Having only a week to volunteer before my second semester started back up, I chose to do the holiday experience. We participated in beautification projects in some of the most underprivileged areas, worked and played with children in different orphanages and day cares, and visited a home for the elderly. It was a great way to get a taste of some of the programs that maximo provides. I thoroughly enjoyed my time spent on projects, and although my Spanish is limited, I feel that I really connected with some of the kids. It is quite humbling to see the real side of the country, and even more uplifting to get involved, experience it, and help first hand. I wish I had another week or two to spend with Maximo in Costa Rica. I developed friendships with other volunteers, was able to go on excursions and out at night, and developed a love for the country as well. Maximo Nivel was extremely accommodating, my homestay was very pleasant, and I felt safe yet able to explore the entire time. The staff at Maximo were incredibly enthusiastic (a quality that radiated to other volunteers) and made me look forward to getting started on my project every day.

After finishing a lesson, a mother of one of the students came up to me and the other teacher and gave us both big hugs and said thank you. On the last day of teaching, my students made us lunch and celebrated the progress they made throughout the two weeks. The semester of Spanish knowledge I have and would use to communicate just made people smile and say, "que linda" and help me work through the sentence. The people of Costa Rica are so kind and caring. The students I had the pleasure to work with value the time you put in and give it back to you by putting in lots of effort. The staff at Maximo Nivel were so supportive and amazing. They are so welcoming and they really care about the volunteers and the projects which they are affiliated with. Safety is important to them and they play an active role in your volunteer experience by accompanying you sometimes to the volunteer placement. They embody Pura Vida.

My experience in Costa Rica was amazing. I was here for two weeks and I volunteered at a special needs care project. This project was at Casa Esperanza and there are adults who live here who have great personalities. They all love playing BINGO and coloring but they also love your company and talking to you. I felt I made an impact on them but they made an even bigger impact on me. It is a fun project to do and a project I would recommend to anyone. You learn that even though they have special needs they are human just like us and they love company!

I am going to try my absolute best to formulate sentences about how unreal this experience was but i genuinley dont know if theres even words to describe it. Everything about this program from the maximo nivel staff, to my host family, to my placement and all of the friends i made on this trip, have been nothing shy of amazing. the maximo nivel staff was crazy inviting and is there for you for support in any situation. Im can to volunteer to make an impact and be part of a greater change but in all honesty, although don get me wrong i definitely am confident in the impact i made during my time here, i feel like i got just as much out of this program as i gave which is an amazing feeling. i would recommend this program to any single person whos intrested in traveling with a purpose. and if the language barrier is a concern, dont worry to much about it, i had 0 background in spanish whatsoever and had no problem, other than the slight inonvience, but was able to pick up many phrases and words fast. hope some of you get to experience this program, it truly is unreal.

I came to Costa Rica to volunteer in the childcare program through IVHQ and Maximo Nivel. I cannot begin to explain how amazing this experience was. My friend and I were placed in a daycare center with children ages 0 to 8. The staff and children were incredible, they greeted us every day with smiles and could not wait to play. They definitely made saying good bye extremely difficult. No matter how much time and attention you gave to them, the rewarding feeling they gave back was impossible to be matched. The program set up the living arrangements which were with a host family, this allowed me to completely submerge myself in the culture, it was definitely a culture shock for me at first, but after the first day I was in the swing of things and would not have traded the experience for anything.

This program was incredible. Each day we did something new, including painting classrooms, throwing a holiday party for children, and working in an elderly care home. The staff at Máximo Nivél were supportive, organized, and genuinely thrilled to be working on the volunteer projects. They spread joy and made the experience amazing. Moreover, San Jose is a great city. The people are friendly and welcoming, and I personally never felt endangered during my time there. Staying with host family was also a great experience. I was able to learn what daily life in Costa Rica was like, and I developed a great relationship with my host parents. I would highly recommend this program to anybody interested. This program has opened my eyes up to a life full of volunteering and traveling, especially in Latin America.

