Final Blog

Written by Brittany Stone


The third day in the rain forest was a very complicated day. While we were doing service work; which was building a wall, was difficult. Though the work itself was not complicated, the group was temperamental and was not able to work together. Nevertheless, we worked threw it. Then we played a refreshing game of soccer with local children and adults. It was a wonderful work out. Then we got to go to the waterfall to cool off. This waterfall was different than the first one. In the, we were able to dive into. It was really deep. I just wish that the people we played with were able to come with us. We finished this day off with a round-table talk of all of the funniest moments that happened in Costa Rica.


Last Day in the Rain Forest was a very long day. IN order to leave we had to go on a two hour hike to the other side of the mountain. During this walk I realized that hiking the mountains had gotten immensely better/easier. The first couple of days, the small hikes to our working area took a lot of energy and caused us to sweat bullets. The funny part is, our other destinations were always past the previous destination we had. Therefore, when you reach the first and second destination your thinking "Wow, that as easier than yesterday and the day before." It is a great feeling. After our hike, we were picked up by vans and taken to a zip-line area. This is something I was really looking forward to. When you get all geared up you feel invincible until you reach that zip-line area and see that you are about to fly above trees and rivers! The feeling was amazing. While we were zip-lining , it began to pour down rain. It was scary! When you are zip-lining, your break works because you pull down applying friction. When it is raining, there is little to no friction. So when you approach the next base you are pulling for your life! On top of that, you in in the air, on a metal wire, it is raining, thundering, and lightening. Your just thinking, "Please, God, don't let lightening hit this line!" Everyone was soaked. When we finished the course we were able to turn our shoes upside down and pour the water out of them. It was gross. Then on the ride to the next hotel we had to pass/drive through some rivers. May I remind you, it was pouring down. Therefore, the rivers were overflowing with water and we were getting stuck. Eventually, we got onto the road. The hotel we stayed at was right off the beach and was very pretty.

Now that I am back home, I realize that there is much here to be appreciated. I like the fact that we can flush our toilet paper the toilet, we have paved roads, and out police are one phone call away for the simplest of problems. The one thing that I miss a lot about Costa Rica is the kindness the vast majority of the people exemplified. I know that I were to have the opportunity to do, I would most definitely go again. Costa Rica is a grand place and I feel like more people should go.

Beach & Final Thoughts

Written by Jozelyn Burke:

The last few days were pretty relaxing but fun at the same time. On Wednesday we went & checked into our new rooms which were at a beautiful hotel along the beach! After checking in and getting out of our very wet clothes, if you wanted you were able to check out some of the shops along the beach. Then we had dinner and were pretty much in for the evening. The next morning we had breakfast and went to the Manuel Antonio National Park. We walked through to get to the beach and were able to see some animals we would not see on a daily basis in the states. After that we enjoyed some fun in the sun at a beautiful beach! We did run into some squirrel monkeys that came on the beach as well. After the beach we went back to pack up and head back to San Jose. We then packed all items and went to bed kind of early because of the early flight the next day. The final day consisted of traveling home, laughs, flight delays, eating American fast foods, and some final photos together.

This trip I could not describe or give in detail enough by just writing, it is something you would have to do for yourself. It was truely a once in a life time experience that I would never forget. I made a bond with people I never thought I would become close with, had silly jokes over things that no one outside of the trip would understand, and experience things I have never experienced before. This trip also was an eye opener to me. I seen some people who appreciate some of the smallest things in life, while some of us in America including myself, complain over things that are not as big deal of deal as we make them. I seen people happy with so little, while back home I see some that have so much but are unhappy! I think to myself why are things this way? Are we so spoiled that we forget what really matters? Not the money, not the type of phone you have, or the $200 shoes on your feet, but family and enjoying things that are a passion to you and not what society expects from you. I'm back in the U.S and wish that I could go back to Costa Rica just one more time to do it all again! :)

No Fun in the Sun

Written By: Neal Niedecker

So our first full day in the rain forest was a rough one. We only worked for four hours but I'm guessing that for me (and possibly others) it was the most physically demanding thing I've ever done. I wrestled when I was younger and I'm a frequent visitor to the gym so I'm no stranger to physical effort but this was different.

