The Young Leader

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COSTA RICA – Empowering Rainforest Communities – June 17 – June 30, 2017

Update from our GLA International Director: “All students have arrived, everything is good.”

June 18, 2017

The first true day of our journey, the group set out upon a long trek by bus in order to reach our destination, Rancho Quemado. We traveled to various spots, drank from coconuts, and tried our first few tastes of the savory cuisine of Costa Rica. The journey was as excellent as the destinations we arrived at. We found friends on the bus, and bonded over stories of our hometowns, as we looked out the windows, finding the true beauty of nature. Alas, we arrived at Rancho Quemado, and caught our first glance of the people who would be aiding and spending time with during our trip.

Day 3-

Another day past, more memories made. The first true day of service, we were split into 2 group and were tasked with either cleaning a bathroom or building a trail used by the people who reside in Rancho Quemado recreationally. Tired mentally and physically after the hours of hard work, we walked back to the village and ate lunch to refill our tanks for the rest of the day. After this, we journaled the bird activity to gain information about the recent fluctuation of bird population, taking pictures and logging each type of bird found. FInally, towards the end of the day, we learned to find gold within a semi-local creek, while also learning about to origins of the name of Rancho Quemado. Lastly, within the library during the night, the group opened up to one another, and mad memorable heartfelt conversations that allowed us to trust and sympathize with one another, ending off the night

DAY 4-

Starting off the day on Wednesday was not the typical rice and beans breakfast, but rather was some savory buttermilk pancakes, courtesy of the local cooks. We headed to the beach early in the morning, relaxing after the strenuous day 3. We kayaked and relaxed on a beautiful beach called Playa Blanca. After lunch, the group headed to the location where we would be zip lining. The whole group split into 3 groups, and collectively getting over their fear of heights, while the overall thrill of ziplining set in, making for an eventful and exciting afternoon. The day ended after an excellent dinner and quick group get together

Day 5-

Day five, and the group was ready to get to work, The first half of the day, the GLA team was split into two teams, one tasked with planting at a butterfly garden, and another team which had the opportunity to upkeep a sugar mill. After lunch, once again, we were assigned to two different teams, one in which the group would work on a filter designed for grey water, and the second group assigned to the building of a sensory garden, primarily for the disabled, Both groups worked through the day, and then were welcomed with a warm dinner after hours of work, and finished off the night with a group game of tag.

Day 7-

The midpoint of our journey takes us to none other than the previous day’s outlying services, the tactile garden and the soccer field filters. However, while half of us were sent to mis soil and put it in boxes, the other half of us valiantly attempted to clean the ranch basketball court, after painting benched anyways. As a matter of blogging, the water pipe we were using to clean the court bursted too, resulting in no water in the town for sometime, our own personal swimming pool, complimentary with ant and other bugs. After chilling in the sun for a cool two hours, with our bellies brimmed with fresh food, we took to the overlooking platform of the valley that contained Rancho Quemado. The mountain was steep and treacherous, nothing a cerveza couldn’t fix though, but the view was astonishing. It looked like something off a windows screensaver. The hike down was even more exciting, filled with creepy crawlers of the night such as two tarantulas and two coral snakes. We eventually capped off the night on a high note with a few quick games of Marco Polo, Soccer, and Mafia. But that didn’t even come close to what came afterwards, clean laundry.

Day 8-

What could be considered a slightly more relaxed day began with horseback riding or filter building For those building the filter we journeyed to Johnny’s sugar mill from the previous day in order to help building a filter for their own waste water. FOr horseback riders, we hopped on horses and traveled to a local farm to see a way of life that is slowly vanishing. There were pigs, chickens, pineapple trees, mango trees, and every other living thing that you could live off of, The short tour also included a homemade swimming pool, to which almost everyone jumped in for a refreshing moment in the rainforest, free of bugs. After lunch, the two groups switched. The horseback riders became house builders who painted benches, nailed together buildings, and other community work while the filterers went horseback riding and experienced the same thing as the now paint builders. For some of us, the day ended there, but for others, the day went to a soccer game, where Mary scored three goals in order to seal the deal for her team. Dinner came, and we had a night activity full of fun skits describing aggressiveness. The night definitely ended on a high note.