I have had a really good time here at Maximo Nivel these past two weeks. The first week I did the Holiday Experience which consisted of different projects each day. All the AM volunteers gathered in a shuttle and we went to different parts of Costa Rica, poor sides or slums, and we painted a mural, had a party for the kids with different activities, and spent a day doing different stations of activities. The following week I was placed at an orphanage where my main job was to play, entertain, and show affection to a group of about 8 kids. One other volunteer from Maximo Nivel was placed with me. This is a very hands on job, they take you the first day so you know how to get around and then you do the rest. At Maximo Nivel they have a closet that volunteers can take from to do different activities. Mind you, supplies are very limited and there is a great need to be creative and think outside the box. At the orphanage the kids were very enthusiastic and grateful to do anything. Another thing, be mindful that these children only speak spanish and if you don't there may be a bit of a language barrier that will enable you from connecting with them.
During your week stay you will be with a host family. I have had an absolutely amazing experience with my host mom, Marita, she has been very accomodating with my vegan diet and very pleasant to stay with. I shared a room with another volunteer who joined me from the states, however, other volunteers were placed in rooms with people they may have not known prior to arriving. If you feel uncomfortable with your belongings, I would suggest bringing a lock for your suitcase. Your host mom will make you breakfast and dinner. Breakfast usually will consist of toast and cut up fruit, if you're lucky, maybe eggs, empanadas, gallo pinto, or quesadillas. At my home dinner was always delicious, typical meal is a meat, rice, and beans. She also made soup on two separate occasions. The only negative thing I have to say about my house visit is that I had to take ice bucket cold showers. Literally, I would wet the wash cloth and wash the important parts.
As for Maximo Nivel, I would suggest doing all the activities they offer because they are all free and fun to do. Also, it gives you something to do since there is not much to do around San Jose, well at least not enough to do for a two week stay. Another word of advice, you WILL have a lot of free time. Your project will only last about 3-4 hours every day. Had I known this ahead of time, I would have maybe chosen a different program and budgeted more money.
My final thing, budget more money than expected. I came to Costa Rica with the impression that things were going to be a lot cheaper. I'm from California and everything is about the same price! Also, if you plan on doing any leisure activities such as the beach or volcanos, budget for transportation and a hotel/hostel. You will need to stay the night or at least want to stay the night because all these places are about a 3-4 hour drive from San Jose. I stayed at Selina hostel in La Fortuna the weekend I went to explore and it was an amazing experience. Shop around and look for tours around whatever area you choose to stay in. Booking through M&J travels is really costly and you can bargain for better deals in person (don't book online either).

Have fun and be adventurous, make the most of your stay and be mindful that you are in a developing country. Don't be a spoiled brat and be thankful for what is provided to you.
If you need help wit anything, the staff at Maximo Nivel is amazing and there to help or to just talk to. Tati, Dan, Emmy, and Steve are great people and I hope you love them as much as I did.

The two weeks that i have been volunteering in Costa rica with Maximo Nivel have been a gret experience. The first week that that we were here we did a program called the "holiday experience". During that time we visited daycares, where we were able to paint murals and play with children, threw parties for young children who are less fortunate in the slums, and spent time with elderly people. During the weekend, we had free time to do as we pleased, so i decided to travel to La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano and check out more of this beautiful country. The second week of my stay I worked on a project at a nearby orphanage caring for aprozimatly 8 children between the ages of 0 though 7 years of age. The children love to play, dance, and simply be held, as they dont generally recieve that love and attention for anyone. While here, i was able to stay with a wonderful host family with a couple of other volunteers as well. My host "mom" is such a wonderful woman, and her children are also part of the Maximo staff. Being that i am vegan, she gladly accomodated and cooked all of my breakfasts and dinners vegan, we were to provide lunchs for our selves. At Maximo Nivel during the evenings, there are days where they host activities such as free cooking classes.. YUM! and also free salsa classes. The activities here were a lot of fun and helped me to meet new friends from around the world, as we were all here for the same reason we were all able to connect in some way. The only thing i wish was different within the programs were the lentgh of time that we worked during the day. My hours with the children were between 9am to 12pm. Although i did love having so much free time to explore the country and be on my own without work, I would have loved to have been able to spend more time with the children or been put at two programs at once, one in the morning and one in the evening to make me feel that i was making even more of an impact in the community. I know that those children cherished the time and the attention that we were able to give to them, although short. Would i do it again.. OF COURSE I WOULD. The staff at Maximo are people, and now friends that i will never forget.