I chose this program because I had already done some surfing before this, and wanted to get better. My parents helped me find the program with Outward Bound and I decided to try it out. I did look at other ones, like the sea turtle adventure in Panama, but decided to go for surfing since I really loved it. I’ll probably try another one next time.
Alumni Spotlight: Emma Claire Morgan
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Emma lives in the Costa Rican mountains and spends time surrounded by nature. She is also an athlete and animal-lover.
Why did you choose this program?
What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
I did not have a program provider, I just found out about it since they work with my school, but they didn’t tell me about this program. My parents and I applied to the program and we did everything ourselves. We looked into all of Outward Bound’s programs on our own, and ended up planning everything out.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
I would just say to prepare to fight tough currents, meaning being a little more physically prepared, since if the currents are rough (they won’t always be), it can really wear you out and you’ll be too tired to actually surf correctly. Also, one more thing is that, even if it’s not on the packing list, I would take a pillow and blanket, since that isn’t provided.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
Everyday we woke up at about 6:00 AM and got ready. Someone was assigned the job of being the cook, and had to make everyone breakfast. After we ate, we got the surfboards and put them in a truck that would take them to the beach for us while we rode the bus. We went surfing for about 3 hours, and hung out on the beach. Then we went back and ate lunch. We would have solo time (writing in your journal), then we would either go to the pool or go back to the beach just to hang out and play.
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
I had gone on other camps before (with my school), but none ever lasted as long as this one. So I was pretty nervous just being away from home for so long. That was my only fear, but I easily overcame it when I met all the people I’d be with during the entire trip. Everyone was cool, and very nice and reassuring. After a few days, I wasn’t nervous anymore.
What’s something you will still remember in a few years about the trip?
I will probably remember the whole trip, but something that I will remember more than the other stuff is how cool all the people I met on there were. I made new friends that I’m still in contact with, and even the instructors were really nice cool to hang it with. Another thing is that we got to go zip lining and do other cool and different activities the last few days before we left.