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Today started out as a bit of a disappointment when we learned that the Corcovado National Park had been closed and that we would not be able to go on our tour due to some weather that would be hitting Northern Costa Rica in the afternoon. We were informed by our instructors that we had…
The day started out on a sad note. We were leaving Rancho Quemado and had to say goodbye to Alice, Glenda, Hope, and more of the amazing people who had taken care of us over the past week or so. I didn’t realize how much we had bonded until it was time to say goodbye….
We began the day at 6:30am and headed down for breakfast at 7am. We enjoyed pineapple and mango, as well as cheese omelets for breakfast. After breakfast, we headed to the playground to complete our paintings in the outdoor classroom. Although we all got a bit messy, all of the designs ended so beautifully and…
Day 9 Today we started the day early in the morning at 5:45 for our first agenda item for the day, the cow farm tour. There we got to see how to and got a chance at milking cows, afterwards we went to try some milk, sour cream, and cheese that was constructed from the…
Day 8 We started the day off with a breakfast of bread, fresh fruit, and huevos rancheros. After finishing breakfast we finished up painting the starting layer of white paint on the library. It was pretty satisfying to finally finish the painting after the many hours that we spent on it. After we finished painting,…
The field reports: Long day Service in the morning; Learning from a gold miner turned conservationist in the afternoon Night hike, led by volunteer community members, formerly hunters, now conservationists. The crew is worn out!
Today we started our day with a delicious breakfast consisting of Gallo Pinto, plantains, eggs, mango and pineapple, coffee, and hot chocolate made with organic cacao. After that we jumped on a bus and headed about 45 minutes to our Sloth, or Perica, tour! We arrived at a beautiful garden, called Perica, and met the…
Day 6: Sugar Mill Tour and Tails with the Elders Emmet Johnston We started the day off with a great breakfast consisting of corn pancakes with cheese, sausage to put on it, fruit, rice, and beans. After we finished breakfast we walked over to a sugar cane farm where we were greeted with sugar cane…
The day began with warm pancakes and fresh fruit from the local farms. After breakfast, the group split into six and six and we decided who would be horseback riding first. I was in the second group so I started my day with playing Uno, Texas Hold’ em with pebbles as chips. These intense games…
We started the day with a hearty breakfast of rice, beans, and bread. Then we walked about twenty minutes to a trail that took us into the jungle where we had quite the adventure. In the rainforest, we saw multiple toucans and capuchin monkeys. We found out about a multitude of trees and plants. We…
Today was day 3 of our trip and the first real day in Rancho Quemado. We started the day by waking up and having breakfast, in which the staff gave us the most amazing cheese empanadas, rice/beans, and fruit. We then visited a community member’s farm just off his property. He showed us all the…
The last 2 days have consisted mostly of meeting the group and traveling to Rancho Quemado. We got off the plane to Miami and were greeted by Lynsie, Lenore, and other group members. In the weeks before the trip, I was nervous about getting along with the group, but as soon as we sat down,…
After a beautiful drive from San Jose, the group arrived at our NGO partner this evening. They were greeted with a welcome ceremony and enjoyed their first meal with our hosts. After a long day of travel, they are off to bed to rest for an early start tomorrow.
Arrived safely and even met Bill Cotter, who arrived from course instructor training and will be joining the group on tomorrow’s journey toward Rancho Quemado (Bill lives in a small town halfway to the site).
The travel journal will be the place for students to share their experiences while traveling. Once the students are on-site, they are asked to post reflections, observations, pictures, stories, poems, and more. Our whole community appreciates the opportunity to be part of the group’s adventure, and as the course comes to an end, each group…