Costa Rica: Service and Sand Session 2, 2026
July 9, 2026
Hi Parents!!! Today was our first full day in Costa Rica and it was a fantastic introduction to the culture and community. We woke up and tried a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of eggs, rice and beans, and all the tropical fruits you could want! My personal favorite was the rice and beans, but it was all so tasty! Along with the food, we were given the most fresh and delicious fruit punch.
After our breakfast, we went into Alajuela, which is a city about forty minutes outside of San Jose. While we were there, we split up into two groups and did a scavenger hunt. During the hunt, we learned about the culture and history of Alajuela while getting to practice our Spanish by talking to locals. All the locals were so friendly and helpful, even when my Spanish was not amazing (like when I asked to make my ice cream instead of to have some). After our scavenger hunt, we went to lunch where we all tried different Costa Rican foods. A lot of us had the tortiempanada which was a mix of a quesadilla/tortilla and empanadas (two of my favorite things!) Along with our meals, we tried papaya, pineapple, and cas juice, and all were fresh and delicious!
After we ate, we had a little time to shop, which we all spent in a cute thrift/clothes store. We all bought fun graphic tees, all of which were completely random and silly – which makes for an incredible memory!! After this we went back to the hotel and swam, where we played football, Marco Polo, and escape from Alcatraz! After some much deserved rest, we played some card games and some get to know you games. Even with knowing these people for less than 24 hours, at this point I felt so comfortable and happy with them all!!
After our chill time, we had dinner at the hotel. Most of us had pasta bolognese, but there was also Alfredo pasta and fish that we enjoyed! Of course this meal was also served with the delicious juice from this morning. We got to know each other more during dinner, and we are already starting to joke with each other like friends who have known each other forever!! After dinner it was straight to pack and sleep since we have a very early morning tomorrow in order to get out on the rapids!!
By Charlotte R.
July 10, 2026
Hey!!!! How are you all doing? Hopefully alright. Our day started at 5:30 when we got on a bus to go whitewater rafting. Though we were also tired we made it on the bus. A lot of us slept and others played crossword puzzles. On the way there we saw a cute sloth in a tree. We had to pull over because everyone was so memorized because you don’t see a wild sloth every day. A couple hours later we arrived to a meet up center to have breakfast and put away our big suitcases. We could only bring a small backpack with all the necessities.
Another car ride later, we pulled over on the side of the road and switched over to a small car. I’m pretty sure this was the most bumpy car ride everyone has ever taken but it was very fun. After probably 20 minutes we arrived at the river. We were all so excited for the adventure we were about to have. Soon we got into our rafts. It took us a couple tries to learn how to cohesively paddle together, but we got it. We only had one casualty, Charlotte fell out of the raft. She was OK and it was a quick save. Between the rapids, we had a fun time talking and splashing the other raft with our other friends on it.
Before we knew it, the raft ride was over so we hiked up the side of the mountain to our living quarters. From where we’re staying, you can see all the mountains around us and much wildlife. After we got settled in our rooms, it was time for lunch. We got to make burritos. It was delicious. We spent our time laying in hammocks and making friends, including a boy our age from Belgium staying in the same lodge with his family! There were a bunch of other small waterfalls around where we were staying so all of us hiked over there. It was very refreshing because it’s very hot and steamy up here.
We got to play a lot of card games in our free time. For dinner we had chicken, rice and mushroom sauce. Everyone devoured their food. Once the sun had set we saw so much wildlife. We saw two big lizards and frogs the size of softballs. It has cooled down so much from the heat of the day. We can’t wait for a second half of rafting tomorrow!!!
By Myella
July 11, 2026
Hi everybody! Today we woke up at 7:30 and went down to the common area in the lodge to enjoy a breakfast of pancakes, French toast, potatoes, and tropical fruits. After breakfast, we had free time which we spent playing card games. Around 10:00 everyone got into the rafts and started our journey down the river. About 20 minutes later, we saw the 1st of 3 canyons and decided to get out and swim. There was a small waterfall that everyone was using as a slide! Once everyone was done swimming we got back into the raft and started going downstream again. We then reached our first level 4 rapid and we all had to duck into the rafts so we wouldn’t flip over. After the level 4 rapid we all took another stop and sat by a waterfall and shared fresh pineapple. We eventually reached another swimmable spot and swam around for a while. After rafting, we ate lunch and got into a bus to head to Crisley’s farm. While on the bus we met another tourist named Josh who works in the same neighborhood as Charlotte R. and is a student at Harvard. After about 2 hours we arrived at Crisley’s farm where we said goodbye to Josh and played soccer with a few local kids. Eventually, it was time for dinner which consisted of pork, rice, beans, and (what we think is) pear juice. After dinner we enjoyed a local dance presentation and went on an evening hike in the forest where we saw a poison dart frog and the smallest frog in Costa Rica. We learned lots about the wildlife in Costa Rica and I’m excited to see what tomorrow entails!