Day 9-

Feeling exhausted, some of us more than others, the group began the journey to an island at a place by the name of Drake Bay. The bus ride over was only made possible by the amazing driving skills Diego, as well as the heart and determination of the GLA group as a whole. Relieved, and getting out of the bus, the group set their eyes on the group set their eyes on one of the most beautiful islands they have ever had the pleasure to behold Expecting the most beautiful view to be the island itself, the boat ride over to the island was even more so. Whales, to everyone’s surprise, breached the surface of the water with their calves and gave the students a sight in which they would never forget. Once at the island, the relaxation while scuba diving and laying out on the beach was more than anything that the student have felt on this trip, by far, Closing off the day, the students arrived at the luxurious hotel in which they would spend the night.

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COSTA RICA – Protecting the Pacific – August 10 – August 23, 2017

August 10, 2017
We are so excited to have everyone here for our last session! While waiting for everyone to arrive, we spent the rainy afternoon playing cards and getting to know each other in the hotel. Once the whole squad was together, we headed out to explore. We went for a walk to Central Park (Parque de los Mangos!) in Alajuela, checked out some historical monuments and murals, had pizza, and finished the night with some group activities. Everyone seems excited (con ganas) to be here. Tomorrow we head to homebase in Bahia Ballena, and the adventure continues!
-Hannah Calloway, International Director
 

 

August 11, 2017

Day 1

I arrived to the airport and I saw the whole group with GLA shirts and a sign. Then we went to take the bus to the hotel we were staying at for the night. The city was amazing the streets were full of like people chilling with friends near stores, it felt very alive. When we entered the hotel everyone was very nice, the locals  here always have a smile. I met my roommates and we hit it off well as people and we all spent the whole day playing cards as a group. It rains a lot here in different times it could be humid then out of nowhere it starts raining and hard. We all went to sleep after knowing each other all in all it was a nice experience.

Day 2

We were all going in a 4 hour long ride to the GLA home base our home for the next two weeks. During the ride here everything was beautiful all the nature was just amazing. I saw howler monkeys, sloths, and different types of trees. We arrived to the base going into our rooms then we ate after that we went on a rainy walk but it was good seeing the community that we live around, then we started to dry off in the home base to have dinner and then a meeting.

-Gerardo

The first day was tremendously tiring. The flights were really late for some but not for everyone but some lived far and some lived close, And some just had really long layovers. Some people came earlier than others. And in my experience I was lucky enough to get my ticket upgraded to first class and it was really amazing and I literally didn’t pay anything. They had so many things that other people do not have, but enough about the plane. When we got to the hotel it was really nice and it had WiFi which was pretty good. I liked the hotel. Then we went out to eat as a group it wasn’t the full group but it was most of them and then we went back to the hotel and just relaxed until the rest of the people came. The next day it was also great. We went to homebase and on the way we saw some wildlife. We saw a monkey and a sloth. We got to home base and we had some Free time and we played a big of soccer and then we went on a hike. It started to rain but just a little bit. It started to pour and me including other people decided to not bring our rain jackets so we got soaked, but in my opinion the rain was amazing and refreshing. After that we came back and it was fun we relaxed and waited to eat dinner. The dinner was amazing to be honest. The first few days have been amazing and I believe that the rest of the days are going to be amazing.

-Marlon

 

August 14

Today we had another day of surfing but the waves were harder this time. Then we had about 3 hours to ourselves at the beach, we were hanging out and riding waves throughout the whole 3 hours.

Then we had project of the day where I taught everyone jiu jitsu. Then we had an intense soccer match with the locals. Finally, we had announcements and then we chilled for the rest of the evening.

