Dear Animal Rescue Project Session 1 students,

Oh what a time we had. Your group kept us on our toes!!! You ate all of the fried plantains you could get your hands on and always wanted to pay a visit to Robin’s for ice cream. When you weren’t eating, you were serving the animals of Nosara in any way that you could. It was truly inspiring to see you all interact with so many different critters; from centipedes in the hotel to dogs anywhere we went.

Remember that day when we castrated 60 animals?? Think of the lasting impact that will have on this community- fewer street dogs, fewer accidental litters with no one to feed them, and fewer territorial male dogs. You truly supported the mission of Nosara Animal Care. Additionally, you served the animals here by giving baths and vaccinations to animals in Guiones. You helped to count and document all of the animals in parts of Nosara by doing a census. You helped to build a greenhouse that will eventually offset thousands of dollars in costs for Nosara Refuge for Wildlife. You educated and entertained families at Mascotamania.

But we can’t forget all the fun we had- from swimming in the river on our Rio Celeste trip, to splashing around on Guiones Beach, to surfing, zipping, paddleboarding, and horseback riding, or just sharing a meal together at Dos Lorena’s. Thank you for joining us on this adventure. We loved getting to know you and seeing you grow. We hope you continue to serve animals and your communities wherever life takes you. Remember to travel sustainably, support local businesses, and consider your environmental impact.

With all our love,

Jane, Kate, and Gabriel
Your International Team

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PURA VIDA!

It was so amazing to have such an awesome group come together for the last two weeks of summer!

It seems like yesterday we were all eating rice and beans together, getting ready to embark on a new adventure and meet our hundreds of new dog friends at Territorio de Zaguates. 

Today we want to share with you some of the memories that stuck out from the trip!

To start off our trip we went to the capitol of Costa Rica, San Jose, to see some sights, hug some trees, and try some coffee. We ate lunch at La Tortilleria then broke off into small groups to practice our Spanish with locals. It’s no surprise that Kelly’s group won the challenge! 😉 

Then who could forget adventure day! We zip lined, enjoyed a nature walk, and a slow-mo aerial tram. We saw a tapir, a lot of spiders, frogs, snakes, butterflies, birds, and even a sloth! 

Our first mentor groups gave us a chance to get to know each other even better. We made our flags with our group names (! and Pepe’s Peeps) and shared some values we thought were important to uphold throughout the trip. Everyone in the entire group went above and beyond those initial values and we thank you for that! 

We finally arrived at Territorio de Zaguates to meet our new friends. Our three groups worked extremely well together(yay assembly lines!) and at times even took song and dance breaks… I see a Broadway career in some futures. Together, over the two weeks, we completed a beautiful mural at the front gate, finished tiling the much needed vet clinic, and pushed ourselves to move cement blocks while riding in the back of a truck, painted a fence that seemed impossible to turn green, pulled out trees to be replanted, moved hay, and mixed cement. Then mixed more cement. Then mixed more cement. Until we started dreaming of mixing cement.

All of our hard work definitely paid off and we were even able to wash dogs one day as a much needed treat! We finished all projects started before, and created a better image for TdZ! I hope we will all return one day! You honestly were one of the most hard working groups; you knew very well that we have an aim to everything we do and that we also have fun!

GLA is about learning, service, but also about fun and we had so much of it! One of the best and most relaxing days we had was at the hot springs. We got to enjoy the warm water heated by a volcano, the view, the food, each other, and a calming yoga session led by Smara. To top it off, she introduced acro yoga and everyone had a blast! How fun was it to work as a team to achieve poses that many thought weren’t possible! Our student led activities were fun as well! Lap game – where we laughed a lot and learned more about each other and a series of charades, the human knot, and Simon Says. Our group was full of natural leaders and it definitely showed! 

Zoo Ave rescue center gave us an insight on the life of some rescued animals and we had some more delicious ice cream and smoothies. You now know the story about Grecia and how technology can impact in a good way the life of wild animals.

What about dance classes, where we learned salsa, bachata, and the Costa Rican swing? Exotic fruits tasting, Spanish classes and cooking empanadas?  

The coffee tour was full of laughs, coffee tasting, funny hosts and of course….wifi!

