Costa Rica arrival!

 The Costa Rica group arrived safely at SJO.  Stay tuned....

Popular posts from this blog

Friday, May 31

Image
 Hola!  We were all excited for a change in our routines. Taking a break from our homestays, we jammed out to music on the long, but fun, drive to La Fortuna. Our excursion began with a visit to the Maleku tribe, a group of indigenous Costa Ricans. We enjoyed another good local meal, with an appetizer straight out of a termite nest on our hike prior, which had everyone curious to try. The excitement calmed as we focused on painting jicaras with our favorite animals just like the artisans in the Maleku tribe. In the evening on Thursday, the hot springs and a nice three-course meal were a perfect way to end our first day away. Enjoying our first warm showers in over a week and a lazy morning, we felt energized and ready to conquer the three-mile hike around the Arenal Volcano in La Fortuna. Surprisingly, the hike felt shorter as we were awed by the wild animals, lagoon, and gorgeous views.  Hunger got the best of us, and we had a very late lunch. Devouring our food, we were...
Read more

Saturday, May 25

Image
After packing up all our things last night, we all headed onto a bus and were each dropped off with our roommates at our homestay families. We spent the night playing games with the children, including soccer, Jenga, and Uno, and chatting with our new homestay parents, getting to know them. We then enjoyed delicious dinners prepared by our homestay parents and went to bed early after a long day. We woke up in our new homes, met by another tasty breakfast before getting picked up by the bus again and heading to the soccer clinic. On the bus, everyone excitedly talked about their different homestay families and all the animals that were at each of our houses, including dogs, cats, cows, rabbits, and some very loud roosters. Once there, Chino, a community organizer who runs the soccer clinic and used to play on the Costa Rica Premier Soccer League, talked to the group about the importance of shared values and coming together as a community. Before starting to play, we were introduced to a...
Read more

Friday, June 7

Image
Hello Menlo Parents,  We're back again - Justin and Jilynnette! Tonight marks the end of our unforgettable journey. It has been a long and eventful day, so we decided to give bloggers a break. We traveled from Cahuíta on the Caribbean coast back to San José, navigating through heavy traffic and finally arriving around 7:00 PM. The group has been sharing all the things they want to do when they are back. Get ready, they have a lot planned!  Once at the hotel, and after a brief rest, we gathered one last time as a group to reflect on the highlights of our trip, discuss the lessons we plan to carry with us back to California, and share the experiences we hope to leave behind. Our final dinner together was filled with laughter and nostalgia, and now everyone is in their rooms, preparing for an early departure in just a few hours. As we bid farewell to this incredible adventure, we all feel a mix of bittersweet emotions. We're sad to see it end, but eager to share with you all the ...
Read more