Our task was simple repair a weather worn dirt road.  Much easier said than done. Most students started off in one of two jobs. One was taking a sack of dirt from a hillside to a section of road about 500 feet or so away. The other was spreading the dirt that had been brought in evenly across the road. I had a different job however. Our tour guide and I filled wheel barrows full of large rocks and dumped the rocks into the larger divots along the road. I was filling the wheel barrow until it was nearly impossible to push up the hill, only because I thought I could finish faster that way. I soon figured out however that the holes in the road were so large that there was no point in burning myself out quickly. Still it was hard work and it wore me out after only a little more than an hour. So I traded jobs with another student. Now I was one of the sack carriers. It was a short walk to the other piece of the road where the dirt was going normally, but not with two 30 pound sacks slung over your shoulder.

As the sun came out and the humidity rose it became increasingly harder to work. The sun was burning my pale skin and the humidity is so high in the rain forest you can practically drown from breathing the air. Still finally the end came, it was time for lunch. One of my classmates, Mike, told a teacher he felt as though he was freezing, a pretty bad sign considering how hot it was outside. While everyone  walked back towards our cabins, I stayed in the back with the teachers and Mike. I was attempting to guide him back to the cabins , however he was steadily losing consciousness and coordination. Walking with my arm wrapped around him  eventually his body turned to dead weight and flopped onto Mr. Z's back in front of him. We managed to get him upright and semi-conscious again. At this point both Mr. Z and I half carried him the rest of the way. We laid him down in bed and the the other students moved in to care for him. They changed his clothes and brought him food and water. Only a hour or two later however Mike was up and okay. He said he couldn't remember any of what happened. I was just glad he was okay.

Every night in the rain forest we played cards. One game in particular Euchre was played by a large part of the group. We played game after game after game. I'd guess that I played on average four games a night. I never knew cards were so much fun. It's a hobby I'm certainly taking back to the States.

It's Like I'm in a Movie.

Written By: Neal Niedecker

 The vans pulled up to the clearing. It was just a shaky foot bridge separating our group from the horses that would haul our bags to Quebrada Arroyo. It had been a long bumpy ride in from San Jose and my legs were stiff, I was tired and unsure of what to expect. Crossing that bridge I was filled with doubt, yet I was determined not to let any of it get the best of me. The rain forest is one of those places that just seems otherworldly. I read about it in school and I've see people advocating against its destruction, but I never expected to actually be standing there at the edge of it. I had been in Costa Rica for almost a week but this bright blue footbridge was where I left the U.S. behind. There was no internet here, no news, no Facebook or blogs. Isolation from the internet and technology for the first time in my life. 

The hike in was one of the most memorable experiences of my life. The vibrant colors of the distant yet magnificent landscapes. Standing on top of a hill, my mind racing, basking in the sight of this beautiful forest and river. One of my teachers, Ms. Peck, came up beside me and said "It's like something you see in a movie!" To which I responded "That's exactly what I was just thinking, it's like I'm in a movie." 

This mutual feeling of being in a movie, shared between my teacher and I. I assume the feeling would've just been forgotten by most. Yet to me it had deeper implications. That maybe I spend a little too much time in front of screen. Be it a computer or television. To the point where seeing something incredible reminds me of  a movie. It made me realize that there is a world worth seeing out there, and no matter how incredible what you see on TV may be. It can't compare to the real deal.

Anyway back to the hike. At the start of the hike I was towards the front of the group, however I kept stopping to take pictures of the incredible things I was seeing. So eventually I fell towards the back of the pack. There were several side paths along the way and I started to think I may have gone the wrong way. However the locals who ran a store near where we stayed (a store in the rain forest? Who would have known?) assured me I was headed the right way. 

It started to pour just as I got under the shelter of the cafeteria of the tourist area of Quebrada Arroyo. I'm glad as it could have ruined my camera. Which made me realize my camera's battery was just about dead and I had forgotten my charger in San Jose. A lost opportunity as I may never get to see those sights again, still I'm grateful for the pictures I did take.

