Costa Rica: Epic Service Adventure
June 28, 2025
What’s up parents! Yesterday night we finally arrived in the beautiful country of Costa Rica after a long day of traveling. We got one last opportunity to say goodbye to you guys before turning our phones in and embarking on our journey. We were all tired but excited to begin getting to know each other as we arrived at the beautiful villa with a steaming hot jacuzzi and swimming pool. We enjoyed eating some pizza and getting to meet each other before going to sleep to get some well deserved rest and prepare for the day ahead.
This morning we began our day when we got out of our beds feeling rejuvenated and well rested. We ate gallo pinto, a traditional Costa Rican breakfast comprised of rice and beans, while also enjoying some eggs, and fruit. Before leaving for our first group activity, in which we explored a coffee plantation, we took some time to discuss the characteristics of a group that we believe to be most important. We did this to set the tone for the trip and to provide general expectations for one another. The coffee plantation tour was amazing and gave us meaningful insights into the agricultural lifestyle and the related social economic dynamics. After the tour we got to explore the butterfly house and eat a delicious meal with s nice view over the finca (farm). We came back to the hotel and enjoyed some downtime together by relaxing in the hot tub and playing some hide and seek. Tonight we enjoyed some carne and pollo for dinner. We’re all looking forward to an exciting day tomorrow with white water rafting despite the ridiculously early morning wake up call. Just kidding 6am isn’t too too bad. Hasta Luego!
By Zach & Lewis
June 29, 2025
What’s up parents! This morning, we woke up at 5:20 (sharp!) to head out on the exciting rafting adventure on the Rio Pacuare. Then we had a long journey on the bus with some naps, music, and amazing views which came to an end with a delicious tico breakfast. We packed ourselves into the jeep for the final intrepid stretch to the shore of the river. Unfortunately, Toby still couldn’t find his water bottle! Then, it was finally time to embark on our treacherous rafting mission. After we bravely faced rapids of classes 2 and 3, we were welcomed by a cozy campsite surrounded my mountains “tickled” by the rain. We spent a relaxing afternoon playing cards and having meaningful conversations about the history of indigenous people in Costa Rica and their connection to biodiversity conservation, gentrification driven by tourism, and our role as conscious viajeros. Eventually, Robbie came over to us looking very calm, cool, and collected to inform us that a rainbow boa had slithered by. Good thing those aren’t poisonous! After dinner with local fresh food, we gathered for an appreciation circle where we acknowledged each other for acts of kindness and celebrated the beautiful nature around us. Finally, we settled into our tents, falling asleep to the sounds of falling rain, cicadas, and the rushing water of the Pacuare. Pura Vida!!
By Layla y Judith
June 30, 2025
Pura Vida Padres! This morning, we awoke in our tents around 7 in the morning, prepared for the eventful day ahead. We began our day with yoga and meditation along with a scenic view of the clouds intertwined among the mountains. After a delicious breakfast of pancakes and eggs, we embarked on the river again. Compared to today, yesterday was a cup of tea. Today, we braved rapids of class 4, and surprisingly, no one fell in! We also lounged down a scenic canyon drifting along a lazy river section, but our relaxing was “rapidly” interrupted by a game of pirates, which resulted with most of us in the water. Eventually, we made it back to base camp, took a rewarding shower, and had an amazing buffet-style lunch. Qué rico! More importantly, Toby found his water bottle! On our bus ride to our next location, after hours of chatting, we all took well deserved power naps. Upon arrival at our rainforest-embedded hotel, we took a dip in the hot (lukewarm) springs. We enjoyed games and dinner together to wind down for the night. Hasta mañana!
By Sadie and Sam
July 1, 2025
Hola Parents! This morning we woke up and were immediately greeted by some classic tica rain. We made our way to breakfast around 8, even though some people opted for a delayed wake up and came around 8:30. But we managed to survive. After breakfast we played some games as a group and enjoyed some downtime at our wonderful hotel. We then packed our bags and made our way to lunch where we experienced a classic Costa Rican meal called Casado and met a very friendly dog. After lunch we embarked on our bus to our first service site at the ecological field station at the Bosque Eterno de los Niños. The bus ride took us up in the mountains and through the beautiful cloud forest, and we even saw an anteater along the way. We then settled in at the lodge, had meaningful conversations with one another, and spent some overall quality time as a group. We are all super excited to start our service work in the amazing cloud forest tomorrow!
