Costa Rica Service & Sand Session 1 2024

June 28, 2024

We started off our morning with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast that consisted of Gallo pinto which is rice and beans. We also had fresh watermelon juice that filled our taste buds with joy. We got together and played some games with everyone because we needed to get to know each other better! After the many games we took the bus to the town of Alajuela and did a scavenger hunt, which helped us learn more about that part of Costa Rica. We collaborated with each other and met new people. Later we went to get lunch at Delicias del maíz. We all got different yet delicious meals and one highlight was the Pina collada (Virgin of course) which was served inside a fresh pineapple. After we got back to our hotel we had some free time so we decided to swim in the pool. We were in the pool for hours and had a lot of fun even when it started raining. We spent some time as a group watching the soccer game and sadly Costa Rica lost. After we got ready for dinner and had a delicious meal which included sweet fried plantains! We finished off the night earlier then usual because tomorrow we have many adventures awaiting us, which means we need a good night sleep.

-Victoria and Iggy

June 29, 2024

Our Saturday as the alphabet.
A- A yoga lesson to start our morning.
B- Banana bread, fruit, and gallo pinto for breakfast.
C- Collected our things and got on the bus.
D- Drove for 3 hours to the zipline.
E- Extravagant views on the way!
F- Flew down the ziplines through the trees.
G- Got back on the bus.
H- Hamburgers, nachos, chicken, or shrimp for lunch
I- Into the farm we go!
J- Jumped in the pool for a nice refresher.
K- Kept a list of Spanish phrases to use.
L- Lots of practice speaking Spanish.
M- Made connections with other campers that will be in our homestay.
N- Notes from our homestay families.
O- Opened up a circle to play Mafia.
P- Pasta and salad for dinner with cheese from the farm we are staying at.
Q- Quick cleanup of the dishes.
R- Reorganized to make a stage for the dancers.
S- Stunned as we watched typical Costa Rican dancers.
T- Took a walk over to a surprise for Gaby’s birthday.
U- Under the lights, we sang Happy Birthday.
V- Very fun time hitting the piñata and eating Costa Rican candy!
W- Watched and learned how to salsa and cumbia to Latin music.
X- eXtremely fun fiesta!
Y- Yay! We get to have free time.
Z- Zzz…off to sleep for a new adventure tomorrow!

Written by Evan and Marti

June 30, 2024
¡Mooooooy buenos días! My morning started abruptly as a hoard of teenagers rushed to milk my utters. Of course, this was not an unusual occurrence for me living on the cheese farm. In breakfast, they tried my milk, and seemed to enjoy it. Afterwards, they stomped around my backyard and stopped at every tree to observe the many fruits, vegetation, and plants we have here on the farm. They seemed fascinated by my pile of excrements. Fun fact: my poop is a crucial part of the ecosystem here. I know from the delicious aroma that they were using my milk to make CHEESE! Crisley, my owner and the owner of the farm, showed them how to make cheese and it was clear by the strange mooing I heard that they loved it. After the rowdy teenagers enjoyed their lunch and finished a total of three games of Uno, one swim in the pool, and many soccer games, they loaded their things onto two ginormous vehicles to bring them to the “Pueblo Nuevo” which I’m hearing is a small town for them to stay with families. Finally the ruckus was over and I was able to get some sleep. Good luck to the community who has to handle them next! Hope you have an utterly amazing time, chicos.
– Cordialemente, Crisley’s Farm cow
Adios, Maya and Rose!

July 1, 2024

Day Four of our trip began by everyone spending the first breakfast in their new homes with their homestay families. Soon after, we made our way next to the lake to begin our service. As we did our daily yoga, our group leaders assigned us our daily roles. Shortly everyone spread out into separate groups, including weeding, shovelling, and wheel-barrowing. During this time, we were given a chance to call home and update family on how our trip was going. The purpose for today’s service work was to create a park for the community, as well as to begin building a gazebo. For the time spent working, the weather was consistently changing, partly pouring rain and mostly blazing hot. After we had a quick group reflection, particularly focusing on highlights and shout-outs. We then split up and returned to our homestay families, where we had nearly four hours to have lunch, shower, relax, and get ready for afternoon activities. Later, we made our way back to the community center and soccer field, where we played a variety of games, including musical chairs in the center. While playing a large game of soccer, we got to communicate and spend time with locals from the community. After a long time spent playing in the heat, the whole group went into the center, making for time to play futsal and chat inside. As of now, we are gathered just outside of the center with a bonfire, smores, music, and most importantly, dancing! We will soon return to our families for dinner and a relaxing night. On to tomorrow and pura vida!

-Lauren and Zaiden

July 2, 2o24

P- pouring rain falling all day
U- us and the local kids practiced english in the salon with games and song
E- excited for the last few days spent with our families
B- building a gazebo is very hard work but worth it for the community
L- lots of pato, pato, ganzo (duck, duck, goose)
O- outstanding hardwork from everyone in the group

N- new opportunities to practice our spanish with the local kids
U- understanding our host families may be dificult at times but it is a great learning experience
E- everyone has fun playing games after lots of hard work
V- very tired after a long day of hard work and fun
O- on to tomorrow to continue this journey

-Marcus and Kate

July 3, 2024

After a hard day of working in the gazebo we took a trip to Proyecto ASIS, to learn about all the rescued animals they had. We saw spider monkeys and white faced monkeys that had previously been pets. Did you know that its illegal to have native animals as pets in Costa Rica? We saw macaws and parrots and learned about the food they ate. After the tour, we made meals for the animals by weighing the exact amount of fruits. Residuals from a hurricane passed by and the rain came down really hard which knocked the power out. Nothing like taking a dance class and making tortillas by candle light. We got to chat with all the families and the little kids as we ate. Can’t wait to see what adventures await!