Rain forest

Written By Jozelyn Burke:

The rain forest was an experience like no other! We first had to drive a few hours to the rain forest, then once we were there we had to hike in another hour into the rain forest to get to where we would be staying. At first I'm thinking an hour isn't that bad walking, but I guess I forgot about the part when they said "hiking". This included walking up big hills, hot weather, some rain, and sweating like I have never did before. What took an hour seemed like hours! Arriving at our new home felt like a great accomplishment. The next few days we completed service projects for the people in the area. Some of what we did included making the road more even, and filling areas with stones that needed more leveled out. The next day we then built a cement wall to keep water from rising on the road. This was more challenging then what we did in La Carpio because we had to mix the cement by hand. This for me was one of my favorites for some reason, although it was very time consuming and a challenging process, I think thats what made me want to do it both days we worked on the project. We did though have to hike in about 30 minutes to our work area which was a workout before work! The rain forest wasn't all work, some days we also swam in some of the most amazing waterfalls, also played soccer with some of the students in the area as well. The final day that we were in Quebrada Arroyo, we completed the projects we started and also planted some new trees. After working and enjoying some waterfall fun, we all began to get ready to pack up. That night we presented a donation to the community and also talked with some of the leaders of the community. The days spent in the rain forest were some of the most challenging days of my lives but I loved every moment of it! The thought of waking up everyday in the heat, being dirty, and sweaty was a decision I was rethinking but I'm glad I took on! The next morning we said our goodbyes and thank yous and headed to zip lining. My fear for heights was over that day, I'm 5 foot and do not like to be up high but this trip for me was all about trying new things. Once I went on the first line I loved it and was so excited about continuing on. We did end up getting poured on though while we were zip lining and we all were soaking wet, we also had a little bit of a struggle leaving zip lining because the water was up on the road and was pretty high for the vans.

A sad goodbye

Written By: Alex Guy

Traveling to the rainforest from San Jose what a good time. At first, everyone was in a bad mood because of the van set up. After we got started, we were all having fun. We stopped several times on the way to take a restroom break and to look at alligators that were about 10-15 feet long. They were amazing especially since I haven’t seen anything like them before.

When we arrived in the rainforest, the first thing our group had to do was to hike about an hour or so to our cabin area. That was a rough time because, not only was most of it up hill but, Mr. Z and I stayed back to walk with Ms. Rob and Andrea because they were having asthma issues. I didn’t mind staying back with them but the four of us still had some good laughs. Then, after we thought we were lost for an hour, we showed up at our cabin area and we met all the other students.

The rain forest amazed me in so many ways. The first evening that we were there, I ate dinner while sitting at this high table and behind the table was the forest. So it was kind of like eating dinner while watching TV except the TV was the forest. It was an amazing view and it was so natural. That was definitely one of the best views of the trip. After our dinner, we all had a meeting and then we just relaxed for the night which was definitely a good idea since we were all exhausted from the day of travel.

The first 3 full days that we were in the rainforest we did service work. One of those days was to even out a road that had a lot of ditches and low parts in it so our team carried bags of rocky sand up a huge hill and unloaded the bags where they needed to be unloaded. That day was particularly difficult because I had blisters on my feet which made it difficult to walk and also I was sweating a lot. I think I drank about 5 liters of water that morning and I literally sweat it all out. My bladder was empty the whole day.

Also, one of the best things about the whole trip was swimming in the natural waterfalls. I loved swimming in them and it was just amazing to see the water fall from so high and hit the clear water below. The water was so clear and so refreshing I wish I could have just stayed there.

The other few days we worked on building a retaining wall. We mixed cement on the ground and we poured it over thick rocks. That also happens to be when I broke my toe from a huge rock falling on it. It was… an interesting experience. That held me back a little bit on our 2 and ½ hour hike the next day. I still tried to get there ASAP because I wanted to stop sweating.

The rest of that day we traveled to the zip line which was amazing. We got to travel through the canopy ad see open valleys and what not. Unfortunately, it started to poor and we all got soaked, the cameras got soaked, and all of our bags on top of the vans got soaked. That was rough, but I didn’t really care because I had a dry pair of clothes for the next day so I enjoyed the rain. It felt good. In a weird way it was very relaxing to just let the rain fall and walk through it. It was especially cool to go on a zip line that is extremely long and having rain smack you in the face. It was pretty sweet.

The next day is the beach day which was also an awesome experience. We went to this beautiful beach that had white sand a warm water. It was an amazing view. Then we headed back to our hotel to pack up and go back to San Jose. Once we got back, we did some shopping and went back to the hotel. Literally when we were all heading to our rooms for the night, Z called us all for a meeting and told us we had to wake up at 4 instead of 6. That was rough.

