Volunteered (and so much more!) in Costa Rica

The ISV program in Costa Rica was absolutely incredible. I signed up for the whole five week trip. The first week we stayed with host families in Heredia while taking Spanish lessons through Intercultura. This was an awesome immersion experience and a great way to learn about the culture firsthand.

For the next two weeks, we were at various volunteer projects throughout Costa Rica. My group was in the rainforest on the Osa Peninsula, where we helped collect data about the rainforest's health by monitoring seed dispersal. It was a lot of hard work and took tons of energy, but being able to help in this way was inexpressibly rewarding. Our little group bonded so much and we all became so close. And we got to see tons of animals---monkeys, sloths, and toucans, to name just a few!---in their natural habitats!

The final two weeks of the trip were spent taking an adventure tour of Costa Rica. We white-water rafted down the Pacuare River, surfed at Samara Beach, and ziplined through the rainforest---and that's not even half of the activities we did! It was amazingly fun and even though I was super nervous (I had never done any of the activities before) I had a blast with each and every thing we did.

I have nothing but good things to say about ISV's volunteer project/adventure tour in Costa Rica. It truly was the trip of a lifetime.