ISV - Volunteer Projects in Costa Rica

Hello,

Seriously, it would take me 2 days to write all the emotions and experiences i had on this trip. So i am just gonna say in simple words.
Take the trip! I went there for a month (including the adventure tour) and believe me i had a post isv depression when i arrived back to Greece. Nothing would excite me as much as the trip itself in Costa Rica. I loved it man. Believe me i have stories to tell... ts. ts.. Its for everyone out there, for every type of person. I myself i am a bit of an adrenaline junkie, but the programme suits everyone. Do it and you wont regret, you ll have a lot of summer vacations where you live.
Be different and make the difference. I guarantee you, you will not regret it and I am talking about everything right here. The whole group was about 90 people with 65 females and 25 males more or less. I ll say no more. Take the trip and dnt be weak. True Story bro

This program was amazing. I'm not even exaggerating. You might think I am, but I'm not. I'll start at the beginning.

ISV Reps came to my university (University of Prince Edward Island), and I made my decision right then and there, I was going to Costa Rica. I signed up in like October, and was only leaving in July... So I had to be patient. But, time flew by, and before I knew it, we were on our way to la Pura Vida! As soon as we landed I felt safe, and welcomed. There were lots of other ISV participants landing at the same time, and ISV staff in the airport just waiting to meet you. We got on the bus, and heading to our hostel (which wasn't really a hostel at all, more like an awesome ISV B&B). We had orientation, met all of our group, and were off to our volunteer destination the next day. Those 2 weeks were some of the best weeks of my life.

I never expected to get so close with my volunteer group. There were 12-14 of us, no electricity, no TV, no internet. So when we weren't working we had nothing else to do but to talk to each other. It felt so good to do that again. Our group was placed in San San Pond Sak in Panama, on a Sea Turtle Conservation project. I felt completely safe during our entire stay. The staff & project coordinators were amazing, so welcoming. They showed us their culture, and we helped with whatever they wanted us to help with.

Our volunteer tasks ranged from helping them build a dock, to doing work with the sea turtles (my favorite part). We help with night patrols: patrolling the beach at night, hoping to find a turtle laying her eggs on the beach. If we did find one, we'd collect her eggs and bring them to the hatchery to protect them from poachers & wildlife.

Food. The food was different, but in a good way. Although I'd be lying if I said my first piece of pizza afterwards wasn't heaven.. And I'll never eat plantains again, ever. But overall, it was good.

We got to go into town during our volunteer weeks too, which was great. Got to call our parents, use the internet, etc.

Now, for the adventure tour. It was AMAZING. Once you're done your 2 weeks of volunteer, you go on a cross-country tour of 2 weeks doing AMAZING things. We went white-water rafting for 3 days, we went zip-lining, saw SO many things - stayed in these swank eco-friendly hotels. I can't even explain it. You just gotta do it.

Bottom line - if you want to travel, and experience a country for what it REALLY is, not just its tourist locations, do an ISV program. You won't regret it.

Costa Rica is truly a beautiful and happy place. I loved every moment of my ISV trip. I don't know of any other program that so perfectly combines volunteer opportunities and adventure.
I participated in Sea Turtle conservation in Ostional. The place was small, but wonderful. The thing you learn quickly in Costa Rica is that things are wet. And waterproof things in America might well be waterproof in America, but NOT in Costa Rica. The only issue I had was discovering my foulie wasn't entirely water resistant, but then again, is anything when introduced to Costa Rica rain?
Also, it's important to like rice and beans, and maybe tortilla! With a delicious fruit drink.
Honestly, I loved the food, I loved being outside, even the rain. The ISV staff were very knowledgable of all things Costa Rica and always there to help. If you are looking to Volunteer abroad, do it with ISV and seriously consider Costa Rica. Pura Vida!

Absolutely worth every penny. If you have a chance to go with ISV take it! I made life long friends, while doing my part in helping the world. I did sea turtle conservation in San San Pond Sak. The staff there was awesome including our project leader. We released over 400 hundred baby turtles and collected lots of eggs! Wonderful if you love working with animals.
Seriously worth any amount of time and money it took to get there. Best experience of my life!

