Outward Bound Costa Rica

Cacique [kəˈsēk]: a native chief or local political boss.
I will never forget waking up that morning in a sweat, knowing everyone was going to depend on me. The day my outlook on life changed forever. The day I was cacique.
There were fifteen roles for each of the fifteen girls on the trip to Latin America with me, varying from a cleaner to cacique. Cacique was the job every girl dreaded. Each of the fifteen girls had to be on task and punctual at all times, and if they were not, cacique was to blame. Cacique made the decisions for the whole group, and by the end of day, was the one girl everyone was sick and tired of.
I used to think of myself as the opposite of a leader. I believed I had good ideas, but I always kept them to myself to avoid any external conflict or confrontation. Being cacique for a day forced me to step out of my shell and make decisions for not only myself, but for girls that I cared for like family.
Although I had dreaded being cacique for days, once I asserted myself, my confidence grew. I voiced my once silent opinions and genuinely made a difference in the efficiency of our group. I realized that being a leader is not about silencing others, but rather representing them and being a role model for peers.

We went on a 9 day trip to Costa Rica with our Girl Scout Troop through the organization Outward Bound and it was outstanding in every way. We enjoyed spectacular views, exotic and delicious food and the company of friendly knowledgeable staff. As someone who has visited outside the US, I could not think of a better way to go. We enjoyed beautiful beaches, repelled down a waterfall and saw sea turtles lay eggs in the sand. We saw so much of the country with our local guides.
I felt that out trip was unique and outstanding because it was so intimate. Our troop got to meet and spend time with local families living in the Costa Rican rain forest. Our Troop was very fortunate to get to go on such an amazing adventure. I would highly recommend the trip.

I really loved this trip and it challenged me a lot. It helped me realize that I have a strong passion for the environment. I loved all of the other girls and my instructors as well. We all had a lot in common and almost always got along well. We did many interesting things like zip lining, SCUBA diving, cave tours, and more but I never felt rushed. The trip was focused on living in the moment and creating memories. My favorite part of the trip was releasing sea turtle hatchlings at San San Pond Sak. Turtles have been my favorite animals almost all of my life and releasing hatchlings has been a life goal of mine since elementary school. Scuba Sea Turtle Adventure and Outward Bound provided me with and opportunity to achieve some of my life goals.

Outward Bound Costa Rica exceeded every expectation I had for my 85 day Coast to Coast semester course. The program allowed us to experience the traditional culture of 3 different countries in Central America as well as teaching us everything we needed to know to get started with a career in the outdoor education industry. We got to experience many different activities from community service projects, to whitewater rafting, backpacking, surfing, scuba diving and more. This course was built for anyone who loves adventure and wants to push themselves both physically and mentally to become a better person and a better leader. I couldn't recommend this company or their instructors enough, I wish everyone could experience OBCR!

It’s sort of hard to rate the “housing” of a program like a semester Outward Bound course when it ranges from on the ground under the stars to under a tarp, to in shelters, to on the floor of homestay families’ homes, to small wooden bunk beds, but if you can sleep almost anywhere in all kinds of weather, it’s so fun to explore the country this way! The hike from coast to coast is one of my favorite months of my life. It was challenging but so so beautiful. SCUBA diving in Panama was truly magnificent, and sleeping on the dock overlooking the diving grounds is quite pleasurable. More rewarding challenges abound in the rafting and kayaking phases, and I’m also terrible at surfing, so that was difficult. But it’s wild to be in such close quarters with a group for 3 months, working together to achieve incredible goals and complete daily chores. Costa Rica is such a fantastic country. Great program.