Who could forget the hike to the waterfalls?! We were well on our way through the mud until Ricardo got us lost 😉 and we had to backtrack through even more mud, but we finally made it to swim in beautiful blue water! After, we ate lunch, then some of us went on a second hike to one of Costa Rica’s tallest waterfalls…in the rain! That was a nice workout day. When we got home we had a surprise…. pizza dinner! 

Beach day was so awesome! Playing soccer, having burritos, smoothies, brownies, and more POPS, riding the waves with our team of talented surf instructors, and enjoying fresh fruit after. We pushed ourselves to try something new and it was amazing. 

Our final hike with the dogs was challenging, but rewarding. Seeing all the dogs run free and cuddle with us reminded us why we were there in the first place. 

It was truly a trip to remember and our lives won’t be the same without you all and all those hugs everyday!!! Every day with you felt like a blessing and I am thankful that I watched you all step out of your comfort zones and grow as leaders. You were all very open minded and adapted to the local culture with ease.

Our wish is that you will continue to grow every day, and that the new perspectives you gained in Costa Rica will help you take initiative to positive impact your communities at home, and that is wherever in the world your home may be. You all have such great energy, we hope you spread it everywhere you go!

Thank you so much for being part of this Costa Rican adventure, we also learned so many cool things from you all!

The adventure never ends and the best is yet to come!

PURA VIDA!

With love,

-Samara, Kelly, Pepe and Ricardo

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Hello PURA VIDA team and Happy Hippos! ☺

By the time you read this, you will all be wandering off to new adventures! Either at home, school, vacation, or with other communities.

It seems like yesterday that we were at the airport, welcoming a group of 23 energetic and warm-hearted students. YOU! Our very first day, all eating rice and beans and POPS together and getting ready to meet our hundreds of new dog friends.  

But first, let’s remember San Jose! Lunch at La Tortilleria and touring the town- history, sights, coffee tasting… and Joe! After we broke off into small groups to practice our Spanish with locals. It’s no surprise that Kelly’s group won the challenge! 😉 Churros and staring at a tree untill we convinced others to follow – memorable! Also, “donde estas” instead of “como estas” was unforgetable as well ☺

We finally arrived at Territorio de Zaguates to meet our new friends. Spending time every day around so many dogs was so amazing! Groups worked extremely well together and over the two weeks, we worked on a beautiful mural at the front gate painting a sloth, toucan, mango trees… and let’s not forget the day when Alvaro came to visit, surrounded by dogs, a flood of dogs!!! We also continued tiling the much needed vet clinic, and pushed ourselves to dig holes, mix cement, and build a fence for the cat house. When that was done, we got a big group together to build a long fence around the entire property! You all learned a lot from service by doing something new – and we are glad we were there to see this process happening. All our hard work paid off and we were able to pet lots of dogs throughout our time at TdZ. 

The hike with all the dogs and staff from Territorio was awesome; how many people can say that they hiked surrounded by literally hundreds of dogs while admiring beautiful views of Alajuela and San Jose?

You were one of the most hard working groups! You knew very well that we have an aim to everything we do… and that we also have fun!

GLA is all about learning, service, but also about fun and we had so much of it. The adventure days were exhilarating! We zip lined over rivers and through the jungle, enjoyed a nature walk where we saw wild animals, and took an aerial tram to the top of the canopies! 

Who could forget the hot springs?! We had a relaxing day with awesome views, great food, birthday cake and an awesome yoga class.  

What about the coffee tour? We learned A LOT about coffee and got to try a bunch along the way and our hosts there were super funny.

Our student led activities were fun as well. It was obvious we had a lot of natural leaders in the group. We remember cheerleading, games, soccer in the park, and we all enjoyed having fun and working together as a team. 

Also, we visited together Zoo Ave rescue center and found out the story about Grecia- the famous rescued toucan with the reconstructed beak. It’s amazing to see how technology can change the life of animals and the passion that people have for improving wildlife. Let’s not forgt that we also enjoyed ice cream and smoothies at the same place!

Then there was the waterfall hike! We pushed ourselves to climb down, then up, 42 flights of stairs to see one of the tallest waterfalls in Costa Rica up close! It was so beautiful to be surrounded by pure nature, walls of moss, and to hear the strong sound of the waterfall.

Thanks to an addition in the schedule, we got to have a beach day! We met our awesome team of instructors, enjoyed surfing lessons, playing soccer on the beach, and having fun together in the sun. Burritos for lunch aaand… pizza for dinner!

