Today we went white water rafting down the Pacuare River. The students and their guides enjoyed class levels 3s and 4s rapids; it was a constant "forward!" paddle. We definitely got some sun today, and even though all of the students reapplied their sunblocks, I am sad to say a few of us got burns. It felt like on the river it was inevitable. The kids are looking forward to their last traditional Costa Rican meal of beans and rice. I hope you have the hamburgers and pasta ready for tomorrow because they're itching for a different cuisine! Thank you for keeping up with the blog. We have enjoyed all of your comments and hope you enjoyed ours! Tomorrow, weather pending, we will be arriving at 6pm in Logan and will meet you all at Parker. Buenas noches!

Hi Parents!

Just one more day, then you get your kids back! I know there were some concerns, but we had no problems with sun burn today. Some of the kids have a little color on their faces, but nothing to cry home about. We were very adamant about the sunblock. The kids enjoyed a great hike through Manuel Antonio National Park where we spotted three different species of monkeys and sloths. The trail led into the gorgeous Pacific Coast beach where we spent a few hours in the warm ocean and eating watermelon and sandwiches under the palm trees. The kids found it very amusing that the monkeys kept trying to steal our food from our backpacks. One was successful in grabbing a cookie!  Here are some photos of what we saw today. Enjoy!

Hey Y’all!

Sorry for the awkward southernness but we are down south so we had to use it. It’s Erica and Kathryn, and we are here in Costa Rica already at day 7 but still loving it. Today was the beach day and we had lots of fun in the water and on some rocks. Erica is now scared to death of monkeys because one came extremely close to her face and screamed at her. It was very scary.. She ran. Kathryn is now very sunburned on her face even though she put on sunblock (don’t worry Mom and Dad). We saw some uber cute sloths on the trek to the beach. Kathryn had a bad experience yesterday when the shower door fell leaving her clueless about how to fix it. Also, the boys next door would not shut up. On the walk back to the bus after the beach experience we had a chance to do a bit more shopping, where Kathryn found a switch blade, but luckily she had no money with her at the time so all back home are safe. The little shops were adorable and one lady was a genius (she set up an ice cream stand where everyone bought some ice cream to cool down after the long sweltering walk back). The shopping emptied just about everyone’s wallets of the little cash they had left after town, except for Kathryn who has still a hundred or so. Erica has some high number of collonas. That’s it for today we have to go get sand out of our hair... again

Pura Vida. Much love xoxo, Erica and Kathryn

Friday's student updates

Starting the zip-line canopy tour - the first of 12 zip cables!

The tarzan swing - look out below!

On the crocodile man tour.

The boat brought us incredibly close to the crocodiles!

Hello everyone!

We are currently at the La Foresta Hotel in Quepos, near Manuel Antonio National Park. We had a very exciting day today, with a zip-line canopy tour in the morning and a crocodile boat tour in the afternoon. On the bus today we had the students write updates, so here they are.  Not everyone had a chance to write today, so we will try to post the remaining students' updates tomorrow. The trip has been amazing so far, and it's hard to believe we only have 2 more days!

Hello people of Reading!  I hope you are feeling good back home because in Costa Rica, we are having an amazing time.  The trip has had many high points, but so far, playing soccer with the locals has been the best.  At the Costa Rican school, we played soccer with some of the local fourth graders who would basically be considered soccer prodigies in the U.S.,  but in Costa Rica, being awesome at soccer is the norm.  In a scrimmage against the kids (Parker vs. Costa Rican Kids) we barely won 3 to 2.  Also, though they were tough to play against, I did get 3 or 4 goals in games we played after the original scrimmage.  Anyways, adios,

-Greg M. 

Hola people!  We just got back from zip-lining, which was delayed a day and sent to another location because of lightning.  The cables were mostly short, but I kept twisting around by accident anyway.  There was one part called the Tarzan Swing, which is just what it sounds like.  You are strapped to ropes and free-fall down before swinging on a long rope.  It was fun to hear people scream as they fell.

-Andrew W.

hello everyone we are now on the bus on the way to get lunch. we just finished zip lining         the best cable I thought was the second to last at a total length of 1410 feet long. this was the greatest point of the entire trip for me. After lunch we are going to go shopping and then another long bus ride to our croc tour. After the tour we will finish the drive and arrive in manuel antonio. 

