Highlights: The best part of the volunteer experience was the relationships that I formed. Our host family took us in like we were their own children. They were so genuine and hardworking, I found myself amazed by them every day. And it wasn’t just our family who was like that; it was every person in the village. And don’t even get me started on my fellow volunteers.
The three people that I lived with during the volunteer experience were so great and I really enjoyed how close we got over such a short period of time. The rest of the group was awesome as well and I got to know many more of them during the adventure tour. My highlight of the whole trip was the adventure tour. To be able to rappel a waterfall, raft three and four class rapids, float down a river, zip line through the rainforest, enjoy hot springs and swim in two oceans and three rivers in one trip is just life changing. I’ve
never experienced anything like it, and it was wonderful.
Morning: In the mornings we would wake up early to begin our hike. Our gracious mama tica (host mom) would have breakfast ready for us. Breakfast ranged from pancakes and eggs to cereal and coffee. And every morning we would have a different fresh fruit. With good food to fuel us, we would meet our guide for the day and start out on the hike. The hiking was sometimes a bit difficult, but the sunrise, the rainforest, and the monkeys made it worth it every time. My team was helping collect data about the nutmeg trees in the area, so we would hike anywhere from two to five miles to the trees or traps that we needed to collect data from. Some mornings, we would observe what animals interacted with the trees and other days we would count the seeds that were caught in traps. Our guides taught us so much about the land and the culture during those walks, it was hard to walk away thinking that they were anything but fountains of knowledge.
Afternoon: We would often get back from our hike before it was time for lunch at noon, so we would cool off in the ocean. You usually went on the hikes in teams of 3-4 with a guide. So, when each team came back we would meet up at the beach. After some good ocean time,
we would have lunch with our families. Lunch was made up of rice and beans plus fresh vegetables and meat. After some free time to journal, nap, or kick the soccer ball around, we would meet up as a group again. In the afternoons we would work on a project for the village that we were staying with. In my case, we made eco-bricks out of their trash that could be used as building materials and we helped with a tree nursery.
Evening: Dinner was always fun. Every meal that we ate, we ate as a household. So, I would eat with three other people from the group for three square meals a day. At dinner, we would talk about the day’s events. There was a lot of laughter and with each meal, I felt more like an actual family with these people who I had only met a few days prior. Dinner would consist of rice, beans, meat, and some Costa Rican cookies and sometimes Oreos or ice cream! We would play card games, hang out with our host parents and their little baby boy, watch Will Smith movies on their tv, and enjoy a shower. Our host dad was a prankster, so he would always be pulling pranks that would entertain us and make us laugh. Most nights we would be in bed by eight in order to be rested for the early start the next morning. I would journal for a half hour every night to make sure that I didn’t forget any
part of the trip!