Hola everyone!

Wow, how time flies by. It seems like just yesterday that we were waking up to Veronica’s delicious food and sweet smile every morning. Gallo pinto and platanos have not compared ever since.

As you are most likely back in school, we want you to know that you are still on our minds. The impact that you all made this summer, on the Costa Rica communities and us, are unforgettable. I am so proud that you all came in with an open mind set and flexibility when it came to community service. You were able to jump into a project that was started by the last GLA group and follow it through completion. What an incredible opportunity it was to be with the Brasilito community representatives as they sincerely thanked you for all of your hard work to refurbish their outdoor sports facility. I know how rewarding it felt to remove the tape from the lines and to score a bucket on the new rims. And your reaction when we drove by the basketball court at night was true, sincere excitement. My heart fluttered when you all shouted, “They’re playing on our court. People are playing on the court!” And yes, people will continue to play on that court for years to come.

You all worked so hard together and played even harder. We will forever share a special bond over the memories that we have created. Some special moments from our trip include:

– Bus ride sing-a-longs
– Hosting a soccer clinic for the adorable kids and future futbol stars from the Santa Rosa community
– White water rafting in the Tenorio River, dropping down a 12-foot waterfall and flipping over in the water (home to too many massive spiders!)
– Soccer practices with Coach Danielle and Coach Moreira
– Fut-sal soccer 5 tournaments
– Playa futbol
– Baldi Hot Springs and its crazy fast water slide
– Zip lining in the pouring rain and disappearing into thick fog
– Surfing lessons and catching waves on our own
– Bachata, salsa and merengue dance lessons with Geddy – “Pura vida!”
– Beaches, beaches and more beaches
– Playing musical chairs and other games with local school kids
– And, of course, Veronica! (I hope you remember how to make empanadas, patacones and guacamole!)

You should all know that you left Costa Rica a better place. In fact, you have all left a legacy. What is a legacy? It is planting seeds in a garden you don’t get to see. The Brasilito court will continue to be a meeting place for sports, fun and engagement for the children, community and future generations. Young futbol stars will continue to build on the skills and techniques you practiced with them and they will always remember your cheering, high fives and team tunnel.

And, just as important, the knowledge and experience you gained on this trip will serve you and the communities you will continue to impact the rest of your lives. Like I mentioned before, I am honored to have watched you grow and learn over the two weeks you spent becoming better leaders and ambassadors. I am excited for you to continue planting your seeds of legacy around the world, to help make it a better place and to impact numerous lives, just as you have impacted mine. Thank you for making our summer in Costa Rica so incredibly fun and rewarding. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors. Until we meet again, pura vida!

All the best,
Christina

 

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Dear friends,

I hope that you always remember the Soccer Beyond Borders program in Costa Rica as an amazing experience in which you developed your leadership and soccer skills while doing community service and enjoying the natural gifts of this Central American country.

It was great that we had a multicultural team with students from the US and Mexico, staff from the US, Colombia and of course, our local staff from Costa Rica. All of us got united at our home base in Flamingo beach, Liberia, CR with the commitment of helping the local community as a way to be thankful and give back to others a little bit of what we receive on a daily basis. We learnt little by little about leadership in our reflection sessions and from every single person in our crew and the ones who joined us during our journey to help. I bet you will never forget that we collaborated upgrading some sport scenarios, we did soccer clinics with children, helped in the beautification of an animal rehabilitation centre and contributed to entertain children of a local vacation camp. We also shared the soccer field with local teams at different levels such us spontaneous futbol 5 sessions to the the more formal ones at the Liberia professional stadium versus a U17 soccer team, being all guided by our athlete trainers and FIFA certified coaches, that was such an experience together.

Alternating our work with the locals and our soccer sessions, we also were fortunate to enjoy the wonderful beauty of the Costa Rican nature, its people, its food and of course its exciting extreme sports. We made it to visit several beaches like Brasilito, Flamingo, and Potrero to be delighted with the sunset and to play beach soccer; we had a blast with the tall waves during our surfing lesson in Playa Grande; visiting the unique hot springs at La Fortuna was absolutely bonding and relaxing; watching the huge waterfalls from the zip lining cable was a breath taking moment; cooking and dancing classes were more than funny, engaging and experimental to all of us; and last but not least we had a great “car massage” thanks to the Indiana Jones type of rode on the way to the most exciting rafting ride ever that made us have an incredible time altogether.

I know by the end of everything, we had to face the least expected time, the time to say goodbye. I was so sad that you all had to leave but at the same time I was grateful because we rocked our experience in Costa Rica. With all of our feelings mixed and a couple of tears on our cheeks we said a “see you later” to our new friends of adventures.

I want you to always remember that little changes together make a huge change, so keep in mind that every little good vibe you give to others will be part of a huge impact to the world.

Best Regards,
Ferney Parra

“Whatever you are, be a good one”
Abraham Lincoln

 

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Wow! It seems like just yesterday we were all in little Bahia Ballena working hard to protect the Pacific Ocean. I can close my eyes and so clearly see scarlet macaws flying over our heads, smell the rice and beans cooking for dinner, and hear Canelo and Soul chasing each other around the home base. You’re all probably back at school, getting back into the swing of your sports, clubs, and activities. While dreaming of returning to Costa Rica at night!