-stephen young-pura vida!

Hi All,

Today we went zip-lining and yesterday we went to an organic farm, Don Juan’s Organic Coffee Farm was better though. The zip-lining was a fun, and eco-friendly amusement ride. At the coffee farm we had a great time because Don Juan was quite the character and made everyone laugh. At the farm, I got tribal face paint made from a plant with red pollen in it put on along with a few other guys. Then I milked a cow and pet and got real close to a 3 week old calf. Then, Don Juan had a couple of kids eat hot peppers and I gave a lot of water out because I carry a gallon at all times. 

Pura Vida

Peter V.

Hi Everyone,

Our group just got back from zip-lining and we had a great time!  After flying over the canopy of trees, rivers, and pastures with cattle grazing, I am fortunate to have this great experience.  Yesterday morning we woke up to go zip-lining but it was pouring rain  so the group decided to go at a different location in the same town (La Fortuna) today.  The guides are very nice and last night we went into the town and I bought lots of gifts!  Im sure that you will like them.  We met  man named Don Juan yesterday who owns a very large organic farm.  I am taking lots of pictures and having a blast.  The coffee is a great boost to my energy because all of the guys are pretty tired.  Peter invented the idea of a coffee part where all of the guys go to one of the rooms and we make a ton of coffee and we chill out.  Pura Vida! -Jake R.

Hola y Pura Vida! If you ever have a chance to go on a tarzan swing, do it! Even though we didn’t get to go zip lining yesterday, we still had an amazing time doing an alternative course today. Especially, the tarzan swing was fantastic. What we did was get attached to some ropes that attach to some trees above you, and then jump off a cliff, freefall for a little bit, and then when the ropes catch you swing back and forth. This was the absolute best part of the ziplining because you really got your adrenaline pumping. We screamed! Also when ziplining we went on some really long ones, including one which ended on a platform with many trees. This was not so good because we hit our heads on the trees, but good thing we had helmets! We won’t ever forget going ziplining today. Next we are going to lunch and a crocodile tour! 

Love to everyone at home and see you soon,

Claire and Erica:D

    

Pura Vida everyone! Just today we got to have a Costa Rican Adventure of our own. Zip lining! It was incredible, we all had a blast, and I personally will never forget my experience. We went on 11 zip lines, and one thing called the Tarzan swing. This is a rope you are strapped into and where you swing like Tarzan. It was incredible. But the only bad part had to be the way they stopped you. They would hop onto your legs and drag you where they wanted. It really hurt. But besides that, it was fantastic in all ways. I   love Costa Rica, and Pura Vida to everyone at home!

-Sam 

Hi Everyone at home!

We’re having a great time in Costa Rica. Even though zip lining yesterday didn’t work out because there was a thunderstorm and we got soaked, we got to go first thing this morning. We went to a place called Ecoglide. They had twelve cables and they were really long. After the sixth cable, there was a huge drop that they called the Tarzan Swing. It was so fun! I wish I could have done it a million more times! The cables after that were the pretty long but the longest was probably the second to last. I think I would have enjoyed it more if the cable didn’t shake like it was about to fall. We’re on our way to lunch, our new hotel, and a crocodile tour.

Pura Vida, Carolyn T.

Hola!

Today we went zip lining, which was an absolutely amazing experience.  We didn’t get to go yesterday because it was pouring out, but today we went to a place called Ecoglide.  Ziplining above the canopy of trees was so much fun, and after about half of the lines we got to try something called the Tarzan Swing.  The Tarzan Swing is similar to bungee jumping, where they strap you into some ropes and you freefall for a few seconds.  After that, you swing back and forth through the air, which was a great feeling.  The only thing that wasn’t so great was the fact that to get you to stop swinging the people would have to grab your legs and drag you down, which didn’t feel too good.

So far everything has been incredible, and I can’t wait to see more!

Pura Vida everyone!

-Chloe M.

