Hola my young friends,

I hope that you are all doing very well wherever it is this letter finds you. Your GLA family misses you. Thank you for saying, “yes” to this opportunity and for allowing us to share it with you. Given the impact of the experience, we often reminisce about our time together. Each of you was a special part of our experience and brought something unique to our lives in Costa Rica. Because of you, I grew as a person and learned much more about what it means to be a leader and living life to the fullest.

It seems like our time together was only yesterday. Remember how lovingly the community welcomed us with hand-made bags? Remember the rally? Remember the rain? The opportunity we had to spend time with Yolanda, Pilo, Enrique, Marvin, and everyone else was a true blessing. That opportunity has undoubtedly shaped me in many ways, some that I may never realize. I trust that it has shaped you in many ways as well. I encourage you to continue embracing and seeking similar life-shaping opportunities.

Your group had the privilege to start the garden and filter projects – you would be incredibly proud of how much work has been done since your inauguration. The filters located all over Rancho Quemado are helping the community minimize its impact on their natural habitat, a commitment that we can all agree is very important. The garden project is well underway as well. It may not be finished yet, but it wouldn’t have the opportunity to be finished had you not started. Way to go team.

My favorite memory was the community farewell. I invite you to take a pause from reading this, close your eyes, and take yourself back to that day. Feel the feelings of gratitude, love, appreciation, and connection. Listen to the people speaking. Perhaps you didn’t understand every word, but I bet you felt their sincerity. You all created that experience in two short weeks by persevering, putting others first, staying present, stepping out of your comfort zone, and being selfless. As we spoke on our last day in San Jose, that opportunity is available to you every day, take it. Continue creating what you created in Costa Rica my friends. Please get in touch if I can ever be of service.  

With love,

Your friend Ric Barron

 

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Hola Session 6 Students!

It’s hard to believe that it’s already been nearly three months since your adventure here in Costa Rica! Time really does fly!

Rewind back to our first day in at home base in Parrita – you had all just arrived, and we could tell some of you didn’t know what to expect, and many of you were definitely out of your comfort zone having never traveled abroad before – especially on your own! But we were confident that you’d learn the ropes and get to know each other very quickly.

We dove right into Mentor group discussions, and we’re proud of you guys for opening up and helping to learn more about one another, even after knowing each other for just a short time. Seeing our students form connections and get to know each other early on is always wonderful, and it makes the remaining days together that much better.

From your very first day out and about in Parrita, all the way through to your final day here, you all truly immersed yourselves in the local community and got to experience the culture and interact with the people.

The ten days we all spent together were so wonderful, and our staff will never forget the experiences we shared and the memories we all made.

Here are some of our favorite recollections from session six:

-Painting the fence and tire playground at Escuela Lourdes. We’re so glad you guys got to add in your artistic touch!

-Watching you all pick up new words and sayings in Spanish. Muy bueno!

-Helping LuLu with trees and plants in her nursery

-Playing Futbol with the locals! You guys swore they were better, but we think you played great, and you certainly had a great time learning some moves!

-Laughing your way down the river in our whitewater rafts and playing in the waterfalls

-Mark’s group lessons on storytelling

-Star Powerrrr!

-LuLu’s cooking lessons. Picadillo – yum!

-Dolphins!

-Dance class! You guys sure picked up those dance moves quickly, and it was so fun to see you let loose and soak in the local music

-Our farewell dinner. The food was delicious, and our group sharing activities were so fun, but also bittersweet because we didn’t want you all to leave in the morning

Some of you are still in high school, and some of you have already gone off to college, but wherever you are in the world, we want you all to know we miss you, and we wish you the very best for everything your futures hold. Maybe one day you can come back and visit us, and we can relive some of the awesome memories we made during your time here!

Adios for now, fellow adventurers!

-Your Costa Rica Beachside Staff

 

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Hola mis amigos!

“The real voyage of discovery consists not with seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes” -Marcel Proust
My last hours at Hotel La Isla bring with them the opportunity to see this beautiful place with new eyes. I still flinch and slap at the bugs, inch closer to the breeze of the fan, and scrunch my nose at the smell of the sewer (someone must have flushed toilet paper again…).

I still gaze in astonishment at our beachfront backyard, laugh at the monkeys screeching at each other (and at us), and delight in the taste of fresh picked coconut. And yet the last hours also enable me to see novelties that I unfairly took for granted. I realize that a conversation with a friendly stranger along a dirt road is less likely once I leave. That closing my eyes to listen and feel the waves crashing on the shore won’t be mere stroll away from my room.

I know that upon returning home, you will use this experience to find new eyes in your own community. Your last day in Costa Rica was not the end of a journey; it was only the beginning. I challenge you to find unique ways to think critically and engage with different cultures. To see an issue within a community and engage in dialogue to create solutions. To be passionate and continue helping others.

I watched each and every one of you break out of your comfort zone to better yourselves and better the community which you came to serve. I urge you to continue stepping out of the comfort zone and into the courage zone. Become comfortable with being uncomfortable! Remember that you will only regret the things you don’t do, never the things you’ve done.

We made beautiful relationships while working with the people of Parrita, learning how to do service while following the lead of incredible people like Lulu and Mau. We examined views on international service that challenged our own to ensure that we left a positive impact on this community. And I am so proud to say that that is exactly what we left.

