Tuesday highlights - School visit and hot springs

Wow, what a day! We began with our much anticipated trip to the Costa Rican school, which was an experience that our students will surely never forget. The school was floored by the generosity of our donation of school supplies. For their part, the students of the school were wonderful hosts for us.

Here we are being welcomed to the school:

Next we were treated to a few traditional dances performed by the students:

 

Here we are engaging in a question and answer session where our students had a chance to practice their Spanish:

Next we presented our gift to the school. One of the teachers there was so overcome by our generosity that she had to step out of the room because she was tearing up. 

The director of the school then shared some heartfelt words of thanks, translated by our guide Carlos:

Then came time for play, with students from both cultures sharing fun in various ways:

We then completed a few volunteer activities to help the school, including cleaning up the school garden:

Finally it was time to say goodbye to the school after an unforgettable experience:

Our fantastic day then continued with an authentic home-cooked Costa Rican meal at the house of one of the local families. The students even got to help make their own tortillas. The food was truly exceptional as we all left satisfied with full bellies and a new appreciation for the hospitality of the Costa Rican people.

The day continued with a stop in the town of La Fortuna (beneath the breathtaking Arenal volcano) for some snacks and ice cream:

Finally, to top off this incredible day we relaxed in the healing waters of the Paradise Hot Springs:

It's hard to believe we did all of that in one day! And we still have 3 more days to go...

P.S. - We also saw a sloth today!