ISV Costa Rica Trip

My ISV experience is hard to sum up in a single review just because the experience itself is so much more powerful and distinctive than words can describe. The trip was filled with memorable experiences and was shared with even more memorable people. I started out my Costa Rica trip with a week of Spanish lessons, which were very helpful especially when realizing just how little Spanish I knew and the language barriers I had to face as soon as I landed. The Spanish week was a great way to get ahead of the game and really get to know everyone in your group as well. The two weeks of volunteering in Ostional Costa Rica were beyond amazing. Our project involved working with the sea turtles that came to nest on the beach of Ostional. The work involved counting the eggs that the turtles would lay as well as taking measurements of their size, and tagging there fins. The work was never dull especially during the arribada week when there were literally hundreds of turtles nesting at the same time. Ostional is the second biggest beach in the world for the nesting of Olive Ridley sea turtles and watching the monthly arribada occur was like a natural wonder of the world. Our project leaders were great and taught us so much about our project, Costa Rica, and more. The host family I stayed with was incredibly kind and made me incredibly comfortable in a home far away from my own.
The final two weeks consisted of the adventure tour, which basically was travelling all around Costa Rica doing awesome activities. We toured a few national parks and saw so much of the wildlife beauty that Costa Rica contains. Some of the other activities included white water rafting down the Pacuare River that runs through the middle of the rain forest and then lodging a night in the rainforest. The sights and experience of this were unbelievable and this was just the start of the adventure tour. Other activities included zip lining, rappelling, horseback riding, surfing, tubing, hot springs, and more. I made great friends bonding with people over these many awesome adventures and would do it again in a heartbeat. I recommend this ISV project to anyone looking to travel and have a life changing experience.