Why did you decide to volunteer with Global Volunteers in Costa Rica?
Cici: The reason I chose Costa Rica and specifically with Global Volunteers was the program itself. I had wanted to do a vacation that gave back as well as one that offered the opportunity to be connected to the community you were working in. I paid for my daughter to go so it gave us both a chance to experience the same thing and now we have those memories that we still talk and laugh about.
Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
Cici: Our days were spent working, painting, building trails and a tool shed in the local cloud forest in coordination with the local school. Many days the children from the school worked with us. That gave us and them a chance to interact in a positive way. The work site itself was beautiful, to be in a cloud forest all day hardly seemed like work. The other volunteers were from all over the United States.
After working we would come back to the "hotel" that we stayed in and would have a short meeting with our adviser. Sometimes we ate dinner there, other times we could walk to the small town and eat out. Breakfast was always eaten at our hotel which was more like a B & B and lunch was provided at the work site. On our weekend we had free time, and our advisor so kindly helped all of us "get out of Dodge" for 2 days and relax.
How has this experience helped you grow?
Cici: Volunteering is in my blood and having a company like Global Volunteers help you find a way to do it makes it easy. I was in my 50's when I did this trip. Age does not really matter when volunteering all that matters is the will to put yourself out there.