Costa Rica 2-Week

Our experience begins in the San Jose Central Valley area B&B, where students get to know one another and establish goals for the weeks ahead. Here we will learn more about Costa Rica, take a Latin dance class, and loosen our muscles with an overnight rafting trip on one of the many spectacularly scenic rivers. We will also participate in some informal Spanish games and lessons, so please come with a desire to use your Spanish!

After orientation, we head off for our community service projects in the rural mountainous interior of the country. While staying in a paired homestay (two students per home), we will work on projects chosen by the community itself.  Participants can choose between small construction and/or educational projects each day.  Typical small construction projects include: pouring the foundation for a community center, planting organic school gardens, painting and tiling a community kitchen, constructing a plant nursery, completing a sidewalk around the town square.  Educational projects include teaching English lessons and organizing and leading a "Día de Actividades" – an event for the community that includes field day competitions, art workshops, music, games and more!  Inevitably "los niños" become an integral members of our group! In the afternoons and evenings, we will join in the daily lives of community members as we play soccer games, prepare special dinners, participate in a traditional game and dance night, or take short excursions.

Time to hit the beach! We depart from our homestay community, promising to stay in touch with our new families and friends. We travel to the Pacific Coast, famous for its unique combination of rainforest and ocean settings. We spend a day boogieboarding, enjoying zip-line canopy tours, and viewing wildlife. For two days we challenge ourselves with surf lessons taught by professional instructors. The wave conditions on this beach provide the perfect opportunity for all levels to hang ten!

Leaving paradise is always sad, but our trip back to the Central Valley gives us time to share our memories before we fly home. At a celebratory dinner in a nice restaurant we have an 'awards ceremony' to reflect upon our time together. We realize that Costa Rica and the friends we have made will always be with us.