-Gerardo

8/16/2017
Day 7

We went to see the whale, which is part of our service. It’s a life-size metal whale that we are helping wrap with plastic trash as a visual. I was mostly drilling holes into bottles so we could run wire through them and then place them in the whale.

Then we had lunch and went to go to the last day of surfing, I stood on my board. All in all it was a good day.

-Gerardo

8/17/2017
Today was amazing day because for me it was the first time getting on a boat. It was scary at first but then I got used to it and it got fun. We saw a momma whale and baby whale, it was amazing to see them swim together. Then we saw turtles mating. At first we thought they weren’t mating and then we noticed that there were two turtles. We took pictures and recorded them.

Then we continued to move along and then we saw some dolphins swimming along it was nice to see. Then we got on the island and started to walk into the jungle. We saw a lot of animals and it was an amazing day.

-Marlon

8/18/2017

We went to go to the waterfalls and it was amazing because we jumped off to the water and it felt amazing. Also we had a bit of free time after then had a talk on plastic and how valuable it is yet dangerous because of the waste it leaves behind. Then we went to the second soccer match it was good but then later on I messed up my knee, but it will be better.

-Gerardo

8/20/2017

Today we went to the whale’s tail to walk around and see the tail. Then we went to see the rumble soccer tournament but before that we went to get snacks from stores around the area. After we went to go to finish the whale to then came back to home base full of laughter.

-Gerardo

 

8/23/17

This morning was a busy morning packing up and leaving home base. We said our goodbyes to the wonderful local staff and started our journey back to Alajuela.

After dinner we sat in the Central Park to reminisce about the adventure of our last two weeks. We enjoyed some ice cream on our walk back to the hotel saying our last goodbyes to each other.

We are now making our way back home to share our experiences to our friends and family.

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COSTA RICA – Protecting the Pacific – July 24 – August 6, 2017

July 24, 2017

What an exciting day! even with a few flight delays, everyone arrived safely and smoothly. We spent the day eating Costa Rican typical foods (and pizza…), welcoming everyone to Costa Rica, and walking around the parks and markets of Alajuela, Costa Rica. We are all so excited to get to our homebase in Bahia Ballena tomorrow afternoon! More soon!

-Hannah Calloway, International Director

 

7/26/17
A:Hey! It’s Andrea and Sarah,
and from today until August 5th you will be hearing plenty from us. From our crazy adventures, life changing experiences, and service to the thoughts of every GLA student here.
S: So now with all the introductions out of the way…
    Have you ever fantasized about falling off a moving surfboard and feeling saltwater burn your nasal passages?
Me neither.
But thanks to our wonderful and caring surf instructors, that didn’t happen. Today was our first real day at home base and our first day of service.
  We all met to eat breakfast at 7 and were on a taxi/bus (they called it a taxi but I assure you it was a bus) by 7:45am. With all our essentials (water, sunscreen, bug spray, and towels) we were prepped to the max and slightly unsure of what to expect.
A: We get there and split up into groups. Some went off to do service first and others learned to surf. Nevertheless it was exciting.
A: I started with the surfing. Looking out into the ocean with the sun shinning down on my shoulders. I knew I was ready for whatever was coming my way. Which would end up being tons of waves. After being instructed on the basics and testing out our skills, after two hours most of us got it down. Yelling I
“I did it” while surfing the wave. Afterwards we went on our service trip leading about how plastic is truly a burden. Not only because we spent a ton of time trying to pick up micro pieces of plastic but also by seeing the excessiveness of littering that shows up on these shores. Today I had the opportunity to interview Campbell, a GLA student. She expressed nothing but positivity and glee for this program. She stated that she loves the adventure and service. Also she was happy to get into the water and surf again.
S: To be 100℅ honest, my surfing experience wasn’t nearly as exciting or fantastical as Andrea’s, but water sports have never exactly been my forte. After seeing my life flash before my eyes multiple times (falling off a surfboard is much much easier than I originally thought), I was assured that trying to stand up would lead to certain death.
  Well, clearly I slightly overreacted as I’m writing this right now. In fact, I ended up being able to surf despite being pretty awful at it.
  We also saw wildlife such as macaws while picking up trash on the beach.
Last night, the GLA mentors had us write down long term and short term goals we had for our trip/life after. My long term goal was to not only become inspired to find a way to help out in my own community to cut down on pollution in the ocean, but also to inspire others.
  My short term goal was to not get sunburnt/get very weird looking tanlines. I am pleased to report that I am one step closer to my long term goal and I have achieved my short term goal (for now at least).
  Anyways, that’s a glimpse of what our day has been like. We’re playing UNO right now, and I’ve got to get back to that, so adios.
Xoxo Sarah and Andrea

