I cannot begin to express how much fun I had in Costa Rica. As soon as we arrived, the group of students automatically clicked, and friendships only grew stronger as the trip progressed. Even though our trip was changed from Nicaragua to Costa Rica relatively last minute, we still were able to work in multiple clinics and get real insight into the healthcare system in Costa Rica. During the homestay portion of the trip, it was amazing to enter into a rural community, and interact with the people our service efforts would actually be affecting. After living with our homestay families for 5 nights, saying goodbye was extremely difficult. Even a month later, I still miss my homestay family, along with other residents of the community that we grew close to. Going into the trip, though I was not 100% fluent in Spanish, the trip leaders and other students made active communication with community members and the clinic staff easy. Over the trip, I made many lasting friendships and came home with a greatly improved ability to speak and understand Spanish.

This was a fun filled program into the land of turtles! Starting off our trip with adventure we took a stop at a local cheese factory where we got to experience the process of cheese making starting with milking the cows to boiling and stretching the gooey yummy cheese. We then went rafting along the river picnicked on the side and even caught a fish in our boat as the waves splashed over us! Further on in our trip in Parismina we took night patrols watching for turtle tracks, cleaned up trash on the beach. We then helped hatch baby turtles on to the beach into the ocean providing a proper waddling space as the turtles made their way in to the ocean and started there life as a baby sea turtle.

Going into the trip i was thinking it would be very fun. I was very wrong Once i met the other kids i was going on the trip with i started really liking them. Once we got into Costa Rica i was very close with the other travelers and i quickly started having an amazing time. I did not think it would be difficult to leave the trip, but as the day got closer and closer the more i feared leaving. The trip gave me Friends and memories i will never forget. Its almost been 5 months since the trip and i still miss it just as much as the day i left. If you are debating to go on a trip with Global Works i strongly recommend you to go with them!

My trip to Costa Rica with this group was hands down one of the best weeks of my life. I was able to experience so many new things from making new friends around the country to learning about a whole new way of life to helping out in the community and speaking the little Spanish I know to the locals. The fact that I was able to experience a whole other way of living at this young age really made an impact on me. Going on this trip opened my eyes to a whole new perspective. I've realized that we should not take anything at all for granted any day of the week because we don't realize how good we have it and how much we ave. I've become a lot more appreciative and also a lot more accepting. With that, I learned through the people in the villages and how they go about their way of life that you should always extend a helping hand and make sure everyone is accepted. Other than my learning experiences, I had such a blast everyday with anything we did - especially the surfing and the late night talks with my group. We were all able to get really close with each other since we were such a small group and it really meant the world to me. This trip was truly such an amazing experience and I would definitely do it again, or something like it, in a heartbeat.

My experience on this Global Works trip was nothing less than phenomenal and life changing. Every day I spent in this amazing country helped me grow as a person in knowledge and understanding. Those who accompanied me on this trip would definitely say the same.

When our group traveled to our first destination after San José, el Rio Pacuare, I knew it was going to be an amazing trip. Just as we started our bus ride toward the river, I began to see the immense beauty of the country with its endless mountains and lush greenery. Also, friendships were quickly made. I found that regardless of it being a sort of long bus ride there was never a moment when I felt bored. I was always talking to the people around me and trying to get to know one another. The friendships were so close, but yet very inclusive. I loved the lifestyle and friendliness of Costa Ricans-¡Pura vida!

The Puda Vida life means living your life as if every obstacle is a piece of cake. It means being happy and welcoming to everyone around you as well as looking at the bright side of everything. I would love to be around Costa Ricans all the time. The community I stood with was so loving and caring and still to this day opening there homes to me if I ever go back to Costa Rica which I most defiantly will do!

This trip was my first overseas camp. All I know is that the description fits. It is a wonderful experience and I made so many great new friends! I got significantly better at speaking spanish which enabled me to skip a class! I also did so many cool activities that I wouldn't have been able to do anywhere else. For starters, I was really nervous for the rafting trip. However, it was completely safe and absolutely thrilling! We got to go swimming in all these waterfalls and go surfing down the rapids. The views were stunning especially with no one around us but the wildlife. Ill also say overall the lodging and bathrooms were all really nice, compared to what I expected. Next, the cloud forest was really, really nice. Off the bat if you are going to this particular trip you need to be fit. The exercise and exertion that goes into this part of the trip is intense. So be prepared!! Here we did TONS of work everyday and we learned a lot about the wildlife too. The food on this part of trip was to die for. The people are also super nice and you never feel pressured about the spanish. Next, the home stay is probably the most impactful. Here you get to practice your spanish the most. You are also rarely with your counselor and you have the most freedom, but it's still safe!! The people, again, are also very nice and there are tons of little kids to play with. We do community service everyday but its easy stuff and then we do fun activities like playing in the river or games with the kids. I should also mention that we have to wake up around 7 am everyday and go to sleep around 10 pm. We also always pretty much have access to food. We also went on a few field trips like visiting another but huge waterfall. There isn't as much shopping on this trip as I personally expected but we got to go to super markets a lot. Then we travel to the national park. Unfortunately I got sick during this part but I got lucky because it has the best lodging! We saw amazing sunsets, went to hot springs and ziplining of course! Do not do this trip if you are afraid of heights!!! You are hundreds of feet above the forest for a large time in the air. But don't be afraid to try new things! Last but not least, the surfing! The beach is just beautiful. The water is warm and safe and the bottom is all sand. The surf instruction is great and you are guaranteed to stand up the first day. There is also a nice pool too or you could walk up and down the beach and collect shells. The shacks that we live in are super comfy but I hope you are not afraid of giant lizards! All in all this trip is just..its soo nice. I completely recommend this to anyone! Lastly, the counselors are the sweetest people who you can really trust and they always do everything with the safety of your child in mind! This the right decision for an overseas camp. And don't forget Global Works offers other locations and specializations as well.