Hasta Luego,
By Toby and Logan
July 2, 2025
Hello parents and guardians. Greetings from Global Works in STEM (shoveling, teamwork, effort, makeadifference). Today was our first full day at the field station located in the cloud forest in Pocosol. We woke up at the ripe hour of 7 AM to a succulent breakfast of waffles, eggs, and assorted fruits. We then attended a very insightful presentation about the ecosystem around us, discussing its relevance and related challenges. We then rolled up our sleeves, put on our boots, and got ready for (volunteer) manual labor. Our labor included heading to a lagoon, and collecting sand from the lagoon beach to pave the forest trails, preventing any slippery slope shenanigans in the mud. We worked for around three hours, had an energizing lunch, and headed back to the lagoon with the added “benefit” of a substantial amount of rain. After putting in six total hours of work, we headed back to the field station to take some well deserved showers, and a well deserved break. We closed up our day by surprising Robbie with a birthday cake and a card (it was his birthday today) (that’s why we got him a birthday cake) (that’s usually what you do). We then had a great dinner of chicken tenders with a healthy helping of birthday cake for dessert. After that, we had some downtime and chose to get a game of poker going while listening to music accompanied by the sound of the cloud forest in the background. That’s about it, pretty good day, another one in the books.
By Robbie and Asher
July 3, 2025
Greetings and salutations parents, guardians, and dedicated readers! Today we had an early wake up and traditional Costa Rican breakfast like always. At 8am once again we began our back breaking relentless service. We dug up sand on the foggy beach until we were completely soaked through, and then began the process of transporting and distributing around 200 bags worth of sand on a trail. The system of moving the sand included excellent teamwork and group chemistry, as we tossed the soaked and heavy sacks of sand from one hand to another. Lunch was well earned, and composed of more Costa Rican specialty that is heavy on chicken, beans, and rice. After that, everyone played poker or read until dinner was ready (a thick beef stew that quenched our thirst for meat). Winding down was easy with such a tasty meal in our stomachs, and everyone made it to bed full and satisfied after watching a movie together. (Everyone left early, we have to get the rest we deserve).
By Lewis & Zach
July 4, 2025
Hola parents, and happy fourth of July! Today, we woke up bright and early for a 7 am breakfast of delicious cheese empanadas and fresh fruit. To begin our harrowing service journey of the day, we cleaned the whole deck and balcony section of the common area at the Pocosol field station. We then thoroughly cleaned the stairs and banister of the sleeping lodge, increasing our hours to support the project at the cloud forest and leaving every inch sparkling. After lunch, we left for a 3 hour hiking adventure, where we got to see a massive waterfall, natural sulfur springs, and jump in a cooling lagoon. We finished a rewarding day with a delicious American style dinner of burgers, fries, and iced tea. We had an amazing day of service and views, and we’ll see you tomorrow!
By Layla and Judit
July 5, 2025
Buenos Dias, parents! This morning, we awoke from our final night in the cloud forest to a wonderful sunny day (arguably the nicest weather we’ve had all week!). After a filling breakfast, we made our way to the lagoon (where we had spent the last days working) to complete a group bonding activity in which we discussed our strengths and what we have learned from our days of service. After departing from the lagoon, we packed our bags, ate one last meal, and said goodbye to El Bosque Eterno de Los Niños.
However, this was not the end of our adventures. After a quick pit stop at a drug store for snacks and necessities, we made our way to la Finca de Crisley, a cheese farm, accompanied by a pool and animals galore (including a sloth that we visited on a walk). We took a few hours to relax, played some games, and went to sleep excited for the day ahead. During our dinner, we took the time to celebrate our dear Judit’s birthday, surprising her with her favorite song and some balloons. We ate together a delicious tres leches cake, and headed to bed with a full belly and an even fuller heart.