 

 

July 27, 2017
S: Hey, it’s us again. Sorry we didn’t update yesterday, we had to live our lives and had no time. But we’re going to try our hardest to remember or potentially exaggerate certain instances to fill in the gaps.
A: With the sun blazing and our water bottles in hand, we set out for our service of the day. We went to semilla De Ballena with the goal of reforestation in mind. We split up into groups and received our tasks. Sarah and I got to saw wood to create tree protectors. Let’s just say that it took some time to create each one, but eventually I got the hang of it. Sarah on the other hand…. well you’ll hear her side soon enough. After hours of hard work we came back to home base and ate. Even after hours of service and sun we headed to dance class. Merenge, bachata, and salsa were just a few of the dances that we learned. I had an amazing time dancing and I even got to learn how to dance the traditional Costa Rican dance with a beautiful long skirt. After a long day we all walked back to home base with Sarah and I singing All American Rejects. We continued singing as we all gathered in the clubhouse singing songs while J.P (a mentor) played his guitar. A perfect way to end the perfect day.
S: So here’s how it went from my perspective: we arrived at the service site and got into groups. Andrea and I were together and immediately partnered up. She began sawing the wood planks and I sat on them to keep them still and provided moral support.
   Next, we transitioned to nailing the tree protectors together. Andrea and I were a dream team; she hammered the nails in, I held the wood pieces and handed her the nails while also making small talk.
  Once we had left and eaten at the home base, we had some free time before having to go off to dance lessons. In that time, I not only managed to swim but also to lock myself out of my own room/kind of break my own door.
  Needless to say, I borrowed Andrea’s shirt for dancing lessons.
  We showed up at about 4:30 with a burning desire to trip over our own feet while holding sweaty hands with our partners, and I was not let down in the slightest.
  Thankfully the dance instructor had a sense of humor for my dancing abilities (or lack thereof). Although Andrea didn’t mention it at all, she is a great dancer and I just watched her whenever I got confused (which was a lot).
  Our walk back was mostly uneventful, except for maybe these weird crab/spider things we saw and I almost stepped on.

  Until tomorrow (or whenever)

-Sarah and Andrea (the student blog team)
 

 

 

7/28/17
S: I would apologize for not updating for two days in a row, but I’m not sorry as we were too busy having fun and making life experiences to write to parents about it.
Anyways, we’ll try our hardest to remember what we did two days ago, so just hang in there.
A: So I clearly remember all the sweet and tears from this day. We went back to Semilla De Ballena to continue the previous project of creating tree protectors. This time I got it down to a science. Hammering and sawing came easily to me now. But the heat and humidity did not help at all. Let’s just say I lost all the water that I drank. Afterwards Travis (surf instructor, part of the semilla De Ballena project and super intelligent) taught us about about the three R’s. Refuse, reduce, and reuse. We came up with ways to follow these methods to better our process in protecting the pacific. It was a very informative day that ended with everyone giving up single wrapped cookies. Thankfully not cookies in all. Sorry for the delay but everyday has been busy and a great adventure.
S: Before I go into details, Gabby wishes her mother a very happy birthday. Anyways, we went to service that morning and I continued to offer verbal encouragement to Andrea as she sawed wood. I got a blister on my thumb from doing almost nothing and was quickly reminded that though you can run away from all the work in the world, pain is always a constant.
I might as well admit now that I don’t remember anything else from two days ago, so deuces.
-Sarah and Andrea, student blog team

 

July 29, 2017

Staring out on the slippery edge of a waterfall. Looking at the cold water not knowing what’s down there or where you will land. If I said jump. Would you do it. Seems that we are catching up again with our blogs hopefully we will have them posted on time. So heres Sarah and I telling our adventures. Two people who just meet facing the world together. One day at a time.