You guys built a garden table to supplement school lunches and increase government funding through the blue flag program. You joined forces with a woman’s group to reforest a riverbank and farm with unemployed community members, lead by one of the coolest Ticas known around these parts.

You painted beautiful murals for local schools, astonishing the teachers at your artistic talents and making the community proud. You constructed colorful tire playgrounds so enticing that the kids couldn’t even wait until they were finished to start jumping on them. And you combated the effects of climate change by working on a nursery to stop erosion on Isla Palo Seco.

‘Pura Vida’ has now been tattooed onto your hearts. Never forget that it is much more than simply a saying – it is a way of life. Farewell and good luck on your journey.

Some of my favorite memories:

~Mowing an entire soccer field at Isla Palo Seco

~The alarm piercing our ears while rain began to pour at Escuela Lourdes

~The MASSIVE rain storm on the last day flooding 3 students rooms (yes, you win the ‘Rainiest Session Award’)

~The story slam moving into students’ rooms on the last day
~Callie’s music playlist rendering her the coolest mentor

~The joyous emotions accompanying star power
~Eating fresh cut pineapple while tubing through the jungle down the cleanest river in Costa Rica (Rio Savagre) #CIRCLEOFCIRCLES

~Never forgetting to write it down: “plays loud music” #indirect

~Laughing at attempted techniques during bucket of dreams (maybe we should have called it ‘Box of Paper’ to be more accurate)

~FINDING YOUR PASSION FRUIT
-Jesse

 

 

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As the ocean waves wash our footprints away with each incoming tide, our memories fade with the passing of time. Let this letter serve as an encapsulation of moments from our time together at Beachside Service Adventure!

From crocodiles under the bridge to a day on the catamaran, this trip was packed with adventure from start to finish. A morning spent navigating white water rapids while clutching the arms of new friends, riding on horseback down jungle roads, ziplining high above the trees with a birds’ eye view of the world, each of you tried something that stretched the boundaries of your comfort zone.

Adrenaline-inducing adventures weren’t the only experiences that caused a leap into something new…I witnessed you trying on new perspectives, getting curious about the world and your role in it, and creating thought-provoking conversations that often led to more questions than answers. As you reflect back on your time in Costa Rica, what will you remember? Maybe you stood in front of your peers and told a story from the heart, or you got into the saddle even though you’re terrified of horses, or you stood bravely in a leadership role to get tires painted or trees planted, stepping into the unknown to be part of a team striving to make a positive impact in so little time.

Maybe you took the time to journal out your thoughts after a conversation that rocked your viewpoint, or you found yourself rocking on a hammock making new friendships that will last far into the future. Whichever memories stand out most about your time in Parrita, know that the trip wouldn’t have been the same without you.

Con todo mi corazón,
Erica Wrona
International Director

 

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My dear Session III students,

I write to you by the pool at Hotel La Isla, with the beats of reggaeton echoing across the courtyard and the cicadas at full pitch. Tomorrow the students from Session IV fly out, and it is hard to believe you have been gone from here nearly two weeks.

By the time you read this, you will be deep inside your fall. Perhaps you will have forgotten some of our inside jokes, or gone on to another fabulous vacation. Perhaps you’ve been busy with college applications and athletics schedules. But in this Time Capsule, I want to call you back to Isla Palo Seco, to that furious shoreline, to bright hammocks and big ideas about leadership and service.

I want you to remember what it felt like the first time you finished watching Poverty Inc.: all of the questions you found yourself asking, and a few of the answers you moved towards. Remember the vibrant pink and turquoise houses of Parrita, what it feels like to sing reggaeton on a bus with your friends, and the joy of slicing through the waves after dolphins on a Catamaran. Remember your dinner conversations about Peace Corps, about AmeriCorps, about Teach for America and GLA’s Tanzania trip and gap year programs. Remember how big the world felt then, and how full of opportunity for you.

Remember all the moments work was hard at your site and you kept going, working with team members who became friends. Remember your clothing flecked with paint or sodden with mud. Remember the green gnarls of jungle at Manuel Antonio, and the warm, salty water at that beach, and how fries or milkshakes had never tasted so good. Remember the bravery of those who spoke at the Story Slam and the hilarity of some of the boys doing their dance at the end of the trip. Remember standing in one big circle with our elbows threaded, honoring the best in each other with props.

You were only in Costa Rica ten days, but I believe each of you took with you a bit of the pura vida life. In Costa Rica, you were brave and adventurous. You zipped through a forest canopy, tubed down a frothing river, and saddled up on a horse. You told your Story of Self to near-strangers and they became friends for life. You let someone lead you around with a bandanna across your eyes, trying to recapture a Bucket of your Dreams. And most of all, you examined what you had been told about the world and service. How would you answer that question now: What is development? Where are you seeing single stories around you? How will you be of service to the world in the future? What stories have you told about Costa Rica, and how can you keep telling them in ways that are meaningful and nuanced?

Have you become the change you want to see in the world?

We miss you here in Parrita, dear Session III, but we also want you out there, connecting with your home communities and planning your next travels. Go be your biggest selves—and please stay in touch if you need anything.

All our best,

Kati and the rest of the crew at Beachside Service Adventure

 

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