Costa Rica: Middle School Service Adventure 2025
June 23, 2025
Today was a phenomenal 1st day. We started off waking up to an amazing breakfast that had eggs, sausage, toast and some amazing pineapples and watermelon. Then we did some amazing icebreakers, so we can get to know each other. Then we took a car ride to our second hotel, which was near the rainforest. We passed a beautiful rainforest where we got to take a photo and see the beautiful waterfall. We stopped at a really good food court where people got churros, burgers, tacos, pizza and sushi. We arrived at our beautiful hotel where we got checked into our rooms. And then after that, we went into some amazing pools which were made from Hot springs. After that we went to dinner at the hotel. We had burgers nachos and iced tea. Everyone is enjoying their time here and is excited for what is to come. People are already making so many friends. That was our day!!!
By: Will F., Will T., & Teddy T.
June 24, 2025
Today was another great day to kick off the trip! To start off the day, we had a delicious breakfast including pinto gallo, pancakes, chorizo, and eggs. After breakfast we played some ice breaker games, and then headed off on our white water rafting adventure. The white water rafting constisted of many laughs, splashes, and lasting memories. We learned the many commands, and by the end we excelled working as a team and communicating.
We then embarked on a drive to a local restaurant for lunch in which we got to choose between chicken, beef, and vegetarian lunches with yucca, sprouts, and rice and beans. We then drove back to our hotel where we had some down time in the hot springs.
After resting, we participated in a dancing class where we learned salsa, merengue, and bachata. Then, we headed to a delicious dinner including quesadillas and chicken tenders. After, we saw a local folklore dance group perform before we headed back to our rooms for the night. Today was an awesome day and we can’t wait for more to come!
By: Maisy L., Isabelle S., & Sasha B.
June 25, 2025
Our 4th day we woke up early and got ready for a day filled with adventure. Shortly after we enjoyed a delicious and traditional breakfast filled with special fruit brought by our trip leaders. Then we piled into the buses and headed towards the cheese farm. Once we arrived at the farm, the owner showed us around and we got to try a variety of different fruits and plants. Including but not limited to starfruit, oregano, and mangos. The owner of the farm gave an exciting presentation about the history of the farm and its triumphs and struggles. After which, we were gifted with the opportunity to help make the farm’s famous mozzarella cheese. We even got to sample some of their delicious cheese. Next on our agenda was a filling lunch of nachos.
After that we got back on the bus and drove to the location where we would soon be zipping through the trees. Before we could get into our harnesses, the sky clouded over and was cut in half with lighting. Thankfully, the weather cleared and we were able to zipline. While ziplining, we were hundreds of meters in the air, dangling above the treeline. The misty sky gave way to a winding river and forest covered mountains. After our time on the ziplines, we took a bus into the town of La Fortuna. For one hour before dinner, we were able to peruse the shops downtown. We got to purchase food, souvenirs, and gifts for our families. We then enjoyed a fancy dinner. Finally, to finish our night in the town, we went out for gelato and returned to our hotel.
By: Rowen, Alex S., & Will P.
June 26, 2025
Today it was a hot and humid morning as we trecked up to breakfast. We departed for the school at 8 a.m. and arrived at around 8:30. Once we arrived and met the teachers we learned the unfortunate truth that school that day was canceled due to inclement weather. This was only a minor setback however, and we then jumped into a really quick game. After our game, we started our service. Our first task? To sand the rusty bars surrounding the cafeteria. At noon we ate an amazing lunch consisting of beans, rice, salad, and fried fish. Afterwards, we were given a lesson in traditional Costa Rican dance, followed by a lesson in karate. The karate lesson was very interesting because while karate was founded in Okinawa, Japan, our instructor had his own unique style he educated us in. We left the school with brand new karate skills and service hours under our belts, and we headed back to the hotel. Immediately we jumped into the hot springs, which were just an amazing temperature, and we relaxed for a while. Then, disaster struck. We saw lightning flashing in the sky, and heard the thunder rolling in the backround. We left the springs and went to our rooms, and then the twister board came out. Amazing, fun-filled hours of twister and afterwards, we headed up to eat dinner. It was very good, with us being offered the choice of either chicken burger or beef tacos. I myself had the tacos, and they were just scrumptious. After dinner, the counselors discussed the itinerary for the next day, and we headed off to bed.
By: Eli Jonathan and Oliver
June 27, 2025
On our 6th day, Friday, we embarked on many fun activities. To start off, we fueled ourselves with a delicious breakfast prepared by the hotel staff. We enjoyed pintos gallos, plantains, chorizo, eggs, pancakes, and toast. We then headed out to do more service work at the local school. We sanded and painted the bars surrounding their cafeteria. After eating a filling meal of rice, beans, pico de gallo, and pork for lunch, we left to go to Proyecto Asis, a conservation and rescue center for native animals. We saw a wide variety of animals including toucans, macaws, kuwatis, colorful parrots, and fun monkeys. Did you know that there are only 105 jaguars left in Costa Rica? That’s why the conservation efforts of Proyecto Asis are so important! We then had the opportunity to prepare the animals’ nutritious meal by chopping and precisely measuring the fruits and vegatables. When we saw them eating the food we prepared, it was a fun sight to see. On the way back to the hotel, it started downpouring! It’s a good thing we were inside the van! We then had a filling dinner of either wings or burritos. Yum!!! Afterwards we started winding down for bed. What a fun way to end our time in La Fortuna. We are now looking forward to being in Playa Uvita. Sweet dreams from your favorite campers
By: Sophia, Riley, and Madi
June 28, 2025
Hola familias,
Today we left La Fortuna after 5 days there. We had a 6-7 hour drive and we got to know a more about other peoples personalities. We stopped for lunch at a place called El Jardin and also got souvenirs and ate lots of different Costa Rican foods. Everything was SO expensive. Once we got to our hotel by the beach we had a yoga class. After we got back from the yoga, we had a dinner at a place close to the hotel. They even had fresh maracuya juice for us! Then everyone went to the pool we practiced jumps and played marco polo together. That wrapped up the day.
By Lincoln H., Ethan S., Dash A.
June 29, 2025
Today was the first sunny day in days. We went surfing at the beach. It was a lot of fun. All of the instructors were chill guys.We surfed for 2 hours. The waves were absolutely gnarly. Almost everyone stood up and did a great job! Considering it was most of our first time surfing, we did very well.
We had freshly cut pineapple after 2 hours of surfing. We then all went in the waves to play games we tried to see if we could jump over the waves. After an amazing day of surfing, we went back to the hotel to swim in the pool. We had a some time to relax and chill on one of our last days, which was really fun. Some people walked to get ice cream and smoothies while others played games in the pool or called home. Then we went to the beach to watch the sunset, which you couldn’t really see because it was a cloudy night and then we came back and ate dinner and wrote letters to our future selves.That was really cool because we will remember the trip and each other even better! After we came back and all played cards and hung out.
We cant believe its almost our last day!
Written by Rhett B., William B.R. in Tommy T.
