All students have made it through customs and are safely on American soil. We’re expected to land in Chicago at 5:00 PM. Remember, we are flying American Airlines from Dallas, TX.
Day 6 Student Summary
On May 12, 2017 we were all given the opportunity to Zip Line. Though many of us were afraid of this activity with the positivity and and encouragement that surrounded us we were able to conquer our fears. After this event, we all rejoined at the base house to have lunch together one last time. We then created a circle to do one last activity together. This activity was supposed to make everyone feel loved and noticed for the things they did throughout the trip. Once we finished we then all boarded the bus to head back to San Jose. One million hours later we had finally arrived to the hotel. We unloaded our bags from the bus and headed to our rooms to get ready for our final meal together.
Kezia Danso, Adam Kummerer, Elia Rea
Day 5 Student Summary
Today was a whole day dedicated to service. It was the second day we did two 3-hour long periods of service for a total of 6 hours of service. For breakfast, we had pancakes and toast. We then began to head out to our first period of service at 8 am. Following that, we came back to the base camp for lunch. Don Eric prepared rice, that was cooked in guayaba juice, and vegetables. A little bit of time was spent at the base camp so that we could rest and do anything else we needed to do before heading out to service again at 2 pm. Since it was our last day of service, we all said our goodbyes and took pictures. When we came back to the camp, Don Eric had made us fried tilapia for dinner. As always, the food was amazing. After dinner, we watched to videos about how we should look at service and what we can do to help from our daily lives at home. After a long day of service, it was finally light out.
Vince Perez, Fernando Saveedra
Day 4 Student Summary
On our fourth day in Costa Rica we wasted no time, after we ate breakfast we left for service. I was blessed with the opportunity to work with Tete on the construction of a high school bathroom. Unfortunately it started raining so we took that chance to take a tour around the school. It was very beautiful to see the differences and similarities between my school and their school. The students were amazing tour guides and I was pleased to have helped him with his English and for him to have taught me more about the ecosystem. After our service we went back to the house to eat lunch and quickly after we were done with our food we began heading to La Casona. We were introduced to a man who explained the history behind the house La Casona and how it contributed to the Costa Rican culture. We were then taken into the back of the house to see how coffee is made along with a tortilla making tutorial. Although I didn’t break the coffee beans that well it was still a very fun experience. When we were done we were taken into this huge plantation that had so many amazing herbs, fruits, and even jalapeños. I tried everything from what to me looks like leaves to the spiciest jalapeño (my tongue was numb for the rest of the day). Our guide also took us to a place where they make sugar with bulls. I volunteered and was part of the process, it was quite an experience. We were also given the chance to climb on top of the bull afterward and even though I was scared, I did it. Then we were taken to the kitchen were we were serves delicious food, food that I never thought I would like (fried plantains). I was surprised when all of a sudden the owners and staff of the house started bringing out instruments and singing. It was such a surreal experience to see all the dancing and all the genuine energy. In that moment I knew that this trip had really changed my life in a way that not only connected with my heritage but also brought new elements onto the table. The party continued and more people started singing and dancing I never wanted it to end but as many say good things must come to end, after a heart felt goodbye to the people of the house we headed home with a brighter attitude about the day ahead of us.
Fabiola Avila, Yasmina Tueros
Day 3 Student Summary
Today we started off with breakfast having ham sandwiches or pb&j sandwiches. We then went to a school and the kids greeted us by coming to the car, grabbing our hands and walking us to a spot where they then performed some traditional Costa Rican dances for us. They then grabbed our hands again and gave us a tour of their school. After the tour of the school, they led us to the soccer court made of cement and let us watch a few soccer matches of the little kids playing. We ate beef fajitas with potatoes at the base camp. We had about two hours to chill and then we went to work for three hours. My group (Ms. Gemo’s Group) had to set gravel on the ground for a project that was being built for parties and soccer matches that go on right next to it. We went back to the place we were staying at and ate a food called chifrijo, it consists of rice and beans and you mix it and eat it with tortilla chips. My group is called los Tigre’s and today for service we went to a community center to mix cement and level out the ground. It was very fun because I have never done that before, we also met a young boy named Juanito who worked very hard and helped us out with our project. The community center is for people to come together and celebrate or just to use for activity projects. It was a lot of fun to work together to add onto the project.
Eric Juarez, Brooklynn Marchan
Day Three Itinerary!
We are looking forward to this day!
Day 2: visit to the Arenal Volcano waterfall for a swim
After a hard day of service, we hiked down a canyon near the La Fortuna and the Arenal Volcano. We hiked down and up 500 steps both ways! After a group picture near the waterfall we went for a swim.
Day 2: the Service Begins
We broke off into three groups. One group worked at a local technical high school building bathrooms. Students attend this school for 6 years and graduate with a trade certificate. We really broke into a sweat!
Day 2 Student Summary
For day two we had a full day ahead of us. We woke up at 6:30 am and had breakfast in the common area. After breakfast, we were broken up into three groups for our half a day of service. Some went to a nearby school to help with the sewage pumps, others helped build a community center, and the last group also helped build a different community center by the base camp. After our service, we reunited and had lunch in our camp and then had time to change for our trip to the waterfall. Once at the waterfall, we went down 500 steps to the base of the waterfall and swam in the river that was by it, we also took a lot of pictures. After a few hours we went back up the 500 steps and drove back to base camp to get ready for mass. We went to mass in the downtown La Fortuna and afterwards were able to go to a grocery store to get some Costa Rican snacks and drinks.
Lizzi Colunga, Dominique Ghuneim
Agora 2017: Service in Costa Rica 