A: So far I have had such a great time. This day was by favorite by far. Honestly when they told me we had to hike I thought I was going to faint. Do you know how many leg days I have missed. I was in no condition to hike in the heat and humidity. But the thought of jumping into the cold water made it all worth while. All I could think about since I got there was I wanna jump in. Moments like these are the ones I live for. The feeling of pure freedom. As I jumped and the cold water hugged me I immediately smiled. What more is there to want in life than just living and enjoying the moment. After more splashing and jumping. Sarah and I decided to jump together. We had to jump over someone because he stood where the rocks were to warn us. I kept repeating, ‘I’m not going to make it.” We started counting down and when we got to 3 all I could think is have no fear. In that moment all my wishes came true to stop thinking and just live. This day was a blessing in so many more ways than one.

S: First of all, I need to clarify that I am loving Costa Rica and this initiative. However, I am not digging this humidity. So when I heard that we had an hour hike waiting for us this morning, I was thrilled.

 After a distastfully sweaty walk where we tried termites (they taste like pepper for all you curious bug enthusiasts out there, wherever you are), we arrived at a beautiful waterfall.

  I jumped in a few times and narrowly avoided my end while jumping with Andrea a little too close to a rock, but nevertheless the water felt nice and I decided the walk was worth it.

 My least favorite part of this trip so far has been putting on clothes while dripping wet, and I had to do just that when I got onto dry land, so that kinda blew but I lived.

  So thats the highlight of yesterday, au revoir

-Sarah and Andrea, Student Blog Team

 

07/30/17
Half way through and it seems likes its been forever. Everyday so busy that I feel like I’ve been in Costa rica for months. Here’s our accounts of surf and service.
Andrea: It’s sad to think our time here is coming to an end. But I have had the most fun meeting new people, living with them and eating delicious food. Today we had surf and service. We had to paint the tree protectors. Let’s just say I ended up with a literal green thumb. Afterwards we began our surf lesson. The amount of times I slipped of enough to make a 5 minute montage. But in the end I finally got up and stood up. Which was the highlight of my day. Later we received a surprise. We got to call and message our parents. I got to talk to them for the first time in a long while. Although I miss them I feel like I never want to leave. I love the vibes and happiness that reside here. I love you mom, dad and anna. See you soon.
-Andrea
August 2, 2017
I know we keep saying this so you’ll have to forgive us (you don’t exactly have a choice), but we’ve been so busy these past three days that we just haven’t had time to document it. Since Andrea and I are tired and still have things to do, we’re gonna wrap all this up in one entry. So sit down and buckle up for the most mediocre literary adventure of your life!
A: So the last three days have been quite the rollercoaster. On Monday we spent the whole day awaiting the soccer game that awaited us. We versed a local team of kids that kicked our butts. Although we gave it our best with Darya and Borja leading the team. Despite our best efforts these talented kids showed us how good they are. The next day we sadly and excitedly headed to our last surf lesson. The waves were crazy that ended up with me wiping out multiple times and getting some cuts. But I got to stand up on the board which made all the wounds worth it. We also ended the day with our last beach service day. We finished painting and building tree protectors to place them in the National Park. We recieved news that we would be waking up earlier than usual. It was because we had a grand adventure in store. We went ziplining and let me tell you it was amazing. The wind in my hair, the magical view, and the thrill of adventure in my heart. It was truly an amazing adventure.
S: Since Andrea covered the gist of things, I decided to compile a list of things that each day has taught me.
Monday : Tripping a small child is surprisingly less avoidable than one may believe
Tuesday: Costa Rica has very large crickets. When I mean large, I mean the biggest cricket you can imagine multiplied by 3. That’s how big.
Wednesday: Suspension bridges aren’t as horrifying as I once thought.
Goodnight
Until next time
8/3/17
S: I’ll put my address somewhere in the end of this so you all can send us a trophy for actually updating this on time, if you’re interested.
   Anyways, today was great. We had breakfast at 6 and left at 6:30 to walk to the beach, where we were on a boat for about an hour and a half. On the boat ride, we saw dolphins and two turtles.
   Then we arrived at Corcovado national park and went on a 2 hour hike and spotted monkeys and banana spiders (the latter will haunt my nightmares). We ate there and then swam in a  waterfall
A: Today I literally flew on water. The boat that took us to the park was going so fast. It was honestly so beautiful looking at the sea. I remember wishing to see dolphins and ten seconds later seeing dolphins jumping around. Amazing to see these animals in their natural habitat being free and friendly. When we arrived in the park it was a beautiful sight, the water was so clear and shining. We hiked around seeing the animals and the waterfall. The only disappointment was seeing all the trash that ended up at this park from other places. It is unfair that nature’s artwork is tainted by dirty waste. We spent some time picking up piles of washed up plastic. But in the end, it was a great day getting ready to go home and enjoy all the time I have left with all the amazing friends I’ve made.
-Sarah and Andrea