Back at work, TdZ staff handed armfuls of puppies to be washed and had a puppy circle in the sun to dry them off and keep them warm. Level of cuteness- overwhelming!!!

Our final hike with the dogs was challenging, but rewarding. Seeing hundreds of dogs run free and cuddle with us reminded us why we were there in the first place. 

Every day with you felt like a blessing and we are thankful that we got to watch you all step out of your comfort zones and grow as leaders. You were all very open minded and adapted to the local culture well.

Our wish is that you will continue to grow every day, and that the new perspectives you gained in Costa Rica will help you take initiative to positive impact your communities at home, and that is wherever in the world your home may be. You all have such great energy, I hope you spread it everywhere you go!

Thank you so much for being part of this Costa Rican adventure, we also learned so many cool things from you!

The best is yet to come!

PURA VIDA!

With love,

-Samara, Kelly, Pepe, Daniel and Ricardo

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Hi everyone!

By the time you read this, you will all be wandering off to new adventures! Either at home, school, vacation, or with other communities.

Remember Territorio de Zaguates? All the dogs send their love!

You were the group that ignited the spark and built the path for all the projects at Territorio.  How cool is that?

We began the mural by painting the logo on the front gate. It was a lot of work but it was totally worth it! We helped out by washing the dog’s areas, cages, and beds, dug trenches for the fence to be installed, and cleared the pile of heavy trash and recyclables to help clean the place up. These projects were continued by the following groups and I wish you could see the result, it’s awesome! The entrance is so vivid now, with beautiful paintings with dogs, nature, flower, plants, parrots, insects and sloths.

Hiking with all the dogs and the time we all spent giving them love will never be forgotten. 

Also, remember learning how to cook empanadas, tasting some new fruit during Pepe’s fruit talk, learning spanish and some hip hop moves and a little Tae Kwan Do?

How about when we reached the waterfall at Bosque del Niño and the hot springs..the REAL hot springs! Hacienda Orosi was such a beautiful place with a breathtaking view and we were grateful to have made it there! 

And who could forget the coffee tour with José and the dance class with Alex. 😉 We had  fun learning about and tasting coffee and dancing salsa and bachata! 

The drive to La Paz waterfall was definitely memorable as well. Cruising through the cloud forest was an experience and when we arrived we had a delicious buffet, walked through butterfly gardens and hiked to waterfalls! 

Also, dinner in San Jose was a nice change from our typical rice and beans menu ☺

Movie nights with popcorn by the side were chill, relaxing and a nice way to wrap long days.

Our last day was a long one and was full of adventure. We zip lined over rivers, through the jungle and took an aerial tram to the top of the canopies! 

TdZ and all of us thank you for giving your all to the program. The adventures we had and the time spent bonding with each other and the dogs will be cherished forever. 

We wish you will continue to grow every day and that new perspectives will help you take initiative to positive impact your communities at home, and that is wherever in the world your home may be.

The adventure never ends and the best is yet to come!

With love,

-Samara, Kelly, and Pepe

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our new destinations for Summer 2018, or enroll now.

Hope this letter finds y’all well.

Wherever you may be in life, in the world right now, we’d like to remind you of the few weeks of summer you spent in Yunnan.

The land itself, however, need not be reminded. For a part of what is now the soil was the compost you made, and it is now home to spectacularly complex networks of life that help nurture food and, hopefully, minds, as the eco-farm continues its efforts in influencing the valley toward sustainable agriculture.

Their bread is still delicious.

We hope you still have some good pictures of those photogenic monkeys. And speaking of photogenic, we will probably never forget how beautiful Shaxi was under the 6PM golden sunlight the day we got there.

Perhaps now is a good time to see if you still remember those Bai dance moves?

Which of the workshops & events you recall the clearest now, looking back?

The Great Wall is still there with a certain corner of it cleaner than before, but more importantly, there are people who witnessed a certain group of young change makers now, and the example lives on.  

Finally, we would like you to know that you made an impact on us as well. Inspired by you, some of us have picked up long-abandoned hobbies, others have tried new things from meeting you.

Wherever you are now in life, on the planet, we would like you to know that the changes you made live on, and the cool things you saw, tried and did, are yours to revisit.

Thank you for a meaningful summer.

—Henry, Xiao, Samara