St. Albans & The National Cathedral School Costa Rica 2024

August 11, 2024

Hello parents and guardians. We arrived in Costa Rica and immediately got greeted by our Global Works leaders, Randall and Sara. We then packed the bus with our luggage on the roof and covered it so it doesn’t get wet in case of rain. We ate yummy authentic Costa Rican food, mostly rice, beans, sweet plantains, tortillas and beef. We also grabbed some snacks and arrived to Villas Aracari. The hotel is nice and big and we played tag and also played get to know you games. We also learned about comfort zones during the trip. We ate a good amount of pizza before talking about the plan for tomorrow of exciting white water rafting. We hope we have good weather and some rapids.

Jack and Isaac

August 12, 2024

Dear parentals – on our first full day of the trip, we went white water rafting. There was loads of super cool wildlife, such as sloths, toucans, herons, iguanas, and even howler monkeys that we saw. We worked together as teams on four rafts. This amazing experience taught us about Costa Rica’s beautiful nature and landscapes. Honorable mentions to the unlucky people who fell off the boats into the water: Kaja, Lulu, Isaac, Lulu (again), and Mrs. Rao. After rafting we went to a Costa Rican restaurant and ate local food cooked on firewood. The typical lunch is called casado and it includes rice, beans, plantain, pasta salad, chicken or beef in sauce, and pineapple or tamarind juice. Later we checked in to the hotel and witnessed the beauty of the rainforest including a good storm. The hotel has hot springs and hopefully tomorrow we can go in the swimming pool. We had pasta with a scrumptious sauce for dinner, played some games including chess, Jenga, BS, and some others. Overall it was an amazing day!

Quinn and Talula

August 13, 2024

Dear parents, today was our second full day of the trip and the first full day at the Heliconias Lodge. We started our morning with pancakes at 8:00 to fill us up for the long day ahead. We then took a short bus ride to a local high school. We toured around the school and got to see the dance group rehearse for a national competition. Afterwards we got to divide into groups and were accompanied by some local students who helped us do some painting work. We painted desks, the computer lab, and an improvised amphitheater they built on a hill. At noon we had lunch and sat outside under a huge tree. After lunch we played soccer against the Costa Rican students. Then we got back to work and ended our visit with a volleyball game. We split into teams and competed to our hearts content. Soon, we had to go, so we said our goodbyes and took the bus back to the hotel. We stopped to get ice-cream, snacks and candy. At the hotel we took a dip in the pool and learned how to dance salsa, merengue and bachata. After we had a dinner consisting of yellow rice with chicken, mashed beans and a lot of french fries. We played many card games and packed our bags. Before sleeping we chatted for a bit to conclude our busy day.

John and Lulu

August 14, 2024

Dear parents, today we went zip lining and spent the night at Hotel el Tecal in Uvita, next to the beach. The zip lines were very high up, and we were right next to Arenal volcano. There were six long zip lines we went on and each one was longer than the last one. We all had lots of fun. After ziplining we had lunch at a place called La Canalla in La Fortuna. We had burgers, nachos, quesadillas, and other food. Then we had a long bus ride but it was fun because we got to talk a lot and sing with the music. During the bus ride we stopped to get gas and go to the restroom. Once we got to our hotel we checked into our rooms and got settled in. The we ate a good dinner. Even though we were all very tired (haha), we had an amazing day of fun and new opportunities. We got to zipline through the rainforest, and strengthen friendships on the bus. Today was a great day, and we are all excited for the days to come.

Charlotte and Talulah

August 15, 2024

Dear parents, today we went surfing. We woke up at Hotel el Tecal and had some pancakes, eggs, OJ, and rice and beans. We then walked to the Wetfall Surfing School and learned how to paddle and stand up on our surf boards. We split up in five groups and jumped in the waves of the Marino Ballena National Park. When a wave approached us the instructors pushed us and let us know the right momento to stand up. We surfed for about two hours. After a strenuous session we went back to the hotel and jumped into the pool. We got ready and ate lunch. By mid afternoon we went to a yoga place in the forest, and stretched for an hour and a half. It was very calm. We headed back to have a delicious Mexican dinner followed by a visit to the supermarket to get much needed snacks for tomorrow’s long bus ride. We watched the Lorax all together and after that we went to sleep.

Jasper and Reggie

Aug 16, 2024

Dear parents, today we had an earlier breakfast and headed straight to the beach with our instructors. We practiced our new skills for two hours and some of us collected shells, hermit crabs, and some slugs. We said goodbye and finished packing to leave our hotel at the beach and head back to Alajuela. On the way we got to buy souvenirs and we all got sweatshirts, hoodies, sun glasses and some presents for our families. We also got ice cream, a well deserved treat. We arrived to Villas Aracari and had some time off before having a delicious last meal and more ice cream for dessert. We closed the trip with some reflections and appreciations and now we are ready to receive our electronics back. We had a successful and fun trip and we are taking back the pura vida with us. See you tomorrow!

Henry and Hayden