Realize Your Dream to Volunteer in Costa Rica

When a college friend approached me about an opportunity to volunteer abroad with uVolunteer in Costa Rica, I couldn't believe my luck!!!

I chose to volunteer for a week in San Ramon, Costa Rica at the local Community Center.

As a physical Education teacher from New Jersey, I was always curious to see other physical education programs in other parts of the world. .

I had backpacked through Europe the past two summers, and I was looking for something completely new this summer. I knew that visiting Costa Rica would be much different than visiting Europe.

The staff is very friendly and always makes you feel welcome and comfortable. I am glad the numbers of volunteers was relatively small. I felt that I was able to get to know everybody very well because of this.

The Construction Project was very labor intensive, but also very rewarding. There were no power tools on site and daily jobs usually consisted of painting, digging, hauling raw materials and mixing cement

For me, this trip was something I always said I was going to do "one day". So as a gift for myself on my 30th birthday, I decided "one day" had finally arrived. After extensive online research, I decided that the Construction Project in Costa Rica with uVolunteer had everything I was looking for. Since I had never travelled to Central America before and also have a very structured routine of shift work back in Canada, I knew adapting to the Tico lifestyle was going to be a challenge.

Upon my arrival in Costa Rica I was greeted at the airport by Nohelia, one of the uVolunteer staffers. In true Tica fashion, Nohelia greeted me excitedly with a big hug as if we were already old friends, and treated me that way for the duration of my stay. As I had chosen to travel during a very low season, my original choice of staying at the uVolunteer Dorm was not an option and I was instead placed in a home stay (a first, I am told). Although I was a little thrown by the change of plans, I decided to embrace the laid back attitude of my new home and accept the circumstance as a new opportunity. I am certainly glad I did. I was placed in the home of Dona Isabel, the dorm house mother, who has been housing volunteers for many years. Dona Isabel was very kind and welcoming, as were the many family members I met during my month long stay. She was also extremely patient with my (very poor) Spanish and always respectful of my personal space.

The Construction Project was very labour intensive, but also very rewarding. There were no power tools on site and daily jobs usually consisted of painting, digging, hauling raw materials and mixing cement. Although some days were exhausting, it is definitely within the scope of nearly anyone's physical abilities. The local workers on site are very kind and grateful for any help you are able to give. It was amazing to watch our little house grow before our very eyes! Ligia, my program co-ordinator, worked very closely with me while I was in Costa Rica. She would usually come one day a week to my work location to take pictures and help out with building. During our weekly meeting, she would always inquire about my project, my housing and how I was getting along with other volunteers. Also she would help me set up any travel plans I had for the weekend; suggesting accommodations, calling tour companies and often getting me a better price on excursions. The amount of help Ligia will extend to you is limited only by what you will ask of her. It was with this help that I was able to fill this adventure with lifelong memories.

Overall, this trip ended up looking completely different then my overly rigid personality tried to make it. Ultimately, it was exactly what I needed it to be and I can not imagine having done anything differently. And though Ticos are a notoriously kind people, Ligia, Nohelia and Dona Isabel still manage to stand out among them. I truly felt like a member of a family while I was here and I will miss this beautiful country and its beautiful people.

Pura Vida!

I am just finishing my 2 months in Costa Rica, with the U Volunteer program. This experience really has been amazing for me! Costa Rica is an amazing country with many places to see and explore! From the beaches to the volcano's to the beautiful backpackers it has been a wonderful trip!

I am just finishing my 2 months in Costa Rica, with the U Volunteer program. This experience really has been amazing for me! Costa Rica is an amazing country with many places to see and explore! From the beaches to the volcano's to the beautiful backpackers it has been a wonderful trip!

I started my volunteering in construction work; it was for 6 hours a day, 4 days a week. At the start I was doing a lot of digging and mixing of cement which was cool to see how they did everything by hand here, and two hands of help is a lot here!, As the two weeks of construction came to the end I was doing more noticeable jobs such as hammering the roof in, hammering through the brick wall for the electricity outlets (hard job haha) and many little jobs that were fun and different. It was really good to experience the construction in Costa Rica and an awesome feeling to know your helping someone in need! This is my biggest goal, to see I'm making a difference and know my time is appreciated!

On my third week I started working at San Miguel Elementary School. This is where I spend 6 weeks and had the most fun! At the school I taught english, cooked lunch every day for the kids, and of course played soccer (football). This was my highlight because I could really see, every day, with every job I was asked that I was really helping. They can't afford to hire people to do these jobs, but yet they are so simple and fun. I painted, I cleaned, I played, colored and much more and the kids were so happy every time I showed up in the morning, they all knew my name, greeted me and asked if I'm going to play football with them haha, it was an experience. The teachers and parent volunteer staff also really appreciated the work I did, in english class we would play games with the kids and the english teacher always said how I have to do that again with them because that's all they talk about and ask. It was what volunteering should be! Fun!

Of course this trip wouldn't be as good if I didn't go travelling! Every weekend I would get almost 2 full days of going to a beach or a tourist area to backpack and travel! My highlight! It surprising how many people are travelling, volunteering and backpacking just like me! I met so many people (more than once) and seen many places! I travelled to La Fortuna, Manuel Antonio, Puerto Veijo, and other small places around Costa Rica and it really made my trip!

I helped build a home near San Ramon. The scenery was great, the location is in the valley referred to as the land of eternal Spring. The local staff weren't all great with English, so there was a language barrier for me, however one of my goals there was to learn more Spanish. The organization seemed a bit lacking sometimes which could be frustrating, but it all worked out. As far as formal volunteer organizations go, it was a lot cheaper than most others, and I had a great host for my homestay. You have weekends to travel around the country, which is cheap by bus. I felt safe the whole time on the project.

uVolunteer program provided the most value for the cost. Their phone, email, and in country support was amazing. The staff cares so much about their projects, and their volunteers, I instantly felt like family. The dorms are incredible, and food was delicious. My program was very welcoming to me, and I even explored other programs while I was there. This is an organization founded by travelers, for travelers, and for those who love to help. I had am amazing time.