By Sadie and Sam
July 6, 2025
Good morning, dedicated readers!
This morning, we awoke bright and early to go milk one of the cows on the farm! Afterwards, we enjoyed breakfast and then departed to help around the farm. We began with some weeding, followed by planting corn and beans in the rows that we had worked to clear. Then, after visiting the pigs and chickens, we began to make sugar water out of sugar cane (don’t worry, we washed our hands first!). This process involved pushing the sugar cane through a machine powered by our own hands and sweat, collecting and filtering the water, and garnishing it with a lime to create a delicious sweet-and-sour drink! We ate lunch, and then departed for the nearby wildlife rehabilitation center, Proyecto Asís. There, we took a tour of the center where we learned about all the animals, including those native to Costa Rica, such as the spider monkey, and those that ended up in the wildlife center for other reasons, such being confiscated from those who used to keep them as personal pets. After the tour, we worked together to make lunch for the animals, measuring out specific amounts of bananas and eggs to feed them accordingly. It was clear they enjoyed our meal! After arriving back at the farm, we took a dip in the pool and relaxed. We played soccer with some of the local kids on the farm, got our make up fixed by a local girl named Valery, and eventually ate dinner. Finally, we finished the eventful day with an electric salsa, bachata, and merengue dance class that had us all tired and ready to sleep by the end.
Here is to another successful day!
By Sadie and Sam
July 7, 2025
What’s up parents!
We woke up bright and early for breakfast at 7 am, ready and excited for the fun day ahead. Today we had mouth watering pancakes, milk, and bananas which were all sourced from the Finca (farm) that we are currently staying at. We then packed our bags and got ready for the most exciting adventure yet: zip lining through the lush canopy around the volcano Arenal! The views were breathtakingly stunning, and the greenery was priceless to swing through. We then traveled into La Fortuna to eat a scrumptious lunch and shop at local souvenir stores, we had the chance to visit locally owned stores, while being mindful with respect to where we are spending our money as viajeros. After, we came back to la Finca to have some downtime, which was well spent in the pool. Eventually we took time to discuss the day ahead about our upcoming adventure with our homestay families, clarifying what to expect and setting ourselves up for success for such a wonderful cultural and linguistic immersion opportunity. After dinner we made our way into the forest for an amazing nighttime walk where we saw a group of iridescent mushrooms and a baby snake, along with different types of frogs, toads, and lizards.
Thank you for reading once again!
Hasta Luego,
Toby, Zach, Layla, Sadie
July 8, 2025
Hey parents! Checking in from our last day at the cheese farm! The day started off as we woke up in our nicely refrigerated rooms, with crispy air conditioning, and then proceeded to enjoy breakfast as a group. Soon after, we listened to the interesting history of the finca, spanning from its humble beginnings to its current success. Once the presentation wrapped up, we had an insightful hands on tour around the farm, tasting different fruits, spices, and medicinal herbs that are grown there. After the tour we learned about and practiced ourselves the cheese making process, as we also got to taste such a local delicacy. Literally from farm to table! Following our generous lunch, it was already time to move to the local community. Once we got there, we met our families for the homestay, it was an exciting welcome to our home for the next 10 days as we are ready to jump into our service work once again! We spent the rest of the night separated as a group for the first time, as each of us moved into their respective houses, where we got the opportunity to bond with our hosts and try traditional homemade Costa Rican dishes.
Pura vida!
By Lewis and Robbie
July 9, 2025
Whats up parents and families!
We woke up today in our respective homestay homes. After eating breakfast everybody met up at the community kitchen to begin our work. It consisted of building the foundation for the kitchen. We worked for 7 hours were we make a lot of progress and ended at 3pm. Afterwards, we played soccer together and hit up the tienda (store) for some snacks. We then proceed to retire back to our homestsyd and enjoy home cooked dinners. We are looking forward to doing the EXACT same thing tomorrow!
