Costa Rica Summer Program

This program and experience was a "10". The program was run very professional, Cara Abel and Paul George ran a perfect program from my viewpoint.

The program itself had a lot of challenges and rewards. Challenges included: heat and humidity, myself not understanding what was going on in certain circumstances, and initially, bug bites.

The rewards far surpassed the challenges. These included seeing a new country and its people, making friends and relationships (I mailed a package of supplies, cards and pictures to a subsequent volunteer), and learning more about myself.

I could what formally could have been called hardships, are "nothing". The simple food I ate was excellent; I lost over 10 lbs of fat and felt great. The roosters crowing at 3 or 4 am did not detract from my energy. Any loss of sleep was not noticed nor considered an irritant; it was amazing! Cold showers in a hot climate aren't that bad.

The people you meet are wonderful. They will teach you as much as you teach them. You will be introduced to new animals, you will see how people make a living in a different country. On some weekends you can go into town and explore.

Bottom line: you will most likely be challenged (but not too much, just go with the flow), you will bring back memories and have learned so much you most likely will consider it an adventure of a lifetime.