Hi everybody in Reading,

     Today we went zip lining after yesterday’s didn’t go so well.  There was a ton of thunder and lightening so we couldn’t go but we moved around our plans so we could go today.  It was so much fun, especially the Tarzan swing!  Yesterday we went to this organic farm place and we tasted all kinds of different foods.  Me and a few other pepole tried the chilli peppers and omg ew.  They were so spicy that we got sick.  Ew ew ew.  I’m having a great time.

~Erin

Hi everyone!! Today we went zip lining and did this really cool thing called the Tarzan swing, which was basically bungee jumping with a rope instead of a bungee. I screamed really loud, I mean it was a far fall and the guys helping me pushed me out over the fence which was pretty terrifying. Yesterday it poured outside and it was freezing cold, imagine that. Anyways, we couldn’t go zip lining and switched it with today’s original activity of going to Don Juan’s organic farm. While we were there I had an interesting experience with a chili pepper and I had to chase down Luke for his waterbottle, which I was not successful in getting, but had three other people hand me theirs. I drank all of them. I also bawled my eyes out and I wasn’t trying to but the pepper was soooooo spicy. You can’t even imagine how bad it was. Almost everybody who had it got sick in one way or another and I was the supplier of the Pepto. Hoping to have a really fun time at the beach tomorrow and white water rafting Sunday. Bye ;)

-Kathryn

¡Hola!  Yesterday we were all ready to go zip lining, but then it turns out that we weren’t allowed to go because it was raining.  It wasn’t too bad because we got to go to an organic farm.  At the farm I ate a REALLY hot pepper which almost made me throw up, and I drank about 2 bottles of water to get rid of the hotness.  Today we went zip lining in the morning which really fun.  After that we are going to go to a Crocodile Tour.  

-Peter McGrory 

hey everybody, were having a great time down here. today were going on a crocodile tour, unfortunately it is a 3 hour drive down to there. and after that were going to the hotel which is another 2 hour drive but hopefully it will be worth it once we get there.

-Alex May

Hola yesterday we were all ready to go zip lining and then it started to rain and we heard lightning and I thought it would fine but the teachers made the decision to do something else and when we got down to land and then it stopped raining. So then we when to the organic farm and there I got a free hat and we did and egg toss and I lost and got egg all over my self. So then today we went zip lining and it was a ton of fun!!!!!!!!!

^__^ Hunter Atwood

Hola everyone, we had a bit of a delay with the zip lining but it worked out really well in the end. I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning but once I got started, it was great. The beginning went by pretty fast and by the time we got to the Tarzan swing I was totally relaxed, at least until I saw the drop. When I got up to the platform and they strapped my harness in, it was basically pulling me off into the air. As I took the “leap of faith” as you could call it, I felt the drop in the pit of my stomach but floated right back up soon after. After the amazing experience, we still had a few more zip line cables to make it to the bottom which just added to the excitement. We all reached the bottom and joined together to take off our equipment and get back in the bus. We drove for about two hours and stopped for lunch in the same place we had just days before. I bought some great gifts in the souvenir store next door and we were off once again. Now we are driving to the crocodile tour which is pretty exciting and it should be really fun. We had the great chance to meet the wife and three children of our tour guide, Chino, as we drove through his home town. I saw the Costa Rican coast for the first time all week and it made me anticipate our trip to the beach tomorrow. I really am having a fantastic time on this trip, even with all the rain, and I can’t wait for everything else we still have coming.

Pura Vida,

Kyra McDermott

Hola! Yesterday we visited a organic farm that was started by Don Juan, a former school principal. His goal is to change the world using education and sustainability through his farm. Driving in the bus going there, we were very cranky because we had just stood in the pouring rain for a long time waiting to zip line, only for it to thunder and get cancelled. The bus was filled with complaints on how we did not want to go to a boring farm, but when we got there it was a blast. Don Juan made the tour fun, interesting and interactive. I got to paint war streaks on Sam’s face with paint that I created by rubbing a berry’s seeds between my fingers. He also introduced a plant that when smacked onto our clothes created a mark. It was really cool! My highlight of the farm would have to be when some people got to try hot peppers. Their reactions to the fiery taste was priceless- I got some great pictures of them. Another high from the farm was the lunch. Everything on my plate was grown and harvested right on the farm! The tour pleasantly surprised me and I’m wicked glad we were able to visit it.