So we woke up early to go home. The flight process was extremely frustrating. Once we got to the air port in Dallas, I went straight to Wendey’s to get back on my American diet. It tasted so good. All that grease and fried chicken, it was so good. Then we got on the flight back to Pittsburgh and it was good to be home.

The trip was a experience I wouldn’t trade for anything. I learned so much, even throughout the bad times. I learned every moment of the trip and enjoyed most of them. If I were to talk to a student that was thinking about going next year, the first thing I would tell them is that it is a life changing experience that will change the way you live and view life. I wish I could go next year it was so good.

Last Day In The Rain Forest

Written By: Montell Herring
The last few days in the Rain Forrest were fun, but a lot of hard work. First we brought sacks of dirt and rocks up hill. It was a grueling and intense day, one member of the group fainted and had to be carried back to the rooms. I can understand, because that was the hottest day we had worked in and the day with the most brutal work, that was our last day in the Rain Forrest however, luckily the next two days were a lot easier. Michael Vaughn and I helped build a wall to stop land slides from running into the creek. After finishing up with the wall, most of the group planted trees along a path deep in the Rain Forrest. However leaving the Rain Forrest wasn't as hard as people made it seem. It was a very long hike, but most of it was down hill. I really enjoyed my time on this trip and I would defiantly do it again in a heart beat!

Coming back to the U.S I have defiantly gained appreciation for the little things. The experience i had in Costa Rica has defiantly made a huge impact on my life and how I see the world now. If I i could, I'd defiantly do it again in a heartbeat, and I recommend every student to apply for the trip, it is worth every penny! 

Reflection

Written by Charlene Ward       

Leaving Costa Rica was very bitter sweet. I was happy to return back to solitude in the United States, but I was very upset that I had to leave such an amazing place. I already have a desire to go back after only a week home.  The service learning experience will  stay close to my heart forever. I met amazing people in Costa Rica, and I also created lifelong friendships with some of my classmates. I think that every person should try to go on a trip like this one at least once in their life. The trip was very tiring at times, but it was all worth it. I learned so much from this trip that I would never have learned in the classroom. I wish all my classmates would have the opportunity to go on this trip.

                The work we accomplished was very gratifying. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that the work our group finished in both La Carpio and the rainforest will immensely affect the people’s lives. I also liked doing work that directly affected the people we helped. When I volunteer with the SCA, the work we do often helps indirectly. I think I was more motivated with the work we did in Costa Rica because I could see immediately how it helped the people. Even when I was absolutely exhausted, I did not give up. I know the work that our group was doing was special; we really made an impact. 

                I miss the people in Costa Rica dearly. We met many different nationalities while in Costa Rica which included: Costa Ricans, Nicaraguans, and Brazilians. The people in Costa Rica were so kind. I absolutely loved practicing my Spanish with all the people in La Carpio and in the rain forest. Honestly, I now even want to live in a Latin American country when I am older, and I really want to study abroad  in Latin America. My martial arts instructor actually spent an entire year studying at the University of Costa Rica; he said it was the most rewarding experience of his life. I would definitely go back to Costa Rica at some point in my life.

                One thing that was really hard on the trip was dealing with the same people for two weeks. I did get along with everyone on the trip, but I am the type of person that needs a lot of time by myself. I like to go and do my own thing, so it was really hard to stay with the group 24/7. The trip definitely taught me to get along with the same people for two weeks. Now when I go to Alaska for a month with NOLS, I won’t have as hard of a time adjusting to seeing only the same sixteen people over the entire month. My relationships with some of the people on the trip have definitely grown immensely.

                The things our group go to see was absolutely amazing. I also was able to experience a lot of new things while in Costa Rica. It was my first time seeing a volcano, going to a coffee plantation, zip lining through the rainforest, swimming in the Pacific Ocean, seeing wild monkeys, and watching someone cut up a tree with a machete! These are experiences I could have never done in Pittsburgh. The service learning company did an awesome job at planning things that us kids would love. There was nothing I disliked about this trip; I thought it was an absolutely amazing experience, and I’m sad that the experience is over. It definitely went by too quickly, but I'm hoping to have similar experiences in the future now because of it.  

