6/29/2015
We have received all of our 21 brave volunteers! We had some time this evening to get to know each other and get a preview of our next two weeks. We will be traveling to the Osa Peninsula tomorrow. Pura vida!
6/30/2015
Our students have arrived at the Osa Peninsula!
We made our journey to the Osa, stopping at a river to see crocodiles and then we stopped for lunch at Playa Dominical. We were greeted by the rancho quemado community for our arrival at dinner time. We got settled into our cabinas, then heard a talk by Mark Green, the local peace core volunteer.
We are excited to start service! We’ll keep you posted!
7/2/2015
Our students worked very hard during their first day of service. We got to visit an organic farm where we made our own cane juice and got to pick cacao beans and got to see how hot chocolate is made. We ended our evening with a leadership sonar and meeting in our mentor groups. Pura vida!
7/4/2015
7/7/2015
Hola! It’s Sam, Eric, and Ashlynn.
On the morning of July 7th, we went to a lecheria and got to try our luck at milking cows. After milking the cows, we observed the locals make cheese, which we later got to taste. Also, the founder of Rancho Quemado told us the story of its beginning.
In the afternoon, we had three service projects. Sam’s group painted signs for the community. Eric’s group made bracelets and Ashlynn’s group helped to organize, paint, and put up curtains in the library.
At night we watched and enjoyed the first half of Selma, a movie about MLK. It was another successful day in Rancho Quemado.
7/9/2015
Hola, it’s Katie, Tom, and Keke! Today is Thursday July 9th; we’ve just enjoyed another fulfilling day in Rancho Quemado.
After a great breakfast of the classic Gallo Pinto, we participated in a variety of enriching activities, including horseback riding, a gold mining tour, and fútbol con los muchachos. These were followed by another delicious lunch and our afternoon service. Some of us tried local bracelet making techniques (easier said than done), while others designed signs for the library and other local landmarks. Throughout the week we had been formulating action plans for tackling problems in Rancho Quemado and our own communities.
We had the opportunity to present them and provide constructive criticism to enhance our problem solving skills. To end the day, we practiced salsa and other Costa Rican dances, then taught the locals some of our own.
We’re looking forward to our last day here in Rancho Quemado, hasta luego!
7/10/2015
Hi GLA parents, it’s Kate, Melanie, and Arman! Today the group played a soccer scrimmage against the kids in the village, participated in a cooking class taught by their host families, made bracelets out of a locally found plant, and made signs to advertise important sites around the town such as the local store. The Jaguarundi group went horseback riding to a gold mine, where they hiked to a river with local gold miners who showed them the proper technique to extract gold out of the rocks. Additionally, some students helped work on finishing the world map for the school in their free time; a project they started on their very first day of service. The students will hopefully finish the map before their departure for San Jose on Saturday.
After dinner, during GLA leadership we met with our mentor groups to discuss our thoughts regarding the trip coming to an end. To bring the day to a close, we finished the movie Selma, which we had started the night before.
7/12/2015
All students have departed for home safely!