Pura Vida,

Ellie Wilson 

Sup people again,

Today we went zip lining in the early morning because we were unable to go yesterday due to the thunder and lightning. We went to a different place, which was very fun. The best part was the Tarzan Swing. This was a drop where you would be harnessed onto ropes and you would drop to your death, but suddenly rise and swing around the trees and vines. We just ate lunch at El Jardin. The food was great, and tasted much better than the hot pepper I ate the day before. Like the food at the restaurant, the pepper tasted pretty good. Even though it was good, it was extremely HOT! I felt like I was on fire! Later we went into La Fortuna to buy things, including hamburgers which the cooks in the restaurant that night made us.

-Hunter Lambroff

Hola!

Yesterday we got to visit an organic farm. Although we have them back home, they are nothing like the ones out here. Here they have sugarcane, pineapple and fresh tropical fruit everywhere. One of the funniest activities was when people that love spicy food had the option to eat this extremely spicy pepper. Some people were in more pain than others, but had hilarious reactions. Some people also got to milk a cow and we got to meet a baby cow that was named heart in spanish after the heart on its forehead. The experience was like no other and I am glad that I got the chance to enjoy it.

Pura Vida

Julie

Yesterday we were supposed to go zip lining but it started to rain too hard, so we ended up going today, it was really fun! Also, yesterday we went to an organic farm and I tried a very spicy pepper. Also we ate a disgusting plant, drank sugar cane juice, and some people milked a cow. Today we saw lots of crocodiles up close in a boat.

Pura Vida

Caroline

Coffee Plantation

Our view from the second hotel.

Alex enjoying nature.

The students created their own adventure while we waited for our bus to cross the river.

Rio Celeste

Chaperones crossing the hanging bridge.

After a day of painting and playing soccer, we relaxed in the pools heated from the natural hot springs. 

The following pictures are the students eating the chilies from Don Juan's Organic Farm shown below. I thought these to be extremely funny pictures showing honest reactions. Enjoy!

These are the culprits

The chaperones right before our waterfall hike. You wouldn't want to see the after picture!

Our bug lover Hunter saying hello to the friendly spider. Don't worry, it's dead, but I still wouldn't let him take it with him on the bus.

Great spirited best buds Kathryn and Erica enjoying a bus ride to our next destination.

The beautiful and talented girls of our school visit dressed in traditional Costa Rican dance dresses.

Que Linda!

Enjoying a friendly game of soccer with the local students. The Americans held their own! Even I scored a goal!

Chloe, Kathryn, Erica, and Caroline singing to the girls of our school visit.

Erin enjoying a new toy with the student Kimberly, age 8.

Kyra and Ellie enjoying a hand game with the local girls.

Painting one of two of the classrooms for the school.

Luke was one of our main, dedicated painters.

The Futbol (Soccer) Players

Arenal Volcano, view from our hotel. These are the bungalows we stayed in.  Not too shabby!

On our first day in Alajuela. Excited for the adventure!

Students are getting a lesson on the various coffee of the world. Here we are at the Espiritu Santo Coffee Plantation. 

Peter is getting a taste of what it's like to be a bean collector.

After an arduous hike, the Rio Celeste waterfall was a well worth it sight. The aqua blue color you see is caused by a chemical reaction of the calcium carbonate with the water.  Que Bonita!


We apologize for the very small and I'm sure disappointing amount of pictures. Even the internet is on Costa Rica time which we have learned to be very slow. We have so many fantastic pictures that I promise to have all of them to you on the blog as soon as we get home, but for now we will upload whatever we can. We have some posts from the kids they prepared for you last night and today. I hope you enjoy them as much we all did! Today we went to the school visit where the Costa Rican students performed several dances from their culture, fed us a traditional Costa Rican lunch, we painted two of their classrooms, and played a great game of soccer.  Before we left we gave them two large bags full of the school supplies. Tomorrow we are going on a lava hike and then zip-lining through the rain forest canopy. After that the students will enjoy the beautiful pool set under the Arenal Volcano at our hotel for a couple of hours before touring the local town of Fortuna. Later in the evening we will play another game of soccer as the guides were kind enough to rent us a stadium for an hour. Que Rico!

