Service Sites & A Birthday!
A few different service sites we contributed to today included construction at the school green house; Spanish/English classes as the high school in La Cruz; and painting and varnishing the rest of the project at the church in El Jobo. Also, some of us played in a soccer match against a local team! Other students cheered us on and entertained local children. Over all, we deepened our cultural understanding of the Costa Rican people. And if Emily Pope’s family is reading this: the birthday girl was in good hands last night!
Adventures & Service
Today, kids from the Sports Service Group were able to practice their Spanish and teach English to other high school Ticos about their daily schedule. After that, the high school students taught us how to play handball.
Today, we mixed cement in order to fill tires for the playground. It was hard work, but we managed to fill more than half of the tires!
In our adventures today, we serviced a group of children and amazing adult leaders in the community to renovate a church in the area. The color on the walls is much cheerier and the pews are stained like new. Very strong relationships were developed with the children and also the animals there; this day was surely eye-opening and extremely fun!
On our second day of service, we continued working on the greenhouse and playground projects. Tables were built and put together for the greenhouse and tires were put in and stabilized with cement to create a really cool and interesting playground for the local kids. While working on the projects, we had the opportunity to practice our Spanish to communicate with the kids, play some soccer, and make a memorable connection with the native Ticos working with us.
La Cruz
Turtilicious- (Alex) Today we sanded pews in a church. We are helping the locals renovate their church. It was an amazing experience working with the kids in the village and seeing them so excited over something we could do for them.
Convivimos- (Anthony) Today was a day not to forget. Seeing new things along the bus ride was an eye opening experience. But playing soccer was by far the best. Getting beat by the locals (3-0) was a highlight.
Los Animales- (Shawn) Today was the first day of a week of hardwork! We did so much to the locals yet had so much fun looking at the scenery and visting the neighboring town La Cruz!
Team Money- (Dana) Today was our very first day of service! We helped fix up and contribute to the mural in La Cruz and had a lot of fun communicating with the locals. Everyone was very impressed with the art work and so glad we got to be a part of it.
Today, we went to a mural created b the town of La Cruz. It was amazing to see the incredible creation created by the teamwork of the whole community and it meant a lot ot be able to help them put the finishing touches on it.
Today we took a trip with our families to La Cruz. We explored the city and tried lots of food. We stopped at a local ice cream place, a local bakery and a super market.
Adventures
Tiffany’s Group
On this lovely day, Tiffany’s group entitled Team Money had quite the experience. We began the day by hiking the base of a volcano, and were thrilled to see volcanic activity and the beauty of Costa Rica’s rainforest. We continued to soak in hot springs located nearby, and had such a fun time painting ourselves in exfoliating mud. Most of us had the best time at a Liberian grocery store, where we joined in on the celebration when Costa Rica won a round of the World Cup against Greece. We loved seeing the culture and ways of life of the Ticos, as well as their community unity.
Kevin’s Group
Beginning reluctantly at 5:30 am, the sportside adventure team trooped to the buses, preparing for an incredible day. Rotating breathlessly through the trifecta of activities offered, we trotted through picturesque landscape on horseback, splashed screaming down whitewater rapids, and zoomed through lush forests on ziplines. Though we were exhausted after the two-hour bus drive from the day’s activities, our energy was instantly replenished enough for a raucous celebration as Costa Rica’s world cup team won the penalty shootout against Greece, giving us an opportunity to express our newfound loyalty to this wonderful country.
Emily’s Group
Today we woke up at 5:30 am and the beachside adventure group was ready to have an amazing day. First we went on a hike through the rainforest and we saw the hot springs and also the bubbling clay. Then, we went to the hot tub in the middle of the forest and after we painted each other with mud. After we cleaned off in the clean river which felt amazing after a long day in the sun. We ended the day watching Costa Rica win against Greece, so awesome!
-Alexis
Alex’s Group
5:30 AM was the start to a beautiful day in Costa Rica. With a big breakfast in our stomachs we headed off to the volcano for a beautiful hike. It was surreal how beautiful the views and surroundings were. Our group was always in amazement! The hot pools were burning hot, but amazing for our tired muscles. After we left the adventure at the mountains, we found ourselves at a supermarket in Liberia watching Costa Rica beat Greece World Cup game. The atmosphere was exhilarating and it made for an amazing day.
-Maura
Sherrilee’s Group
The day started with a 5:30 bus ride to the adventure hotel, where our group began with horseback riding. We met our beautiful horses and trotted out on the trail for a nice walk. When the trail ended, we took a bus over to the river to begin white water tubing, gliding down the river and bumping into rocks and other tubes along the way. Tubing finished with a great meal at the hotel restaurant, and we rushed over to the zip lines. After about 30 minutes of exploring the rainforest on metal wires, we watched a few minutes of the Costa Rica world cup game and then headed back to the hotel Ecoplaya where we watched the end of the very exciting game and finished out the exciting day with a great dinner.
-Niki B
Mateo’s Group
The morning started at 5:30 with a big breakfast and a two hour drive to the volcano. We hiked for two and half hours through the forest while looking at local wildlife and sulfur mud baths. After we painted out selves with mud and waded in the river to get the mud off. We later went to Liberia and shopped in a local supermarket while watching Costa Rica play Greece in the World Cup. A festive ride back to home base was a great way to end the day.
-Lauren G
Our First Few Days
In Emily’s group, we all had a great time. We went horseback riding, tubing, and on zip lines. There were animals such as monkey’s, birds, and butterflies. Some people decided to plunge and take a greater risk by going upside down. It was an experience we will never forget.
In Matt’s (Mateo’s) group, we took a nice bus ride down to Guachepelin where we had a great time horseback riding, followed by tubing down the river and zip-lining through the great outdoors. A few of the more adventurous leaders took a frightening plunge deep into the caves, landing just above the river.
In Sherilee’s group we went on a group hike through the rainforest. We saw the beautiful hot springs and were able to take a dip into the clear water. We then painted our bodies with mud that made our skin very soft. We cleaned off the mud in the cool river and just relax. It was a beautiful day with great weather!
Today was day three in Costa Rica with Global Leadership Adventures. In Tiffany’s group, we spent our time trotting through the jungle on horseback, riding the rapids on an inner tube, and finally, cruising through the beautiful scenery on zip lines. Everyone is pretty tired now from this long day, but we are all enjoying the beautiful weather, and the growing friendships!
Today in Kevin’s group (Convivimos), we went hiking at the base of a volcano and bathed in hot springs. The scenery was beautiful on the hike and there were also multiple sulfur ponds which were really cool. Also, we went to hot springs and covered ourselves in mud! Pura Vida!
The swagged-out members of Alex’s group participated in several excursions today, all of which ensured A BLAST! The turtilicious gals started off the day with a leisurely horseback ride through the exquisite Guachepelin and continued the day with an adventure-filled white-water tubing ride. We all had plenty of sunshine and lots of laughs and after our almuerzo fabulouso, we went ZIP LINING! Alex’s family definitely delved into the Pura Vida lifestyle more than ever today!
Our First Days
Thanks to silky-smooth airport logistics, all of our students have arrived safe and sound! We’ve had an exciting first two days of orientation; with team-building, leadership activities, sports, and delicious Costa Rican meals. We can’t wait to get into our adventure activities tomorrow, and it’s shaping up to be a great summer in Guanacaste!
They’re Here!
All our students are here and have called home! They are very excited and energetic despite the long journey – and they have an incredible adventure ahead of them.
Photos and new blog posts will follow!
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