By Maris
July 12, 2026
We all milked the cow at Crisley’s farm at 7
Later on the mozzarella cheese we made from it was heaven
Nachos for lunch were delectable
Our satisfaction was detectable
Then a short bus ride for the zipline
The wait was both thrilling for some; for others just fine
Above the tree tops the view was magical
Thankfully, no one experienced anything too tragical
Our singing in the car back was not bad
A time was had
Watching a collection of our river excursion
The photos of us showed a funny version
Trying sugar cane on the hacienda
Our night swim was not on the agenda
By: Margaret
July 13, 2026
Hi everyone! Today we got to sleep in until 8 am which was pretty nice. For breakfast we had our typical rice, beans, and eggs which never disappoints. We spent the morning playing UNO and passing the football with our friends from the farm, Manfred and Sara. After a lowkey morning, we had lunch of Yuca from the farm filled with chicken and cheese. After we finalized our packing, it was time to head to the community for our home stays. It was sad to say goodbye, but we were all excited for this portion of the trip. The community was only 30 minutes away, and when we got there, everyone was very welcoming! Margaret and I are staying with Melissa and Jose; Charlotte, Maris, and Myella are staying with Monse; and Charlie and Jesse are with Xinia. We all had a lot of fun getting to know our families. Margaret and I spent the afternoon chatting with our host parents, reading, and ending with a movie night. For dinner we had rice, beans, and chicken. I am so excited to start service tomorrow!
By Charlotte M.
July 14, 2026
What’s up people. Today was our first day of service work in the community. Our task was to move a pile of dirt down by the river bank to help combat flooding during the rainy season. After 4 hours of digging we completed the project and went back to our homes with the families we are staying with to eat lunch and relax for the afternoon. Later in the evening the squad met up again to swim in the pool of Charlotte, Maris, and Myella’s homestay and hang out. Overall it was a pretty mellow day that left us feeling accomplish and relaxed.
By Jesse H.
July 15, 2026
Qué onda, parents! Yesterday, our day together started at 9 a.m. when we began picking trash out of the gutters. We took a quick snack break at 11am, then continued until 1pm, when we went to our homestays for lunch. We had a few hours with our homestay families to spend time together (Jesse and I watched the semifinal of the World Cup – Argentina beat England 2-1) before the party. At 4:30pm, the neighborhood gathering started, where we made tortillas, enjoyed chicharrones, and learned to dance merengue, bachata, and salsa. At the end, we were all tired. We stuck around to talk for a little while before everybody went home for the night around 9pm.
By Charlie
July 16, 2026
¡Hola! Today was our third day of service and we woke up around 7:30 for our breakfast before the 9 AM start of service. Funnily enough all of our host families prepared delicious ham and cheese sandwiches for our breakfast. Once we arrived at the community center, our task was to paint the gate at the community center with an anti-rusting paint. After four hours of painting, we finally completed the task.
We went home to enjoy lunch with our host families and then at three we headed back to the community to play a game of fútbol with the local kids. During our game, it started pouring, but that didn’t stop anyone from having a great time! We played one round of random teams with our group split among the teams, and a second of 14 and older versus 13 and younger. After about 1 and a half hours of playing, we all ran and slid in the muddy water like a slip in slide, which was the perfect end to the game.
That night, Charlotte M and Margaret celebrated their host dad’s birthday where they met a lot of the family and friends of their host family. Maris, Myella, and I met our host family’s grandkids and played Battleship and Connect Four with them. Jessie and Charlie went and enjoyed dinner in La Fortuna with their host family. We are all excited for a great day tomorrow! ¡Adios!
By Charlotte R.
July 17, 2026
Hey what is up my homies! We are doing fine thanks for asking. I bet you’re life has been so boring without us. Let’s see if your day can top this. We woke up at 7:40 for breakfast that consisted of eggs beans and toast. Then our homestay family dropped us off at Lucresia’s farm. We got a tour and got to see her humongous pig that surprisingly did not stink. They fed their pig a special diet to make sure it’s healthy and doesn’t stink. Then we talked about composting and how we can do it at home. We also took the composted dirt and transplanted trees with it.