Sat, Aug 6th

We had a great lunch today and said our last goodbyes to the wonderful staff and hosts at our homebase as we made our way back to Alajuela. We spent the last night talking about our incredible experience and sharing our memories of the trip.

From the dance party, to surfing and serving the community, Bahia Ballena will always be in our hearts.

Everyone is now on their way back home and We will miss you all so much!

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COSTA RICA – Protecting the Pacific – July 8 – July 21, 2017

July 8, 2017

Today was a long day for most of us! 20 students arrived from various parts of the world, coming together in this incredible country. We spent the day learning each other’s names and backgrounds and strolling around Alajuela, Costa Rica. The students were all chatting away, laughing a lot until lights out. It’s gonna be a great program! Off to home base in Uvita tomorrow! More soon.

— Hannah, International Director

July 9, 2017

After a four hour bus ride from San Jose, we arrived at our home base, the town Bahía Ballena. We stopped at a crocodile farmers market where we saw over 15 relaxing crocodiles in the water. Along the way we also saw a female sloth wrapped around a tree. When we arrived we took a tour of the community where we saw multiple specifies of animals including birds, cows, horses, crabs, etc along the beach we will be working on. We are looking forward to surfing and service tomorrow!

-Student blog team! (AJ, Alex, Sage)
 

June 10, 2017

Today was our first day of service! We went back to the beach and got our hands dirty and planted trees with the lovely locals! We also had our 1st surf lesson where we learned how to ride the waves on your stomachs and eventually stood up even though it was a challenge! Later a peace corps speaker gave a presentation on tourism in the country. It was very eye opening as we learned the impacts that tourists have on locals. We ate a yummy dinner and finished the night in a mentor group!
– The Student Blog Team (Alex, Sage, and AJ)

Thanks so much to our blog team! Here is a list of the roles each student signed up for to help our whole team experience run more smoothly:

Bloggers: Alex, Sage, AJ
Homebase Homies: Sophie, Kentony
Time keepers: Haze, Sophia
Conservationist: Jason, Maria, Antonella
Service Leads: Daniel, Charlie, Elyas
Schedule Leads: Katherine, Paulina
Thank you Leads: Laura, Gaby
Head Counters: Luis, Anni, Amanda

July 11, 2017

Today we had guest speaker Amy! We talked about GPS, GIS, and the positive impact that technology can possibly have on environmental trends. In the afternoon, we used the knowledge we learned in the morning for our service by mapping and identifying plants. We also painted signs to protect our reforestation areas. Travis came later in the night to teach us about the three R’s; refuse, reduce, and reuse.