Hasta luego,
Toby and Zach
July 10, 2025
Pura vida!! Today, we arose for a scrumptious home stay breakfast and a 7 o’clock start to our work on the community kitchen. We worked tirelessly, scooping rocks and sand and carrying wheelbarrows of cement to help build and shape the floor of the next room in the kitchen. We had a delicious lunch break of potatoes, rice and beans, and fresh aguacate from Doña Beleida’s tree. We finished the day with a tortilla making class, each person contributing to our delicious dinner. Finally, we got to watch a traditional Costa Rican dance from the region of Guanacaste. The dance entailed smooth moves and empowering music, along with colorful skirts. We also got to try some dancing of our own all together!
Hasta pronto, Layla y Judit
July 11, 2025
Hola padres! Today we woke up for another day of harrowing work. After spending the morning shoveling away, and mastering our combo of rocks, sand, cement, and water we had a relaxing lunch and returned for an hour in the afternoon, for a couple more rounds as we progress towards finalizing the floor of the community kitchen. We then took a trip to the store for some well deserved snacks, and on the way, discussed our upcoming lesson plan to teach some neighborhood kids not only some English vocabulary but American culture and games as well. The class went really well, the local kids seemed excited to interact through some fun games we created in order to make the learning process more fun for them. After that, we enjoyed dinner with our families, practiced our Spanish, and said goodnight, looking forward to another day of hard work and fun to follow.
Hasta pronto!
Sadie
July 12, 2025
Yesterday we arose for another early morning full of work and dedication, which led to a delicious lunch in the community kitchen. In the afternoon, we had a relaxing break with our homestay families before 3 o’clock bingo amongst the community complete with delicious snack prizes (we particularly appreciated the red-coated and totally goated popcorn), and community fun. After this experience we definitely mastered counting numbers from 1 to 75 in Spanish! Some of us enjoyed 6 o’clock mass at the local church where we got to experience Costa Rican culture through religious expression. After a delicious dinner with our families, we went to bed eager for the next day of relaxation.
Layla and Sadie
(Rhyme by Gia)
July 13, 2025
Happy Sunday amigos! Today we indulged in a late wake up which is something that hardly occurs in our long days of volunteer work. We got to spend the day bonding with our homestay families and relaxing in the local town going to the store and bonding over card games and practicing our Spanish. After lunch some of us reunited at doña Ana’s house to enjoy a football game together, while don Ricardo was taking care of the grill outside. We spent some quality time together, chatting and eating delicious food with some other members of the community. On our walk back home, we were “surprised” by the usual warm Costa Rican rain. We are now planning to spend the rest of the evening with our host families, getting ready to start a new week strong tomorrow.
Pura vida!
Layla
July 14, 2025
Hola familias! Today we woke up early as usual for another day of helping the community. We all worked hard, making and pouring cement, that was rewarded by a delicious lunch of beef stew and rice. Everyone agreed to do extra service in the afternoon before our activity of making two different types of Costa Rican desserts, with the help of some amazing community members that guided the whole process to teach us their ways.
To make Prestiños we made a dough of flour and flattened it to the best of our abilities. Then we fried them in veggie butter, and once they were done frying we submerged them in melted sugar cane so they were completely coated (they looked and tasted like a large frosted flake). For the Cajetas, we grated a lot of coconut and added a lot of sugar, water, and powdered milk to make it all boil together. We let it simmer until the coconut absorbed all the milk and turned into a paste (which looked like the inside of an Almond Joy). Then we poured it out and flattened it to let it cool off and then rolled them into balls, after that they were ready to be served. After everyone had their fair share of sweets we decided to play a game of fútbol with some locals on the freshly mowed community field. We all had a lot of fun. Then everyone went home to our host families to sleep and prepare for tomorrow’s events.