After that we made paintings for our host families. Everyone’s paintings looked so good! Once we were done, our families picked us up for lunch. Maris, Charlotte R. and I ate pizza for lunch, and it was pretty good. Charlie and Jessie had steak and peppers. Margaret and Charlotte M. had empanadas. After we all ate lunch, we got ready for the party. We all helped clean up because we’re hosting. After that we had some extra time to spare so we played card games.
Finally, people started to arrive for the party while we were waiting for dinner to be ready. We played taco/cat/goat/cheese/pizza card game with the local kids. Dinner consisted of a bunch of different meats on the grill, tortillas, beans and really good tomatoe salsa. Dinner was so good! After dinner we gave our host families our paintings and said some kind words about them and how much fun we’ve had in the past five days with them. Finally, we got to go in the pool. We played Marco Polo, cannonball competition, belly flop competition, and handstands. Soon everyone started to leave and the rest of the night was quiet. We fell asleep very quickly.
Tomorrow we’re heading to the beach. It is a five hour car ride and everyone is so excited. I hope you guys don’t miss us too much.
By Myella
July 18, 2026
Hi! Today Me, Myella, and Charlotte started our day at 7:20 and had breakfast at 8:00. Today for breakfast we had ham and cheese sandwiches and chocolate chip pancakes! After breakfast, we said our goodbyes to our homestay families and got on the bus to Uvita. After a couple hours, we stopped for lunch (which was a buffet) where we all bought souvenirs. We then got back onto the bus and 3 hours later arrived at Uvita! When we got arrived, we played card games before having dinner. Dinner was also a choice meal but some of the options were chicken strips, Alfredo and Caesar salad. After dinner, everyone went into the pool and spent the rest of the night hanging out.
By Maris
July 19, 2026
We had a delicious buffet breakfast at 8:00am of pancakes, fruit, rice and bean, and orange juice. We stopped in our rooms quickly to change into bathing suits for surfing before leaving for our five minute walk to the beach. We were greeted by two friendly instructors who were eager to help all of us. We all had so much fun! That was definitely one of my highlights of the trip. We ate fresh watermelon and then stopped at this smoothie/ice cream shop before going back to the hotel.
After showering we all got our blue gear and face paint on to watch the World Cup final in the hotel, all of us rooting for Argentina. Charlie’s face paint was over the top, and our burger buns were red, green, and blue. After watching the game we walked back to the beach though us girls didn’t wear bathing suits because we didn’t think we’d want to swim. However, when we saw how beautiful the beach looked and how much fun Jesse and Charlie were having almost all of us swam in our clothes. We had loads of fun!
Then it was time for dinner! After eating we had a surprise activity. We had five minutes to write each person on the trip a sweet letter which they’ll read after we part ways. The seven of us hung out until 9:30, when we had to be in our rooms. It was a fun-filled day for everyone. See you soon parents!
By Margaret
July 20, 2026
Hey! Today we started with buffet breakfast this morning at the hotel with some papaya juice. Right from breakfast, the bus picked us up at 9 to go to a farm. There, we hiked to a spot where each of us planted a tree that we named. Charlotte R. and I had to share, and we named ours BCA (Both Charlotte’s awesome). After walking some more, we got to a private waterfall where we swam and got some nice pictures. After a while, we walked back to the bus to go back to the hotel. Soon after, we walked to the beach where we all had fun in the water going over and under the waves. After swimming for a while, we all walked along the beach and saw a lot of crabs. We came back to the hotel after stopping at the market. Some of us swam in the pool for a little bit, but spent the afternoon reading and chilling out. Because of the rain, we couldn’t do our yoga class outside, so we ended up doing it at the hotel. Everyone felt very relaxed afterwards, and we all had a lot of fun. We had dinner right after, and then after dinner we all continued hanging out and playing cards.
By Charlotte M
July 21, 2026
What’s up parents! Today our day started with an 8:00 breakfast of pancakes, eggs, rice with beans, fruit, and orange juice. We then boarded the bus for a long ride to our next lodging destination. On the bus, we got to know practically everything we didn’t already know about each other. We sang songs, played some games, and enjoyed a wide range of conversations. We stopped for snacks once, ate lunch, and later bought fruit at a roadside market. Around 2:00, we arrived at our bed and breakfast, where we settled into our rooms, played ping pong, and ate our fruit. At 4:00, we celebrated the end of the trip with a closing ceremony, and at 6:00, we ended our day with a dinner of beef, rice, vegetables, and fruit. It was a wonderful way to end the trip and while we are sad to go, we can say for sure that we enjoyed it. See you soon!
By Charlie & Jesse