Rain Forest, Beach, & Home

Written By Mollie Schillinger


After leaving San Jose for the rain forest, the trip got a lot harder. I knew the rain forest was going to be a lot more difficult the moment we started our hike up to Quebrada Arroyo.  That hike was probably one of the hardest things that I ever did at that point. Little did I know that things were just going to get harder. The rain forest wasn't exactly what I expected, but it was still a lot of fun. The amount of work we had to do there was a lot, but we all made it through and we seemed to work together pretty well (for the most part). Overall the rain forest was a lot of fun. I got to practice my Spanish a little more and I got to swim in the most beautiful waterfalls I have ever seen.

Even though the rain forest was extremely challenging, it was worth it. Regardless of all of the things that happened. I think I enjoyed La Carpio a little more though. There, we had a bit more of a connection with the people we were working with.

The hike out of Quebrda Arroyo was really hard. It was even worse than the hike we had to do to get up there the first day. It was worth it though because right after that, we got to go zip lining. It was really fun, but then it started pouring! Everyone was completely soaked. It rained for quite awhile. When it was time to leave, we had to drive over three different creeks. Since it was raining so hard, the water rose, so it was really scary driving over them. Then, there were trees that fell in front of the road. The men driving out vans got out and started cutting it and moving it out of our way. It was really cool how they all worked together to get it done for us.

The next day, we went to the beach and it was really cool. We went to Manuel Antonio national Park. There were monkeys just running around on the beach, it was really cool. After that, we headed back to San Jose to get all of our stuff together to go home the next morning. There were a few problems with the flight times, but it wasn't too bad. I was really excited to be going home. The trip was a lot of fun but I was ready to go home.

After I got home and saw my family and took a nap in my own bed, I wanted to go back already. I started to miss everything that I experienced the 12 previous days. Overall, the trip was a lot of fun. I would not take any of my experiences back for anything, and I would gladly go back again.

Rainforest & Final Thoughts

Written by Michael Pittek

After our week in San Jose we headed for the rain forrest. One of the challenges we had was getting there. It wasn't the 4 hour van ride that was difficult but the hike. The first thing we noticed when we arrived was the humidity. You would literally sweat just from standing, for me it was one of the most annoying things that we had to deal with. The hike took an hour and the higher we went up the more you could feel the air thining. It was one of the most difficult and tiering things that we had done. After what seemed like forever we reached the bridge. It was a swaying bridge that was high over a river next to a water fall. It was intimidating for some but I had no problem with it. It was a big accomplishment for me because I am normally scared of hights but I was not phased by the bridge. We had reached our cabins and our new homes for the next week. During our time in the rainforest we spent a lot of time working. We helped move bags of rock and spread them on the trail to improve the roads. It was hard work in the hot sun and it was tiering but there was no time to rest because the next two days consisted of mixing concrete and building a retaining wall to support a rode that was next to a waterfall. We spent a total of 8 hours in the next two days mixing concrete by hand, with no eletric mixer. After all the hard work the wall was complete and it really felt like we helped the people by making sure that thier road was sucure and safe. However it was not all work we did have some down time to relax. One of the most awsome things that we did was play a game of soccer with the towns people. They are very very good at soccer and it was a lot of fun to watch them play and join them in the game. We also played lots of card games in the rainforest. Another thing that was cool about the rainforest were the animals, we saw a lot of them. We say monkeys, lizards and birds. It was a very uniqe experiance that I will remember always. The last night there we were thanked for all of our work by the local residence and we shared a meal together.

Overall I think that the trip had a very positive effect on me and my peers. We learned a lot during our time there. Not only did we learn about the culture of Costa Rica but we also learned about hard gratifying work. We were able to help people and communities that truly needed it and it felt good to know that we made a real difference in someones life. It was a great experiance and I will remember it always.

In the Rainforest

Day 6: Near Death Experience to Beautiful Escape

Like any other day, we awoke early and headed out for a long day of traveling to the rain forest. I truly felt like I was on the television series "Man vs. Wild" once we reached our destination after four and a half hours of traveling. We were really in the middle of a rain forest! We dropped our stuff off at the end of a man made rope bridge over a river to be carried by horses. After we started our hike it began getting more and more hard to continue. There were many hills and you can tell the air was getting thinner and it was getting more humid. After walking up hill for about an hour, I had an asthma attack which was a shocker to me since I hadn't had since I was in the third grade. Luckily with the help of Mollie, Michael, and Jozlyn, I calmed my breathing with drinking water and breathing easily, because my inhaler was in the backpack of a teacher who wasn't with us on the trail. After traveling several more unpaved hills, getting lost, and loosing my breath again, we made it to our lodgings. It is so beautiful here. Being right next to a waterfall is so soothing. Despite the wildlife, I think I'll like it here!