The things I experienced on this trip were once in a lifetime. I would not change any part of it and I highly, highly recommend it. I spent a total of five weeks in Costa Rica. The first week I spent in Heredia for a Spanish Immersion week. The next two weeks I spent volunteering and impacting a small town called Altamira. The last two weeks, we traveled the country doing extreme activities, such as ziplining, cliff rappelling, horseback riding, white water rafting, etc. My favorite part of this experience was interacting with a different type of people and a different culture. The people in Costa Rica, the ones I lived with and the ones I met, were some of the nicest, most caring people I have ever known. The two families that I stayed with will be my family for life. I still talk to them today via Facebook and I hope to be able to visit them again in the future. I went into this trip questioning my major and my life path and it changed me completely. I went into this trip as a Criminal Forensics major. I came out as a Criminal Forensics major. The change is in how I live my life. I realized that I just want to be happy and be surrounded by the people that I love. People in Costa Rica value family more than they value social status and money. They don't work overtime and they eat dinner together every night. They're happy with what they have and now I am happy with what I have. ISV made this experience even better. It really is an all-inclusive trip. It included volunteering and helping people, having fun and meeting people, learning a new culture, and doing some extreme activities that would not have been possible otherwise. The other people who went on this trip with ISV and the things I learned during my time in Costa Rica will be with me for the rest of my life.

PURA VIDA!

Could you ever imagine packing up a luggage, boarding a plane, and heading off on an adventure to a completely new country?! And on your own?! It took be by surprise, but signing up with ISV gave me the experience of a lifetime that I could have never forseen coming in my future back when I just started college! I traveled to Costa Rica and lived in a small beautiful community in the mountains. I stayed with a host family for two weeks. I can still smell the morning coffee and taste the fresh mango and the beans! Oh how I loved those beans! It was so hard leaving them, my host mom and I cried the day I boarded that bus to be on my way to the adventure tour. The adventure tour! Surfing the crystal blue waves, zip lining through the forest. The most exilerating experience of my life! The people I met on this trip have affected me in a way my parents can not even imagine! I have best friends in Scotland, Ireland, and England now! As well as the U.S. ofcoarse! This trip made me grow as a person and has given me confidence. I know that I am going places in my life and I can change the world. I recommend this trip to any and all! Through donations I payed for half of this trip, and almost all the donations were given to me from people who I would never have expected to donate! Give it a try, and take a chance. You will not regret it!

Traveling to Costa Rica with ISV was one of the most influential experiences in my life. Working hands-on with sea turtles for two weeks was a once in a life-time adventure, and living in a remote station in Nancite was incredible. Waking up to howler monkeys, trekking through a forest of crabs on the way to the ocean, and sharing my lunch with an iguana were just a few of my daily living occurrences. The staff, biologist, and ISV project leader were fantastic, giving us 9 student volunteers an amazing experience. By making friends, learning bad Spanish, and spending our days playing beach volleyball, swimming in near-10foot waves, and scouting for crocodiles, this trip would be nothing without the knowledge and experience of the local staff. I would recommend this adventure of a life time to anyone!! I LOVE ISV!!!!

Traveling with ISV is truly an experience. From the time I submitted my application I was SO EXCITED! You can go more places besides Costa Rica and do conservation (working with the wildlife) or community (working with the people) projects. I chose conservation and did spotted dolphin/poison dart frog research. My project group was lucky to have been in a place with the rainforest on one side and the ocean on the other (so beautiful!). A week before my project I participated in the Spanish Lessons and stayed with a host family. They were so amazing--they made me feel like a part of the family and were friendly and welcoming--and I plan to go back in the future to visit them. On our adventure tour we had native Costa Rican guides to take us around and do the different activities with. They were some of the most amazing people I'd ever met and made you feel completely safe. We went white water rafting, zip lining in the canopies of trees, and much more! The accommodations from the Spanish Lessons and my project were amazing but on the adventure tour you feel like a queen/king--everything is decked out. We had a hot tub in our floor in the one place! Everything was also extremely safe. There was always someone checking in on us whether it was our Host Mom, our project leader, or our tour guide. I ended up getting two ear infections while I was there (one in each ear--I get them often) and there were people in the California office checking on me (in a different country!) and my project leader took me to a hospital to get medicine (it was truly a Costa Rican experience, by the way, because I got to see how actual Costa Ricans live). Overall, it was a great experience. It's not a vacation program because you're there to volunteer but you do have a lot of fun--even if there are conflicts with other volunteers or whatever (sometimes the ones who do think it's a vacation cause problems). Aside from the conflicts, you will make a bunch of friends and keep in contact with them--it's hard not to, you meet a lot of great people from all over the world and can even use them as a resource in future travels! ISV looks out for the volunteers, offers many resources to help, and has offices in each country they have programs in so it's really great. I loved the experience so much that I became a Student Rep, referred a bunch of friends (to do it!), and am planning to travel again ASAP! :)