At Costa Rica, we have been taking a lot of bus rides. From one destination to another, it is by bus. Sometimes we have had some tricky situations that our “off-road” bus driver, Hansel, has remarkably got us out of. One day, we even had to go down a road which had turns on a dime, but we always get out of it. With out Hansel, we would never get to where we needed to go. Even today, we had to get our huge tour bus over a bridge that was too small for us, but we got over it. Without him, we wouldn’t even be able to go on this trip.

                      Pura vida Hansel! 

~Sam Ayer

                      

For most of the day today, we hiked a volcano near our hotel. Being in a group of 22 kids can be difficult, when you are climbing up a steep hill on a small trail. Of course the trail was difficult considering it had just rained yesterday and the rocks and branches were slippery. A few people had fallen, but everyone turned out to be fine after a minute or two. The trail was also very steep, but at the end it was worth it because we came to a beautiful waterfall.  The whole trail was beautiful, but it made it so much better to have the crystal blue waterfall at the end. 

~Julie McCarthy

Hola!

The most recent hotel we stayed at was called the Celeste Mountain Lodge, and it was absolutely gorgeous. It is a special hotel because it is very eco-friendly. It was designed so that the light from outside could be used to it maximum point. The very few lights that they did have were fluorescent bulbs; the coverings to the lights were actually leftover metal from the construction.  A majority of the furniture is recycled items. The couch and chair cushions are stuffed with dried pine needles. My favorite part was how open the interior was. It felt as if we were outside, even though when it rained it did not get us wet at all- and at times it poured!

~Ellie Wilson 

Our trip to Costa Rica so far has been so different for everyone, and experience is unique and special on its own. We all have our different opinions of the food, the hike, and the weather but in the end it is all good for everyone. The best thing about this trip is that even when times get tough, this group always pulls through and sees it in a positive way. People have been sick many times and all of us have acted as friends and helped out. I feel like this is the true meaning of Costa Rica and the goodness of the people here is coming out in all of us. This trip is bringing us all closer together and I know it will be one of the best experiences for everyone, because we make it that way.

Love and Pura Vida,

Claire

ps. Shout out to my famiy, I love and miss you guys! Thomas, I surprisingly miss you singing all the time.:) Guess what guys, I messed up my other knee and now have many cuts and a large bruise. hahaha it doesn’t hurt that much however so that’s good. I can still do everything just fine. Once again, love and miss you. See you when I get back!

The food in Costa Rica is very different from America.  There are a lot of juices, and i’ve tried a few and they’re all made out of exotic fruits.  Some mangoes, guavas and really wild things.  The food is either really fancy like fish wrapped in pasta, or normal like beans and rice.  We eat a lot of fruit, and like me if you don’t like fruit you are in trouble.  But, I’m having a great time and the people are so, so nice!

Love,  

       Erin

Dear Mum and Dad,

I am doing great and I am having a great time! There is absolutely NO cell phone service up here so that explains the missed text messages.  We are having such a great time!  We went on a really long four-mile hike that was very exhausting.  The surprising thing is that I go to bed pretty late, but this morning I woke up at 5:30 and I still have energy at night!  Isn’t that unlike me? For last night and tonight we are staying in a very nice hotel (Peter, Hunter L, Sam A in the room) and I have a lot of pictures to show you.  Every night we have a very interesting meal- we are having chicken tonight.  Lunch is always rice and beans and breakfast is usually eggs, sausage, and coffee (very good coffee here btw- bring home some). I miss you all and I am having a lot of fun!

-Love Jake

No me gusta avion!!

Luke 

Being adventurous serves you well here. I said I would try anything once and so far i have kept to that. So far I’ve been bitten by an ant that a guide put on my hand, held a mouse named Parker, and was the first one to get into the river for swimming. The adventurousness includes food too. If you say,” Hmmmmm... I think I’ll have some of that” even if you don’t quite know what it is or if you’ve had it before you find many things you never thought you would like. Another thing i’ve learned is to not judge a place by what it looks like on the outside. I’ve been pleasantly surprised by both our hotels so far so I’m trying to keep an even more open mind. 