Day 7: Humidity and Serenity

The crew woke up early and trudged from our cabins to the outdoors cafeteria for breakfast. After our meal, we began our service work in the rain forest where we were assigned with making roads by breaking the dirt caused by mud slides and shoveling it in places on the road to make the roads leveled. After doing this for four excruciating hours in the heat we were all tired, in pain, and dirty. One student even got so hot and dehydrated he passed out and had to be carried back to the bunkers. In the end we were all glad to help despite the work load. We all took showers afterwards, and ate a lunch which consisted of beef, rice, beans, tortillas, and fruit. After this filling meal, the group needed down a path to a waterfall where I had one of the best experiences of my life. The waterfall looked so cool! The feeling of swimming in a whirlpool was amazing.We all even climbed up the "mountain" to the first waterfall and played thee. It was so serene and calming. Tomorrow brings us a day just like today, hopefully we all are able to function and no one gets as ill as they did today. 

Day 8: Medical Emergencies and Fun in the Sun

Today started like every other, early and cold. After breakfast we headed out for our first day of service work in the rain forest. The hike there was terrible! Only half way through I felt like a fish out of water. This was the scariest experience so far on the trip. After my asthma attack, I felt really light headed. After sitting for a while I felt a little better and began working with the rest of the group on building a barrier to stop the river water from coming onto the roads. After our work we returned to the cabins for lunch and a quick dip in a waterfall near our lodgings. This was a great day despite the second medical scare. Hopefully tomorrow's work will be easier and just as rewarding.

Rain Forest and Such

Written By Mike Vaughn 

Not looking forward to the 4 hour drive from San Jose to the Rain Forest. I just wanted to be in the Rain Forest. I have been looki 

Costa Rica - Rainforest Days 6 - 10, Days 11 & 12, & Final Thoughts

Written by Dawn Dallmus

Day 6 - Travel & Hike

I am exhausted! The trip from San Jose to Quebrada Arroyo was long and tedious. I finished my second book and started on the third. I think I think I will finish that book before we get home to Pittsburgh and that is not good because I will have nothing else to do when we get on the planes. Once we got to as far as the vans would take us, it was hiking the rest of the way. At least we didn't have to carry our bags because the leaders of the camp brought five horses to carry our stuff. As the last of the horses were being loaded, we started the long, uphill hike to where we were staying. At first, I was with the group in front, but then when we came to the hills, I started to lose my breath and fell away to the back of the group. I also didn't have my water bottle because I had not filled it up. We were told we could fill them where the horses were but there was nothing to fill them up with. I felt like I was going to cry walking up the hills because my body wasn't fully used to hiking up steep hills, especially for an hour. There were so many beautiful waterfalls and flowers and views along the trail as well. I wish I had my camera or a camera to capture these beautiful shots. After an hour of pain and breathlessness, I finally reached the camp that we were going to be staying at for the next couple days. Everything is just so beautiful here and I wish I could share it with my family and my boyfriend. Speaking of, I miss them a lot! At times, I wish I could see them and hear their voices.

Day 7 - Service Work & Waterfall

Today we started doing service work and the work was backbreaking...literally! We had to put dirt on the road and flatten it out for people and cars. We had to do this for four hours and the majority of the work was in the sun. That made working harder because the sun soaked up all our energy and we had to take many water breaks. I was so happy when Alfredo said we could go back to the camp and change, I was sweating like crazy. Someone even passed out because of heat exhaustion. When we got back we had lunch and Alfredo said we could go into the waterfall just below us. The waterfall was gorgeous and it looked like it was something out of a movie. We were able to get right under the waterfall as well! It was like a dream to be able to swim near and in a waterfall. I felt so happy when I saw it and I was ecstatic to be able to swim in it. After the waterfall, the leader of Quebrada Arroyo, Miguel, took some of us to see some squirrel monkeys. They were so cute and small. I wish I had my camera so I could have taken pictures of the monkeys and the waterfalls because they were such beautiful sites. Being in the rainforest makes me so happy because of all the cool and beautiful things within it.

