying to find ways to teach others English while trying to communicate in Spanish. After the lessons we had lunch and went back to work painting the school. After spending time doing recreational activities in the after noon some went to optional mass while others played cards. We all then gathered for a talent show with the whole community. We sang songs as a group and danced the cotton eyed joe (an American classic). The talent show went on late into the night and we finally went back to our houses at 9.

By Ash and Jackson

July 14, 2024

The next day was spent with our host families. My host family and I explored the farm and went down to the river. I also played card games with my host family and my roommates. Jackson relaxed and watched copa america and the euros with his host family. This day was spent entirely with our host families.

By Ash and Jackson

July 15, 2024

Today we started our day redesigning the planters for the garden in the community center. We filled old plastic bottles with paint and water and organised them so they looked like pineapples and watermelons. After our sevice we finished painting the school and prepared for the church kitchen for our goodbeye party. Then everyone had about two hours to rest and get ready for the party. During the party we watched locals perform traditional dances and took pictures next to a pretty sunset! We all ate together and enjoyed the delicious food made by our host mothers.

By Ash and Jackson

July 16, 2024

Today was a long, long time on the bus to Uvita. After saying good byes and tears from host families, everyone hopped on the bus. Many bathroom stops later we arrived to a buffet style restaurant called El Jardin. The food was great! After lunch we got on the bus to finish the long drive. We arrived to the hotel and put our bags in our rooms and then left to go to the beach almost immediately. We spent the rest of daylight playing in the waves, and saw an awesome sunset. We were having a great time trying to catch waves. We went back to the hotel to eat dinner afterwards. It was a long day but the beach made it worth it!

By Carter

July 17, 2024

Today we woke up early so that we had the best opportunity to catch some waves. After a tasty breakfast at the hotel, we made the short walk to the beach. Upon arrival, we realized that we were the stars of a photo shoot for Wetfall Surf School – We became famous! We had about 2.5 hours of surf lessons with awesome guides. After a much needed lunch, we took an even more necessary nap. Due to stormy weather, we decided we would stay at the hotel and chill out for a while. We all gathered in a common room and fed our recent obsession with the TV show, The 100. At about 4 we went back to the beach, and due to our bad luck, as soon as we arrived it started pouring. We decided we would stay and play regardless. After showers we ate a yummy dinner and ended the night with some card games.

Xoxo,
Natalie and Carter

July 18, 2024

Whale watching and surfing yoga

Today we woke up at 7:00 and enjoyed a buffet breakfast at our hotel. Right after breakfast, we took a bus ride over to a beach where we hopped on a boat to go whale watching. After about an hour of riding around, we finally spotted a humpback whale with her baby! Most of us had never seen a whale before, so we were really exited to see such a special occurrence. We sailed over near an island to jump out of the boat and swim in the bright blue water. After our boating adventure was done, we relaxed on the beach with some pineapple and watermelon which everyone devoured within 30 seconds. Then, we returned to the hotel for a delicious lunch. After this we all headed to the beach and got the option to surf. Some people just relaxed in the beach, but everyone had a great time. After that, we returned to the hotel for some downtime. Not long after, we headed over to a yoga lesson that brightened our spirits and calmed our muscles. After yoga, we all headed back to the hotel to eat dinner and not long after we did a twelve minute reflection about whatever we felt we wanted to write about. Zzz.

Sincerely,
Stella and Slater

July 19, 2024

Waterfall beach rain

Greetings! We are so well rested and ready to start an exciting and new day! We eat breakfast and head to the bus to go to a local’s private property that was seventy hectares to plant trees and hike to a waterfall. The hike was fairly short and the waterfall was gorgeous and refreshing. On the way back on the bus, we stopped at a cove that was located by the beach and everyone enjoyed hopping over waves in the ocean. While there, we also got to enjoy freshly made ceviche and empanadas. Then we returned to the hotel to eat lunch. We then had some downtime before all walked over to the beach to relax and swim in the ocean. Then we took a short walk over to a Mexican restaurant that was nearby to enjoy our yummy dinner. Now it is the current time, 8:41pm and we have the option to either watch a movie or go to sleep, buenos noches! 😇

Sincerely
Stella and Vie

July 20, 2024

The morning of our last day started slowly. We got to wake up at 7:45 and walked late to breakfast. Then we stepped onto the bus for a long and beautiful bus ride to the LOP Inn at San Jose. The morning’s drive was fun, we had good music, and then stopped at a restaurant for our final lunch as a group together. The servings were very large but everyone enjoyed their food. Then we finished up the last 2 hours of our bus and arrived at the hotel, which is very nice. Later, we ate dinner at an Asian fusion restaurant. It was very good and many people got seconds. After our walk back, we had a closing ceremony. We were all very excited to get our phones back, especially after Maren pretended she forgot them at La Fortuna. We hurriedly completed the survey and got on our phones. Tonight, we will go to sleep and then wake up at 2 am to leave for the airport and see all of you in a few hours. Good night for the last time.

-Leif and Talia