Do you remember that time you went to Costa Rica? how you came to thrive in the jungle on the Caribbean Coast?
It’s been a few months now since our trip but in some ways it still feels like yesterday….
We can still see Brody dancing the floss while keeping the group in fits of laughter with his one-man band practice, Ocean communicating to Sayleen’s cat like Doctor Dolittle, Jenna cutting some decent shapes on the dance floor, Sarah mowing those local kids down on the soccer field, Taryn curled in the hammock with a good book, Tania making light work of the sweeping duties like camp mother, Maggie making set point with her killer volleyball serves and who could forget about Kamis, Jackson, Alex and Kat’s duck-diving team, Ella Z’s photographic eye, Ally’s delicious birthday cake, Maddie’s great contributions to bus debates, Teya’s hidden surf talents, Emilio’s obsession with all things coconut, Molly’s awesome welly-boots, Hannah’s environmental focus, Karina’s music, Ella K’s compassion and Tori’s tyre walking.
Boy did we have some fun, surfing under the sun in Playa Negra, frolicking in the waves near home base , enjoying snack times after supo runs, trying to find drink bottles in the sand while blind folded, seeing caiman, monkeys, roseate spoon-bills and even a swimming dog on our boat tour, and of course the time we got to watch the rare Hawksbill turtle nest. Afew shout outs must also go to the uneventful sunrises, long bus rides, the cooks for the delicious food and all the mosquitoes that didn’t bite us!
Seriously though, now you have had time to reflect we hope you feel a sense of pride in the contribution you made to the village of Parismina last season. All your rubbish collection efforts meant there were less mirco-plastics on the beach that could affect the turtles nests and your presence on the beach during night patrol prevented those poachers from coming out. We gave another few turtles the chance to live. Not to mention the fact that you were able to become comfortable with being uncomfortable, I bet you haven’t been as itchy, sweaty or tired since your time in Parismina, but that you might now have a new found confidence to tackle anything that life throws at you. It was truly amazing to see how well you banded together to overcome the challenges you faced, how you accepted those around you when they might have not looked or felt their best and came to embrace cold showers, limited service, heat and bugs. Being unplugged was a great way to connect with each other on a deeper level and appreciate our surroundings, I know we were lucky to get to see so many weird and wonderful wildlife during our stay.
We really hope you feel empowered to put into practise some of the things you learnt about conservation while you were in Costa Rica, every little bit can make a difference and things like water and power conservation at home doesn’t have to cost any more time or money. We now know the harmful affects of plastic on the planet and how we do have the power to change the outcome by being more conscious about where we spend our dollars.
So with this in mind, go forth, go be the change you want to see in the world, and remember these seemingly little moments because one day you may realise that they were the big ones!
We wish you the best in your next phase of life, in whatever you choose to do. Go well 🙂
Best,
Emily and the rest of the Sea Turtle Team
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