International Student Volunteers changed my life

It is very difficult to pick just one moment from my trip because this experience was truly a dream. I had the opportunity to push myself physically and mentally which allowed me to progress as an overall person in my journey through life which I am so thankful for. After the first 2 weeks of the volunteer program was over, we continued on to the adventure tour where we explored Costa Rica and all it has to offer. The first few days of the adventure really stuck out to me because of the fact that we jumped right into a 3 day white water rafting trip, which i had never done before. With our guides being members of the Brazilian rafting team, the leadership was very strong. However, they didn't speak very much english. This, although it was an obstacle, forced us to really come together as a team and communicate with each other during all times since we were riding through class III and IV rapids; pretty intense! The rain started to come down pretty hard about half way through the trip on the first day. Since our lodge was only accessible by raft due to the fact that it was built into the side of the mountain in the middle of the rainforest on the Pacuare River, we had to persevere and continue on until we reached our final destination. Once we arrived, my team and I climbed 850 steps through the jungle to the top of the mountain where we found infinite pastures that presented such immense depth of the forest, I was at a loss for words. The views that met my eyes were absolutely breathtaking, i can assure you they will forever be ingrained in my mind. Not to mention, on the third day the guides allowed us to jump out of the rafts to swim down a safe portion of the river. The water was aqua blue and very refreshing. These 3 days of white water rafting taught me how important team work was and showed me how beautiful the land of Costa Rica truly is.