-Student blog team

July 12, 2017
Today was another day of surf and service at the beach! Travis told us something worth remembering, “the waves are memories of the wind.” We finished making our reforestation signs and hammered them in the ground making us feel proud of our work. Later at the beach we picked up many microplastics within a 25 meter radius, showing that our trash can travel thousands of miles across the ocean. After relaxing and swimming at the beach we returned to home base to learn about social norms. Through interactive activities, we learned about global cultures and customs as we each shared some famous food dishes from our home towns.
-Student Blog Team (AJ, Alex, and Sage)

July 13, 2017

This morning we awoke to the sound of pouring rain and thunderstorms. We traveled over to escuela ballena (whale school) and helped paint the exterior of the school. Even though there is only five students attending the school, the campus was beautiful and it inspired us how valued education is in Costa Rica. The general happiness of people here is something that has positively impacted us as a whole. Continuing the fun, we took a dance class and learned salsa, meringue, and bacheta. Dancing with partners was a blast!

-The Student Blog Team

July 15, 2017

Today we explored the rainforest! We took a boat ride and saw whales, dolphins, and sea turtles! Then we hiked to a waterfall and saw so much of Costa Ricas scenery and wildlife like anteaters, toucans, spider monkeys, bats, and Scarlett Mccaws. We even ate termites! Swimming in the waterfall was one of the highlights of our trip so far, and we learned so much about the environment and its inhabitants today! Photos by Sophie!
-Student Blog Team
July 18, 2017

Today was another amazing day! We woke up in the morning and started our treck to a near waterfall! We arrived to a beautiful light blue waterfall followed by many natural pools to swim in. We jumped off rocks and swam and had a great time! We stopped for pineapple mango smoothies then hit the souvenir shops before lunch. After lunch Amy came back to talk about GPS mapping. In the evening we played a soccer game with the local children! It was a highlight of the trip and the kids were so friendly and the game was so fun! We had a delicious meal for dinner that our host Wayne barbecued multiple meets followed by arroz con leche for dessert! A fun filled day!

-The Student Blog Team

July 21, 2017

After a delicious lunch, we said goodbye to our wonderful and kind hosts, Wayner and Noilyn. Their willingness to share their home, culture, and community with us was so special, and we are so grateful for the time we spent in Bahía Ballena. When we arrived in San Jose, we spent the last night talking about our incredible experience and sharing our highlights of the trip. Even though we come from different corners of the world, we were able to form such strong bonds over fourteen days through service and protecting the environment. I speak for all twenty of the students when I say these two weeks have been life-changing, and we will never forget our Costa Rican experience!

-Alex Blum, part of the student blog team

Hannah Calloway here, International Director of Protecting the Pacific, and a proud member of this amazing community that the students of session 2 built. Everyone is now on their way back home, to start building paths at home with their new experiences abroad. We will miss you all so much!

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COSTA RICA – Protecting the Pacific – June 22 – July 5, 2017

June 23, 2017
We have arrived at home base and are slowly beginning to settle in! We spent the evening at a hotel in Alajuela near San Jose, where we spent some time getting to know each other. On our
way to Bahia Ballena we stopped along the road to see some huge crocodiles that were sunbathing in the river. Once we arrived we sat down for some lunch and met the local staff before relaxing for a bit from our long travels. Tomorrow begins our first surf lesson and a day of service! More soon!
-Desiree, Mentor

 June 23

An early morning started this wonderful Friday. A great breakfast was served to us at 7 AM, and right after we hit the road for a solid 4 1/2 hours. On the way we stopped to see some truly monstrous looking crocodiles. We finally arrived at our home base at 1 very hungry. Fortunately we where greeted with another delicious meal. After lunch we settled into home base, and then launched on a tour of the town and national marine park. Returning from the tour we where all once again very hungry but luckily were fed another classic example of a Costa Rican meal, arroz con pollo.