By Cassie and Kingston

July 4, 2024

We are excited about what we have done and for the next adventures to come. Looking back to our first day it’s pretty rewarding to see our progress and how we laid the base for the next groups to come. Some of us are feeling, tired, overwhelmed and sore. With heavy hearts we shoveled dirt for the last time, yet we are left feeling sad. The families have been so great with us that most of us got beautiful goodbye gifts along with delicious food. After lunch we took a stroll to the sugar cane farm down the road. We made sugar cane juice the traditional way, and tried the honey they had previously made. We went to pack our stuff and showered to get ready for the party. Before saying goodbye we had a good time, we danced salsa, merengue, bachata and more, until we couldn’t feel our toes, and we ate arroz con pollo along with all the families. After such a good time we said goodnight for the last time.

By Ana and Gaby

July 5, 2024

This morning we woke up at the crack of dawn but little did we know it was going to be the best day yet. It started off on a sad note having to say goodbye to our host stay family. It started off pretty slow having a three hour bus ride ahead of us, but was followed by an amazing breakfast which was fruit, eggs, and Gallo pinto. We then had a shorter bus ride followed by a ride on the tractor to the destination on the river. We then split up into four groups and started our white water rafter adventures on the most prettiest river in Costa Rica. We then took a short break to swim in the natural lagoon. We then continued rafting to our final destination-a beautiful campsite along the river. Had a little bit of down time before going on a beautiful hike through the rain forest ending in a gorgeous waterfall. We returned to our home for the day and cleaned up before playing games and eating a delicious dinner. As of now we are getting ready to go to sleep and you will hear from you tomorrow! Buenas noches!

By Beckett and Natalie

July 6, 2024

The day started
In a beautiful setting,
We saw the river
And starting heading,
The rapids big
But not too much too handle,
Exept for Dalen
Who fell in with his sandles,
We got on the bus
And sat for hours,
As it rained so much
Some might call it showers,
We got to the hotel
And were a bit to loud,
But we ended the day
Giggling and proud.

By Zico and Julian

July 7, 2024

Road trip playlist:

FOREIGN – PLAYBOI CARTI
ALL FALLS DOWN – KANYE WEST
LET IT GO – INDINA MENZEL
TOO MANY NIGHTS – METRO BOOMIN
BANK ACCOUNT – 21 SAVAGE
LOST – FRANK OCEAN
WORK OUT – J COLE
TOMORROW – SHAKY GRAVES

We started the day by hopping in a FOREIGN and heading to our next destination. As we were heading out our luggage fell off the roof. But as it ALL FALLS DOWN we decided to LET IT GO and move on. We dreamt TOO MANY NIGHTS about our new hotel and surfing camp. Time flew quickly as we arrived at the most amazing souvenir store which had us all checking our BANK ACCOUNTs. By the end of the day we arrived without getting LOST. Once we arrived at the hotel we went for a quick swim, so all our struggles on the bus turned to WORK OUT. As we retire after a long day we all look in anticipation to what TOMORROW has in store for us.

By Vashuda

July 8, 2024

We started off the day with a breakfast of gallo pinto, eggs, and fruit. After breakfast we went on an awesome trip in the ocean to go watch whales. 2 hours later we had seen no whales. But the boat was still fun! We stopped in the ocean to swim around and we ate delious pinapples. We got back to the hotel and swam in the nice refreshing pool. We walked to the next resturant and ate lunch. After a fulfilling meal we headed back to the beach for a fun surfing lesson! So many good waves and fun falls off the board. After the best time at the beach we jumped in the pool to rinse off and got dressed for yoga. Yoga was lead outside for an hour by the river and trees. It was so relaxing 5 of us fell asleep (Cassie, Evan, Marcus, Beckett, and Zico)! Once everyone was awake we got back on the bus to go to dinner. After dinner we came back to the hotel and played spike ball and also played with the pregnant hotel dog! Cant wait to have another great day tomorrow!
By Cassie and Evan

July 9, 2024

Our final day at the hotel Playa Luna began with an early wake-up call for breakfast at a nearby Mexican restaurant. The meal included gallo pinto, eggs, tropical fruit, hashbrowns, and more. It was a great way to start our busy day ahead of us as we took part in preparations for our next activity, a hike to a hidden waterfall. Although muddy and slippery at times, the hike was a refreshing change of scenery from the village we had resided in, with cool water and fruit to close.

After a bit of time devoted to relaxing at our hotel, we then made the quick walk to the restaurant for lunch. Options for the food varied, from beef nachos to chicken tenders, being just what was needed to carry on for another day of surfing at the beach. Soon enough, we made our way back to the waves with our surfing instructors, spending the next couple of hours catching smooth rides from the deep to the shore. As a celebratory reward for this period of time, our guides allowed us to choose from a multitude of ice creams and milkshakes, found at the edge of the village. The treats were delicious, and gave everyone the energy needed for our journey back to the hotel.

Following our beach time, we had slightly over half an hour to begin packing our bags in our rooms. Afterwards, we played a brief group game together, and moved on to dinner at the Mexican restaurant we ate breakfast at. The food was fantastic, as well as the cause for certain moments of shock across the board. As of now, we have been given free time for any activities before sleep, whether in the form of packing, showering, or playing more games. As we trek through the remainder of our night, we will be ready for what awaits tomorrow, our final day in this country. Pura Vida!
By Zaiden and Nico