-Erica(:

Here in Costa Rica, we are having a great time trying all of the new food. There is a lot of amazingly fresh fruits. After the coffee tour, I don’t think I will be able to have coffee for a while though! The first hotel didn’t have air conditioning but this second one has an incredible view, plus it is very eco-friendly with lamps and decorations made from left over building materials. 

-Caroline M.

Having such a great time down here in Costa Rica. we have already been to two great hotels the first one was a little cramped, especially because their was four of us in one room. the bus rides have been long but fun. I have learned so much from the tour guides and have really gotten to know them and a lot of other people on this trip a lot.

-Alex

So far the trip has been very interesting, but I was scarred for life by a naked old lady in a car who after getting out of it then decided to walk around in a fish net. Other than that the trip has been unbelievable and the Rio Celeste was unimaginably beautiful and you really had to be there to see the beauty because a picture just doesn’t show it well enough.

-Kathryn :P

Hi Everyone at home,

We’re having a great time in Costa Rica. I’m so glad I came! The hotels are really nice and I don’t think that any of us were expecting 3-course meals at one of them. The scenery here is really beautiful and I have a ton of pictures already. We went on a hike yesterday up the side of a volcano. It was tough but we saw different hot springs that were a pretty blue. The waterfall called Rio Celeste was one of the most beautiful waterfalls I have every seen. We also found a little mouse-like animal that we named Parker. The colors of all the flowers and plants here are extremely vivid and I’m really glad that I have my camera. (Thanks, Mom and Dad, for getting me that!) There have been some extremely funny moments. Especially that time when Kathryn got freaked out by an old lady that I luckily didn’t see. I hope everyone there is having as good a time as I am!

-Carolyn Terry

The trip has been great so far, and the $2,000 my parents spent to send me here was well spent.  Though I have enjoyed many things on this trip, my favorite site so far has been Rio Celeste.  With it’s sparking turquoise waters and it’s unique shape, its no wonder that it is considered Costa Rica’s best waterfall.  Well, I guess it’s nice until you compare it to America’s best waterfall: Niagara Falls, which is a little nicer :).  Also, I was happy to be pleasantly surprised by Celeste Mountain Lodge which looked like a really crappy hotel from a distance, but it turned out to be a great luxury hotel with august panaramic views of the Costa Rican rainforest.  Overall, it’s been a fun trip. 

-Greg McHale

Hola personas estan en el EEUU

we are all having a wonderful trip and enjoying every moment of the Costa Rican culture.Everyone has enjoyed everything from the coffee plantation to the waterfall and Rio celeste. El Rio Celeste is as blue and the sky and thus the name. We are all a little jet lagged but loving every moment.We all miss everyone back home but we will be back soon and cant wait to see personas:)

-Stephen Young 

Sup people,

We’re on the way to the school at the moment which takes a little more than two hours. We have stayed at some pretty cool hotels. After we help out the kids at the school, we are going to play a game of soccer. Signs point to us losing. The food is very good here, and we have tried many new beverages, such as guava juice (which resulted  in unhappy stomaches of some students). Tonight we will be staying at Lomas del Volcan, which has an amazing pool, as well as a view of the volcano.

-Hunter Lambroff

Hello to everyone back in the US, 

We are currently sitting in the bus on our way to the school which is pretty exciting. I have had so much fun so far and I can’t wait for the rest of the week. I really enjoyed our hike yesterday, and the long trek was definitely worth it to see the bright blue water across the Rio Celeste and the powerful waterfall. We all got some great pictures and I can’t wait to show you when we get back. The meals have been pretty exotic but I think its good for us to try some new things once in a while. Overall, we are all having a great time and learning so much about this new culture that we wouldn’t have ever imagined. I hope all is well back home with everyone and we will see you soon