Day 8 – Service Work, Soccer, & Waterfall

 Today has been even more exhausting than yesterday. We had to hike half an hour just to get to where we were working. Then, I had to carry many bags of heavy sand and dirt up and down hills in order to make cement for a rock wall. I had to stop every once in a while because I was getting winded a lot. I cannot wait to be done with the manual labor tomorrow so the next day we can have fun and shop. I hate doing manual labor because it is so exhausting and back breaking. When we finished working, we had lunch and then changed to go play soccer with some of the Costa Ricans in Quebrada Arroyo. I watched as nine of my peers and one teacher played and slipped around on the muddy field. Not long after, a group of us stayed to play more soccer and the rest of us went to swim in a new waterfall pool. This pool was much deeper and I was able to dive in and do cannonballs. I had a lot more fun at this waterfall than at the other one because of the depth of the water. After that, we had a chance to change and dry off before dinner. Before dinner we had our meeting where we were asked two questions: “What was the funniest thing on our trip so far?” and “What was your victory?”. The answer to the first question was when we were in La Carpio and all the kids imitated Josh falling and ripping his pants when playing soccer. The answer to the second question was losing weight because of the rice and beans diet. Something that was really scary so far has been the size of the spiders and the cockroaches. We saw two giant cockroaches as big as a dollar bill (width and length) and the spider was as big as my hand. Yeah, my arachnophobia is kicking in big time. ¡No me gusta araña's!

Day 9 – Service Work, Tree-planting, & Waterfall

 I was so glad that today was the last day of working because I am tired. Today I mixed cement by hand and it was so difficult. After that, a group of us followed Miguel to collect baby trees that we were to plant. When he collected about 40 tree saplings, we walked just past the camp and crossed a stream so we could plant them. After we planted all of them we came back for lunch and then we got ready for the waterfall. We went to the waterfall from the first day we worked and I wasn't too happy. I wasn't happy because I preferred the other waterfall pool because it was deeper. We only had a little bit of time there because it was getting ready to storm. Once we got back from the waterfall, we saw a lot of different animals. I got to see an iguana, a toucan, more beautiful butterflies, and lots more of the squirrel monkeys. All of these made me so happy because we hadn't seen too much wildlife since we have been in the rainforest. I was so happy to see the squirrel monkeys again because I hadn't been able to get a picture since I didn't have a camera the first time I saw them. Today they were so close and way more photo-genic because they were coming so close to us. I used the call that I learned from Miguel to bring them somewhat closer and that excited me a lot. I also learned that they are an endemic species and that means you can only find them in one country in the entire world.

Day 10 – Hike & Zip-line

Today we had to hike two and a half hours to where a pair of vans would take us to a place where we would zip-line through the canopy of the rainforest that was an hour away. I was not looking forward to this hike. We had to walk the half an hour to where we were doing the service work for the past two days and then two more hours of walking up and down hills. I was glad that I was wearing my bathing suit because it helped to absorb most of the sweat. The van ride was boring and then we got to the zip-line place. We got hooked up in our zip-line gear and learned the basics of zip-lining. When we were ready, we got hooked up and ready to zip-line through the rainforest canopy of Costa Rica. What an amazing site and experience this was! The rainforest was gorgeous and the view was even better. About 5 or 6 zip-lines in (we were signed up to do a total of 10 zip-lines) it started to rain. At first it wasn't too bad and then it hit harder. About the 7 or 8 zip-line is where it started a torrential downpour. If anyone brought cameras and had them in their pockets while zip-lining, they were destroyed. We were literally soaked from head-to-toe. I certainly was glad that I was wearing my bathing suit. When we got back to where we were hooked up, we were served lunch and were able to dry off a bit more. Did I forget to mention that our bags were on top of the vans without any sort of cover over them? Yeah, all our bags and the contents within them were soaked and that sucked! When the rain let up a little bit, we made a run for the vans. When we were all in the vans, we started to head back down the way we came and we hit our very first obstacle. The storm was so bad that it took down a tree and the tree landed in the middle of the road. One of the guides that took us on the zip-line took an ATV and went to get help. He came back with a guy and a machete. The guy started attacking the tree with the machete and eventually got it cut and moved out of the way. Then we came to the next obstacle, the waterfall overtaking the road. There were 4 or 5 of these obstacles but we made it through them all. Then we headed to Manuel Antonio National Park where we would stay overnight. When we got there, that was when we found out that all our stuff was soaked. I was so upset because that meant I had to wear wet jeans the next day along with my wet bathing suit. I just knew I was gonna be miserable the next day.

