Westside School Costa Rica 2025
June 20, 2025
On our first full day in Costa Rica, we woke and ate some delicious breakfast and celebrated Vanessa’ birthday at the Hotel. Then we drove three hours and saw beautiful views of the mountains on the drive. We arrived at Casa Crisley and started to explore the amazing farm. We made mozzarella cheese with Crisley, Patricia and Dominga. We went on a nature walk where we saw many fruit trees and enjoyed the delicious Carambola fruit, and we saw a Sloth with her baby along with a pig giving birth to ten baby pigs. We held roosters and at the end of the day some of us and our cabin mates indulged in swimming in the pool (which was very cool and nice after the long humid day). We finished the day with eating delicious rice and salad that had everyone going back for seconds. As we’re winding down for bedtime, we’re excited for what adventures tomorrow holds with the local school and community!
By Cormac, Cruz, and Scarlett
June 21, 2025
On our third day we woke up and had the typical Costa Rican breakfast “Gallo Pinto”. After breakfast we drove in buses to the construction site to start our community service work. When we arrived, we met Mario and Jose members of the community that we were working with. The work consisted of mostly shoveling rocks and dirt into wheelbarrows to make a floor for a kitchen. After we were done working, we got some authentic Costa Rican food cooked for us by the locals and tried a traditional desert “Cajeta de coco” which was amazing. Shortly after we went on to the next activity which was an animal rehabilitation center “Proyecto Asis” and met the charismatic Carlos who was our guide. In the center we learned about the rescued animals of Costa Rica and saw monkeys, wild pigs, turtles and all types of exotic birds. After meeting all the animals, we went into food prep for the monkeys. Then after our activities for the day we got to have chill time around the place we’re staying before dinner, and dinner was Enyucado Frito. We are excited for tomorrow for the zip line and hot springs.
By Sage, Dorothy, and Gavin
June 22, 2025
We started off the day with pancakes, bananas and cereal. After breakfast we got into the busses and started the long drive through La Fortuna to the Sky Adventures zipline center. Once we got our harnesses on, we got into the gondola and rode up to the main platform. Before we continued to the first platform, we got to see an amazing view of Volcano Arenal. At first it was a little scary being that high up, but by the first few sections everyone started to really enjoy themselves. Once everyone had finished, we got back into the busses and headed to the hot springs for lunch. Most people would agree that this was one of the best meals so far on the trip. As we ate our lunches of beef sandwiches and chicken burgers the rain was pouring down harder than it ever has rained in Seattle. Due to the intense rain we have to wait for a few until the rain calm down, however the restaurant had a pool that was using the hot spring water. When we had all dried off, we headed to a souvenir shop near La Fortuna where we spent some time picking out gifts for ourselves and our families. We then back to the farm and had very tasty spaghetti. Before getting ready for bed, we had a karaoke/ Just Dance party. After that we got ready for bed to have good night’s rest for tomorrow’s community service.
By Claire and Avi
June 23, 2025
Today was our fifth day in Costa Rica. Waking up bright and early, it was a slow morning, but we had a great meal to look forward too, “Empanadas” and Pineapple Juice. We headed to El Invu at 8:00 am to continue our work at the community center. After a hard-working morning, we could all see the progress, we had made since the start of the first day. The community members then gave our group a delicious meal of Olla De Carne. After a long day of work, we then took a short drive to Two Little Monkeys, a chocolate farm, where we got to try cacao fruit, roasted cacao and different types of hot chocolate. We then had the opportunity to make our own chocolate in small groups. While we waited for the chocolate to freeze, we tried a sugar cane beverage and raw sugar cane before taking a walk around the grounds where we were taught how cacao and sugar cane was farmed, along with seeing multiple sloths.
After buying some freshly made chocolate (don’t worry there were some purchases for family members), ee took the trip back to Crisley Farm where we enjoyed some much-needed down time. At 6:00 the group met in the eating area for a check-in before dinner. For dinner we had chicken, mashed potatoes and vegetables. After dinner we watched a dance performance and some of the kids even got to join the dancers. Then everybody spread out for some social time before going to their rooms at 9:00. We are so excited to wrap up our last day of community service!
By Jesse, Rose, and Isaiah
June 24, 2025
Today we woke up and packed our bags for the day. What we ate for breakfast was eggs, beans, rice, and cheese. Then we drove to the community, and we worked from 8am to 12pm. We got a lot of work done today, which was leveling the ground by carrying and shoveling rocks. Then we ate lunch, for lunch we had rice, beans, carnitas, salad, and bananas. After that, we walked over to a little convenience store and Jorge bought us frozen treats and some of us bought ourselves snacks. Once we bought our snacks, we sat near a field where we played a few games like the sack race and the tied together race game. Later in the day we walked over to the school where children were playing everywhere, and we challenged them to a game of soccer. About 2 hours later it started to rain and when it did, we had to head back to the buses, and we drove back to the place we were staying where we got phone time and all hung out and talked for a while. About an hour later we ate dinner, and we had fruit, rice, black refried beans and salad. We are so excited to see what waits for us tomorrow!
By Gabe, Jackeline, Oliver M.
June 25, 2025
Today we started with some delicious pancakes, banana, and syrup. Then we said goodbye to the community of Crisley Farm and hopped on the bus to Poco-sol. We listened to music on the car rides and bonded with each other. Once we arrived, we went on a nature walk in the jungle. We saw many creatures including a “Puma”- just kidding. For lunch we had some soup and rice and salad. Then, we learned in a classroom with a ranger about the story of Poco-sol and what they do. After that, we took a short break and walked down to the lake to enjoy the beautiful view. Then, we had some free time where it was super rainy before we jumped into salsa lessons taught by Randall. Then came the amazing fish and chips and mango juice that was served for dinner. Then we had some more free time and bonded with classmates and the bugs before going to bed. We are excited for the community service tomorrow at Poco-sol.
By Tiger, Eva, Mia
June 26, 2025
My friends and I woke up to a breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, toast and jam, and yogurt and granola, which fueled us for the long day that was to come. After we ate, we began to prepare to leave and go for a hike. On this hike we did community service by clearing out areas of dirt so the water from the rain could flow down and not clog up the forest floors. After our 3-hour hike, we enjoyed a lunch where Isaiah’s birthday cake came out. Which was decorated with 4s (his favorite number) And baseballs (his favorite sport). After lunch we took a rest time then got back to community service. Clearing out dirt so the rain doesn’t flood our newfound home. We finished off the day with much rest time and enjoyed the beautiful rain at the balcony. And we ate a delicious dinner of pasta and meat. Which was one of our favorite meals we have had here. As the day is winding down, we are all planning to get a good night’s sleep for the long day tomorrow.
By Scarlett, Cruz, Cormac
