The Best Two Weeks of My Life

During my two weeks in Ostional, Costa Rica I made some of the most amazing memories and experiences I have ever had. We stayed in the most welcoming host families, which forced us to be completely immersed in Costa Rican lifestyle. We ate a traditional meal of rice and beans for most meals, and there was no air conditioning which made things uncomfortable at times. Because you and these other volunteers are thrown into this together, you al become very close very fast and it made it SO much easier and a thousand times more fun. Our main work was at night doing patrols on the beach for turtles. Ostional is the second largest arribada (mass nesting event) in the world (only 9 total). The first night of patrol was not fun, it was a lot of walking and we didn't see any turtles. But my new friends and I encouraged each other to keep each other's spirits up and the next few nights of patrol continued to get easier. Each night after that we saw anywhere from 1-10 turtles. Finally on the second to last night we got to witness an arribada, in which 3100 olive ridley sea turtles all came up on the beach the same night! It was one of the most incredible experiences I could have ever imagined. On our days off we got to go to near by "touristy" beaches and spend time on the beach and shop for souvenirs for our families and friends. All in all, this experience was a once in a life time opportunity and I wouldn't trade it for the world. Any student who is considering taking this trip should go for it, because it is incredible.