Sandy Spring Friends School 2026 Costa Rica
March 15, 2026
We showed up to the airport at 5:30 and had a 5 hour flight, then waited in a super long immigration line once we arrived to Costa Rica. After getting through immigration we met our tour guides Lauren and Fab who taught us some Costa Rican phrases like “Pura Vida.” After that we had lunch at La Tortilleria and we all tried some new local foods like sweet plantains and casados. Then, we went to the hotel for the night and got settled in. Some people played basketball and some played card games. Finally we ended the night with a group talk and plan for the next day. Then we had a delicious meal prepared by our hosts and s’mores by the fire to go with. Buenas noches!
By Caitlyn and Malcolm
March 16, 2026
We woke up around 5 to 6 AM to shower and get everything together for the next stay. We then went down to the beautiful backyard around 7 to enjoy the breakfast that the hosts graciously made for us including gallo pinto and fresh local fruits. Once we finished the amazing food, we headed to the busses and began our 3 hour drive to our next stay. The moment we arrived at the community of San Isidro, we were greeted with kindness and excitement for the service that we were helping them out with. We then began our work once we stepped foot into the community center. We were given tools to complete various tasks such as chipping paint off the exterior walls, shoveling mounds of dirt out of people’s way, and used sand paper to help with the paint as well. Once we finished our service for the day, the elementary school across the road challenged our group to a 10 to 20 minute soccer match. Afterwards, we headed back to the farm and had an amazing dinner with some spectacular performances displayed by the local folk dance group.
By Fayha, Michelle, Leo, Hunter
March 17, 2026
We started off the day with a delicious, traditional Costa Rican breakfast. After that, we hopped in the vans and went to the Proyecto Asis wildlife rehabilitation center. While we were there, we toured the sanctuary and helped out by preparing food for the animals, such as bananas and apples. Afterward, we returned to the community of San Isidro and ate a delicious lunch prepared by the school staff. There we had traditional pasta and salad. Then we continued our service at the community center. Our work consisted of priming and painting the building walls and exterior, along with picking up trash. After this, we returned to Casa Crisley and had some free time. Some people played in the pool, and others rested. Then we attended a dancing lesson where we learned Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue. Our talented instructor was Randy. We then had dinner and ended the day with our nightly meeting.
By Caitlyn, Ethan, Gabby, Julien
March 18, 2026
This morning we ate another fantastic Costa Rican breakfast prepared by the Crisley residence as this was our first ‘flex’ schedule. We then hopped into the vans and headed toward the zip line course by the Arenal Volcano!! After the zip line, we then went to the San Isidro school to have lunch prepared by the staff. Then, our work on the community center began with the main purpose to finish painting the structure before we left. We also played one last game of soccer before saying goodbye to the students. After taking a few photos of the group, we awarded ourselves a trip to the grocery store for snacks and desserts. We then headed back to Casa Crisley for dinner. After dinner, we went on a night hike guided by Crisley. On it we got to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the farm for our last night there.
By: Ken, Tyler, Aden, Michael
March 19, 2026
This morning we started our day around 7AM, making it one of our earliest mornings. We started with a tour and cheese making experience at Crisley’s farm. We learned how to milk cows, and even some students participated and started to fill the bucket. After that, we spent time hearing Crisley share the story of his farm which included how long he owned the land, how he got it, and what inspired him to start his cheese making business. We then got to see how the cheese was made, watching the step by step process. We were able to try the cheese afterwards, and it was very delicious. Afterwards, we started our 5 hour road trip to Aparthotel Playa Luna, the next hotel we were planning to stay at. Along the way, we stopped for lunch to have a delicious meal at a restaurant buffet and buy souvenirs at a shop. We ended our day with a nice dinner at a Mexican restaurant after our road trip, and relaxation time at our hotel.
By: Alex, Fifa, Nigel, Justin
March 20, 2026
Today started with breakfast at 7:00 AM at the Tex-Mex restaurant, after we had a short 5-minute walk to the beach, where we had our surfing lessons for a couple of hours. Following our surf lessons, we headed back to the hotel to change and get ready for lunch at a buffet nearby. We then headed out for our forest hike, where we planted trees to help restore the forest, and then to a waterfall. In the waterfall, we took lots of pictures and got to play in the water. After the forest hike, we were surprised to watch the sunset on a small beach. Following that, we returned to the hotel, where we had free time to shower, relax, or play in the pool before dinner. We ended our day with dinner at the Tex-Mex restaurant again and then enjoyed extra free time because we’re coming towards the end of our trip.
By Teni, Derek, Steve, Malcolm