Sincerely,
Asher
July 15, 2025
Buenos días a todos! Today, we woke up to one of our last mornings in the beautiful home stay community, and immediately shoveled down a breakfast consisting of beans, eggs, and rice. When we began to work at 7, it slowly dawned on us that the concrete floor which had absorbed so much rock, sand, and sweat, was very close to being complete. With such a fact in mind, we worked diligently to be rid of the necessary labor that had spewed so much liquid concrete onto every inch of our bodies, but when we ended at 12 for lunch thinking we had finally won, we experienced an interesting combination of excitement and disheartening shock as we learned there was yet another section to tackle behind the kitchen area. We discussed this new obstacle over our lunch of bean soup, and came to the consensus we were overall happier for the fact we had more work, ironic as it may sound.
Afterward, we headed home for a few hours which we filled with literature until we headed to zumba with the entire group and majority of the community for an hour. It was an unexpected but overall enriching cultural immersion to listen to some of our homestay parent’s favorite songs and corresponding dance moves, and there is a possibility some of us will carry home the experience of zumba based on the vigor with which they danced that inspired us all to have more fun. When we headed home to another Costa Rican dinner, we were pretty exhausted but amused by the sight of a sloth climbing on the telephone post outside of our house, it was the closest encounter with one them on trip yet. Eventually we collapsed into our beds and immersing in our books until we passed out, ready but a little bit saddened for our last day of work in the homestay.
That’s all I can really think of,
Lewis
July 16/17, 2025
Hi parents! Yesterday we finished mixing and laying the cement in the community kitchen, officially finishing our project for the Pueblo we were staying in. We then worked with local moms to prepare tamales, which made an amazing dinner. After finishing lunch, we spent one final afternoon with our homestay families, preparing for the night’s talent show (which was hosted in the community space we completed!). Some of the performances featured Layla and Sadie singing a song backed by a piano, Robbie lip syncing to Mongolian throat singing, and Asher rapping while shuffling cards. We closed off our night by celebrating our achievements working alongside the community members, showing appreciation to one another. This morning, we said goodbye to our host families and got on the road for a 6 hour bus ride, stopping only for lunch and a quick restroom break. We finally arrived at El Tecal in Uvita – where we will be spending our next 3 days. Everyone took a dip in the pool, which despite being quite warm was still enjoyable, and then prepared for dinner. Goodnight!
-Sam
July 18, 2025
Hi parents, todays day started at 8 with breakfast at the hotel consisting of waffles, eggs, beans and rice, and assorted fruits. After everyone finished their food, we got ready, and headed to the beach. We splashed about in the water and such until lunch back at the hotel, which was accompanied by some intriguing dubstep that the hotel was playing at the time. After we had quite the lunch/disco party, we got ready for our upcoming surf lessons. We walked back to the beach, and took a short walk on the beach to the area of the surf lesson. After being taught the basics, we grabbed our respective boards and headed out to the water to catch some waves. The overall consensus was that surfing is somewhat easier than it looks. After enjoying some surf time, we enjoyed some pineapple and watermelon and started walking back to the hotel. On the way to the hotel, we stopped for ice cream and milkshakes. We had some downtime before dinner (which also had some accompanying dj-remixed songs and a bit of karaoke).
Ok,
-Robbie
July 19, 2025
Good evening parents,
Today, like all the other days, it was yet another adventure, though really, it wasn’t just one.
In the morning, we got up to have breakfast at the exquisite restaurant La Colonia, a meal that blended cultures, North American and Costa Rican.
After that, we headed to Don Geovanny’s farm, where one third of the property is a private natural preserve. There, after contributing by planting some trees, we made our way to a beautiful waterfall hidden deep within the property (beautiful and quite cold, actually).
After lunch, we walked through the area we’re staying in (Uvita) and got to know more of the local community until we reached the conservation and tourist area, Marino Ballena National Park. More than just a tourist attraction, it’s a true marine paradise. After a light rain, the sand turned into a mirror-like surface on the beach, as we walked towards the whale tail formation that clearly took shape in front of us.
After reaching the whale tail and heading back, we enjoyed the beach and later we had a yoga class to wrap up our amazing day. After a delicious dinner, we said goodnight, feeling joyful and grateful for all we got to see today.
-Judit
