Costa Rica: Middle School Service Adventure 2026
June 23, 2026
Today was really fun! We woke up at around 6:30 to head out to white water rafting! The ride was beautiful, especially when we were driving up the mountains into the clouds. And it was most of the kids’ first time in Costa Rica! White water rafting was really fun. The rapids were crazy, and the river guides would make it even scarier by having people lay down or guiding us into the rapids backwards. He also taught us games that you could play while you were white water rafting like bull riding and boogie boarding. They also let us swim and gave us fruit. Lunch was really good. We had rice and beans with a choice of protein. Then the van broke down, and so we visited a petting zoo, where there was a cow, goats, chickens, and bunnies. The goats were super friendly, and the cow would lick you whenever possible. The chickens were chickens, and not so slightly friendly, and the bunnies were timid. We had a couple hours to relax when we reached our destination for the next couple days. Most of the kids went in the pool, and some talked to each other about what they are most excited for on the trip. Then we all played games to remember each other’s name and something about them, and we also made our community contract. A community contract is an agreement inside of a community that often serves a purpose, such as safety, inclusiveness, etc. We then had dinner, which guess what, was rice and beans, which is really good. And then we chilled in our rooms for a few hours and went to sleep. Until tomorrow!
-Neela and Marco
June 24, 2026
Today was super exciting and eventful! We woke up around 6:30 to go milk cows!! It was fun but also…you know. Anyway, then we ate breakfast, which was eggs, bacon, pancakes, fruit, and cereal. After breakfast we did a walk around the farm and tried/saw some new fruits and animals. We tried papaya, guanábana, fresh oregano, and so much more! We learned that the plants can do other things than be eaten like marinade, medicine, and more. We also held baby pigs (they were screaming REALLY loud). We also saw chickens, turkeys, and dogs. After that, we made cheese from the milk that we milked in the morning. It was really cool. It tasted kind of like cheese. After we made cheese that tasted like cheese, we went in the pool for quite a while. After that we washed off and got ready. Holy frijoles! We learned about the technique and process of growing and planting beans and planted our own crop. We then walked around and on the way, we found these red mysterious peppers and some people (everyone) decided to try some. Now, these peppers are very spicy. We walked around to a pond, and then walked back to the hotel. After that, we ate dinner, which was spaghetti with meat sauce, and starfruit juice. It was very yummy! After that, we watched Costa Rican dancers, do traditional folk dance before they taught us a couple moves! Time to tuck in! Buenas noches!
By Elsie & Laurel
June 25, 2026
Rise and shine! We woke up at the crack of dawn and took a breath-taking jog to the cafeteria. We ate beans and rice, eggs, and ripe, flavorful mango. After breakfast, we hopped in the bus and took a 40 minute drive to the thrilling zip line. The views of the jungle, active volcano, and ginormous, clear lake were gorgeous. Then, we took a 20 min bus ride to town for cheesy pizza with cheesy-stuffed-crust. After lunch, we drove to an animal rehabilitation center. We took a tour through jumping monkeys, fierce cats, and chirpy birds. We learned a bunch of safety rules, and even the message they were trying to spread; The danger of domesticating wild animals. We then made toys and meals for the monkeys and fed them food from their natural diet. The monkeys loved it. We checked into our hotel, ate dinner, and had a great time in the pool before going to bed. Buenos noches!
Yours truly,
Gen and Charlotte
June 26, 2026
Today, we had so much fun and felt very fulfilled by the end of the day. Breakfast was really nice as we had pancakes and fruit. After breakfast we piled into the vans and headed to a local school. Once we were at the school we played games with the kids to get to know them better and we saw a vibrant community, much like the ones we have at home. They preformed a traditional dance for us and it was very cute but also gave an interesting perspective of local culture .Then we painted the fence which was very difficult because it was a chainlink fence and we had to paint each little wire at a time. It took a long time to paint. A smaller group of kids took an equally long time to work on a mural on the side of the wall. After painting was done, we had lunch. The teachers made lunch for us and it was quite delicious. We had rice, beans, lettuce, and chicken. Afterwards, most of the kids played soccer with all the students. It looked very fun even though it was mucho caliente. Then for another hour or so we painted the fence some more. After more painting, sweating, and mild complaining we got the best treat of the day! It was delicious ice cream on top of strawberry flavored shaved ice. There was also condensed and powdered milk which was a flavor I don’t usually get at home but it was really good nonetheless. Then we left the school and came back to the hotel to shower and get ready for a dance lesson. The dance lesson was fun, tiring, and educational. Everyone had fun because it was challenging but we completed it and Randoll, the dance teacher, was very funny and made us laugh often! It was tiring mentally and physically because of all the different steps and beats we had to remember in our mind but execute through our body, not to mention the heat from earlier in the day had not wavered. It was educational because we all learned something new from as specific as “the type of dance relates to the time signature” to as vague as learning the word Marimba. Dinner was awesome as well, we could choose from bolognese, fish (head intact😳), chicken hamburger and sauteed veggies. Then we all took a dip on the pool and, once again, concluded a memorable night in Costa Rica.
By Elle & Issac
Leader’s note: The photos include one with a music score written by one of the GW students about the day to accompany the blog for anyone that can play the piano at home. 😊
June 27, 2026
Haiku
Painted with detail
Helped little kids at the school
Had lots of fun there
Japanese Tanka
The paint mixed with care
Listened to the rain fall down
Back to work again
Got to the hotel and swam
The splashing made it final
By Curt & Maddie
June 28, 2026
So today we traveled from the north to south of Costa Rica on a 5-6 hour bus trip where everyone was enjoying the activities and Marco’s birthday. We woke up at around 7 and had a quick and delicious breakfast to start off the day packed with energy. Then we set off on our long ride until around 30 minutes in we stopped at a convenience store to buy food and use the restrooms. After we set off once again we were enjoying each other’s company and the snacks we purchased. A few hours later we arrived at our lunch stop which was a buffet-style restaurant that merged with a souvenir store where many of us purchased souvenirs which we will bring back to their homes. After that we took off once again until we arrived at our new hotel located near the beach where will be surfing tomorrow. After everybody got situated everybody enjoyed the hotel’s pool and relaxed for the rest of the day until dinner. Then we walked a few minutes to a Tex-Mex style restaurant where we ate tacos, quesadillas, and nachos and celebrated Marco’s 13th birthday. This included singing and putting his head in the cake which was then served to the rest of the group. After all of that we went back to the hotel and gathered in a circle around Marco who was blindfolded and had to try to break open the piñata filled with candies and sweets which him and the group shared together. This all sums up the amazing day we had together as a group.
By Seymour and Lucas
June 29, 2026
We started off the day with a swim and breakfast. After that, we walked to the beach and got ready for our surfing lesson. The first part of it, we learned how to stand up on the board and stay in the middle of the board. Once people got in the water they were catching waves everywhere. After the surf lesson, we went to go to Tex Max for lunch. After lunch we went back to the beach and played in the waves for a while. About halfway through the second beach trip, we found a black and yellow sea snake! After that we went to a very calming yoga session with nice music and good stretches. We got dinner at the same tex mex spot. Then we finished off the day with our closing ceremony. During that we did activities sharing our favorite moments and people.
Leo & Henry
June 30, 2026
Today we woke up early to go to a waterfall hike. The hike up was challenging in the heat but it was so worth it to go swimming in the water. We went back to the hotel for lunch and then hit the road. We left the coast and were in the bus for several hours back to San Jose. We went back to the O.G. hotel for dinner and are going to bed soon for an early travel day tomorrow.
Kip and Stevie