We worked so incredibly hard as a team and made a massive difference in a little community. All our baby trees are still working hard to grow big and strong one day! The trees we transplanted will be home to sloths, monkeys, or even bats some day! Thanks to the hard work you put into all those tree protectors, they will be safe to grow and play their role in the ecosystem. PHEW we did a lot of service!

I also love to reflect on all the adventures we had! We surfed some gnarly waves, took an hour and a half boat ride (where we saw DOLPHINS and WHALES) to the most magical place on earth (aka Corcovado National Park), hiked out to a naturally formed whale tale sand bar, splashed and swam in a waterfall, and ziplined/repelled/swung through the jungle canopy! It was so amazing to have all these adrenaline-filled and eye-opening adventures in the very same beaches and jungles we were working so hard to protect and preserve.

Our team really was the epitome of work hard/play hard. We had so much fun dancing to different Latin vibes, cooking with Dona Dora and Sonia, playing games in the pool, and jamming to music on the many bus rides.

We all miss you so much and hope that you’ve been able to make even more eco-friendly decisions and take some action back home to your own communities since our 14 days together.

Pura Vida!
-Hannah and the rest of the Protecting the Pacific team!

 

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Hey Ptp3!!!! Sometimes it feels like a distant dream that we were all together in tropical Costa Rica. Other times, it feels like just yesterday that we were there working hard to protect the Pacific Ocean and learn as much as we could about the environment and ourselves. I can close my eyes and clearly see scarlet macaws flying over our heads, smell the fried yuca cooking for dinner, and hear Canelo and Soul chasing each other around the home base. You’re all probably back at school, getting back into the swing of your sports, clubs, and activities. At night, you might dream of laying by the pool deck, counting shooting stars.

We worked so incredibly hard as a team and made an authentic impact on the ecosystem around a little Costa Rican community. All of our baby trees are still working hard to grow big and strong one day! Thanks to the hard work you put into all those tree protectors, they will be safe to grow and play their role in the environment. I know the swamp was tough work, and you all really made us proud stomping through it at the side of a happy caiman family.

I also really love to reflect on all the adventures we had. We surfed some sweet waves, hiked out to a naturally formed whale tale, splashed and swam in a waterfall, and ziplined/repelled/swung through the jungle canopy! I’m sure none of us will ever forget the BABY HUMPBACK WHALE on the way back from Corcovado National Park that was as curious about us as we were about it. It was really spectacular to share that experience with such a bright and unique group of people. Overall, it was really fulfilling to have all of these adrenaline-filled and eye-opening adventures in the very same beaches and jungles we were working so hard to protect and preserve.

In hindsight, our team really was the epitome of work hard/play hard. We had so much fun dancing to various Latin vibes, cooking with Dona Dora and Gerrie, playing games in the pool (my eyes still burn), and jamming to music on the many bus rides.

We all truly miss you so much and hope that you’ve been able to apply some of what we learned together in your lives back home. I truly believe that we are better individuals because each of you joined our program, and I hope you feel that you grew as people as well. Remember, stay creative, stay true to yourselves. If we all only did what we were taught, nothing would ever change. Be that change, Ptp3.

Pura Vida and lots of love,
-Hannah, Sam, Gerrie, and the rest of the Protecting the Pacific team

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.

Wow! It seems like just yesterday we were all in little Bahia Ballena working hard to protect the Pacific Ocean. I can close my eyes and so clearly see scarlet macaws flying over our heads, smell the rice and beans cooking for dinner, and hear Canelo and Soul chasing each other around the home base. You’re all probably back at school, getting back into the swing of your sports, clubs, and activities. While dreaming of returning to Costa Rica at night!

We worked so incredibly hard as a team and made a massive difference in a little community. All our baby trees are still working hard to grow big and strong one day! Our trees by the river might be home to sloths, monkeys, or even bats some day! All those cute little animals will have us to thank! The banks will also thank us for providing strong roots and biodiversity that will help prevent erosion and keep the river bank strong for years and years to come. Thanks to the hard work you put into all those tree protectors, they will be safe to grow and play their role in the ecosystem. PHEW we did a lot of service!

I also love to reflect on all the adventures we had! We surfed some gnarly waves, took an hour and a half boat ride (where we saw DOLPHINS) to the most magical place on earth (aka Corcovado National Park), hiked out to a naturally formed whale tale sand bar, splashed and swam in a waterfall, and ziplined/repelled/swung through the jungle canopy! It was so amazing to have all these adrenaline-filled and eye-opening adventures in the very same beaches and jungles we were working so hard to protect and preserve.

Our team really was the epitome of work hard/play hard. We had so much fun swimming in the river after service, dancing to different Latin vibes, cooking with Dona Dora and Sonia, playing games in the pool, and jamming to music on the many bus rides.

We all miss you so much and hope that you’ve been able to make even more eco-friendly decisions and take some action back home to your own communities since our 14 days together.

Pura Vida!

-Hannah and the rest of the Protecting the Pacific team!

 

Feeling nostalgic? You can experience that same sense of friendship and adventure abroad again! Check out all our 2019 programs, or enroll now.