-Owen, 17, student

June 24
Hoy hicimos muchas cosas divertidas, como surfear, plantar árboles y ver un vídeo muy interesante. Lo más divertido del día fue surfear. Los instructores explican muy bien paso a paso y al final creo que todos aprendieron a surfear.
-Alberto, 15
Protecting the Pacific
Costa Rica
 

June 25, 2017
Day 4: This morning wasn’t as tiring as the previous ones, as the first activity was at homebase. After having breakfast at 7 and a walk to the community supermarket at 8, Amy, a GEOPORTER ambassador came and gave us a presentation about GPS and GIS: their purpose, their utility in the world and how to use them. We also had a chance to map out the home base!! Lunch was at 12, and after that we headed to the tree nursery. With the help of Travis and Wayne, everyone worked and sweated out in order to make the nursery better. We all jumped in the pool when we came back. The group then had dinner under heavy rain at 7. To end this fun and cool day, Georges made a presentation about the country he lives in: the UAE.

June 26, 2017
Day 5: in the morning we had a lot of fun doing different activities, we had breakfast at 7 and we were ready to leave the home base to enjoy the beach. Once we got there we split into two groups, one doing service and picking up plastic and other trash on the beach and another taking a surf lesson which we all enjoyed very much. When we came back to home base, we had lunch and we had a small reflection about the service we did during the morning. Finally at 3, after a long and fun swim in the pool, Travis came here to explain to us the problem of having plastic in the ocean. After that, we enjoined a group activity about different topics such as wetland or coral reef problems. Straight after the activity we had dinner at 7 and we finally had free time for the rest of the evening.

-Caterina and Georges

June 28, 2017

Today was the last day of surfing lessons, it was amazing because the waves were high and it was so much fun even though people were scared of the waves. We also made signs to protect the trees. Overall today was a good day and amazing!!!!!!
-Chris and Albert

June 29, 2017

Today the group went to Corcovado national park. We woke up early and traveled there in a boat. We saw dolphins, monkeys, a crocodile eating a pelican, and a weird looking animal called coati. We hiked through the forest, and walked on the coast. Most of us will never forget the animals, and we will all keep the memories we made today.

-Marisol and Juan Carlos

July 1, 2017

Today was a great day. We started the day by taking a long 45 minute drive to the Osa Canopy Tours start station. We then took a bus up a steep mountain to a small hut where we started our zipline tour of canopy in the Osa region. The tour contained nine ziplines, two hanging bridges, two rappeling stations and a “Tarzan” swing. Later in the day we did some service at home base where we painted some signs to protect trees we planted. Lit!!!

-Tommy and Noah

July 2, 2017

Today we woke up, ate breakfast and set out for the day. At 8:00 in the morning we left home base and started a walk to a beautiful waterfall. We got to the waterfall entrance and approached a cute café that sold smoothies and other small meals. We continued our walk a little further into the mountain, and arrived at a stunning waterfall. We took pictures and swam while surrounded by lush green and cool water. We left the waterfall and went to get smoothies. After we drank our smoothies, we took a taxi into town to souvenir shop. Then we headed back for home base and checked up on our Geoporter mapping. At 4:00 we went to the local soccer field and played soccer with some members of the community. After a good game of soccer, we headed back home and had a wonderful meal grilled by Wayne. The day was amazing, beautiful, and a truly amazing experience for all the kids.

-Bri and Ines
July 5, 2017

The last day was bitter-sweet. We spent the day traveling away from home base by private bus (sorry, no disco lights), on our 4 hour journey back to the city. We stopped along the way for snacks and a final souvenir stop (ice cream stop). The bus was full of the various theme songs of the trip (they give us goosebumps every time). Ahora somos MEJORES. As night fell, we went out for sandwiches and a quick walk in the city, laughing and playing games through our final meal as a traveling family. It was a trip to remember for all of us! Today is a travel day for all the students. We wish everyone a safe and happy ride home, and hope these friendships and lessons truly last a lifetime.

-Hannah, International Director

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