-Kyra McDermott

Hi All, 

The trip has only gotten better as it goes on. The beginning of the trip was rough, the first meal did not agree with my stomach even though it tasted very good. But I have been better since the morning of day two. As we drive on the bus, the thing that strikes me most is how people build their homes out of mostly scrap materials (there is occasional nice house along the way) and then surrounded by a fence almost always topped with barbed wire. Almost every building here is surrounded by a fence with barbed wire because the police forces are spread thin around here and people feel the need to protect themselves. Seeing all of this has really made me grateful for the safety and comfort of my home back in Reading and I don’t have to worry about the basic needs of life that the average Costa Rican is constantly thinking about. Although the bus rides have been long and rough, I am constantly amazed at the skill of our bus driver Hansel, who has literally taken our 40 foot long bus on roads where someone in an off-roading Jeep would think twice about driving on. Hansel has driven us on narrow, one-lane dirt roads up on high ridges, across thin bridges, up steep grades, and around hairpin turns. And he has been able to drive us through all of it with practiced skill. The first hotel we stayed in was nice, but the location was nowhere near as good as the second hotel, the Rio Celeste Lodge was wedged up in between two volcanoes and in the mountains. The lodge was very eco-friendly and was surrounded by rainforest and at night we could hear howler monkeys calling out from the rainforest. The hotel was very open and it felt like we really lived outside for two days. The food has overall been tasty and exotic, especially at the Rio Celeste Lodge, where for dinner we were served gourmet three course meals for dinner on wooden platters covered with banana leaves for a plate. Also, yesterday afternoon we had about four hours of free downtime at the hotel where I was able to get in a workout with Mr. Barnett and Dan G. which was great because I haven’t been able to workout like I do at home so I had a lot of pent-up energy. I am having the time of my life and do not want this trip to ever end.   

Pura Vida,

Peter V.  

Today (wednesday), we are headed to paint two classrooms in the school, meet the kids and play a game of soccer with them.  Yesterday, we took a hike in the Rio Celeste rainforest.  I saw the most beautiful waterfall of my life with light blue water, and was able to capture many pictures of it.  But on the way to the rainforest, we had to drive on a rocky dirt road and cross bridges that were too small for our coach bus.  It is a very nice bus, but it doesn’t handle many of the roads in Costa Rica very well as they are very small.  The bus was scraping the dirt road many times going up the hill to Rio Celeste, and even went into emergency shut down once because the bus driver was pushing it too hard.  The bus driver is doing an excellent job navigating the bus through just about every terrain.  I am really enjoying this trip and don’t want it to end next week.

The Costa Rica saying is “Pura Vida” meaning pure life.

--Dan G.

Yesterday we went hiking and in the trip we saw a water fall, river, and sulfur bubbling up into to the river and it smelt like Steven farted. Then I founder out it was the sulfur not Steven but it did smell like he farted.  At the water fall I thought we could go swimming but we couldn’t and all we did was take picture. The teachers said that we re going to swim we did but the water was about 3 feet deep and Sam told me to jump into the water so I did and I hit the bottom. This is an excellent trip.

$ HUNTER ATWOOD $

So far the trip is amazing, and soon to get better.  Yesterday we went on a 4 mile hike through a forest, and got to see a waterfall, and a ton of bugs.  Sadly we weren’t allowed to swim in the water.  Also, I almost fell into the river from slipping on the rocks.  I can’t wait to visit the school and help out there.  PURA VIDA

-Peter McGrory

The trip has been very fun so far.  Yesterday, we went on a short hike around the Rio Celeste rainforest.  On the way there, the bus got stuck and we were delayed by about an hour.  We saw a great waterfall that, unfortunately, we could not swim in.  We didn’t see many animals, just insects- mainly ones that were trying to bite us.  Lunch ended up being delicious, and we waded in a creek nearby afterward.  All in all, it was a pretty fun day.  Today, we are going to the school, to help paint and give a cultural presentation.  It should be fun.

-Andew White

The trip here in Costa Rica has been amazing.  I’ve tried so many different foods (even rice, which I normally do not like) and they were all delicious.  We went on a hike yesterday to a waterfall.  It took a while because the bus wasn’t able to get to the trail, but we made it in the end.  We saw a gorgeous waterfall, and it was totally worth all the sweat and mud.  Right now we’re going to a school to help with a community service project and meet the kids there, but the bus can’t seem to get past so we’ll have to see what happens.  Can’t wait for the rest of the trip!

~Chloe McLaughlin :)