Day 11 – Beach & Travel back to San José

Today was fun with everything that happened at the beach. When we first got to the beach, there was a raccoon that was sniffing around in everyone's stuff trying to find food. The funny thing was that when he did find food, he would actually go inside your bag and grab whatever it was and drag it into the rainforest. He wasn't able to get away with anything because people would throw sand at him or make some loud sound to make him move away. Then the white-faced capuchin monkeys showed up to entertain us all and allow us to take a lot of really neat, up-close pictures. They were literally only 1-2 feet away from the public which I thought was really cool. Most animals try to avoid the public at all costs. When we got back to the hotel, we packed up our things and got into two vans and traveled to the town of Quepos where we had lunch before starting our 3 hour trip to San José. I was so uncomfortable the entire trip because I was wearing my wet bathing suit that still had sand and salt water on it, wet jeans that irritated the inside of my thighs and the A/C was on so I was cold because I was in all those wet clothes. When we got back to San José, we were allowed to shop for 45 minutes in a little market area just across from the National Museum of Costa Rica. I bought a few things for my boyfriend and something for me. Then we headed to Las Orquiedas where we had dry clothes from the bags that we had left at the hotel when we went into the rainforest. Then we had dinner and had to fill out a little survey about our experience on this trip. We also received t-shirts from the company that hosted the trip for us and got a picture with Alfredo. Then we packed up because we had to be at the airport by 6 AM.

Day 12 – Travel Home & Final Thoughts

I could not wait to get back home! Even though I had fun in Costa Rica, being able to see my mother and stepfather and little siblings was an awesome site. I missed them all so much and I hated not being able to see or hear them for the past 12 days. When we landed in Pittsburgh International Airport at 8:10 PM, I called my mom and said that we had landed and were safe. She told me that she was waiting for me at baggage claim and that she would see me shortly. That got me really excited! When we got to baggage claim, I saw her all the way at the baggage claim where our bags would be and I ran. I ran like crazy right into my mother's arms and cried. Then I went and got my bag and we headed home to where I had a nice warm bed waiting for me and a lot of dry clothes and technology.

This trip has taught me a lot more about poverty and how not everyone in the world has everything that they may want. They may have very little and any sort of help means the world to them. There are other people where they have just enough to get by and have the basics if not a few extra things. The people in La Carpio and Quebrada Arroyo were so thankful and gracious for all the hard work that we did to help them make their community a better and safer place. I was really glad to be able to go on this trip and I encourage anyone and everyone to give this trip a chance. There are things that you may be scared of such as bugs, spiders, or heights, but this trip is worth it no matter what you are scared of.

The Last Day.

Today is the last day in Costa Rica and this trip has been full of blood, tears, and sweat. The memories of the trip are amazing. Starting with the plane ride here ending with the two hour hike out of the rainfotrest. This experience has changed my life forever. Let me tell you how ... It all started on the third day in Costa Rica when we went to do service work in a little village called La Carpio. The people were so kind and happy. After seeing the way they live and how hard they had to work it really made me apperciate what I have. I'm taking a lot from this time here. I now value the small things in life. For example, in La Carpio they didn't have a proper sewer system something that we take for granted. We don't even think twice. I really apperciate having the oppurnity to come on this trip because it has open my mind to different things and a new culture. I didn't think that I would be able to make it through these twelve days without talking to my mom but I did it. I conquer my fear and went zip lining! I now want to do more service trip like this. It's exciting and also hard work but I LOVE IT!

The Rainforest

Written by: Joshua Brown

These past few days have been an amazing experience for me. During the past few days I have seen and heard many things about the Costa Rican culture that I never would have experienced at home in the United States. The rainforest is a beautiful place and it is something that needs to be preserved in order to maintain its beauty. During the course of the past couple of days I am proud to say that I was a part of doing this.

The worst part about the rainforest was getting there, and getting back. The trip started with a 3 hour drive from San Jose, in which we stopped numerous times to buy coffee, or to stop and see giant crocodiles. Once we got to the rainforest the vans dropped us off at this very shaky looking bridge. It was a giant cable bridge, but it didn't have much support in the middle. The bridge swayed from side to side with each step, and people ran across it. After that, we had to walk an hour uphill for the most part to Quebrado Arroyo. The entire walk we were warned it would rain, but it didn't actually rain until we arrived which was a good thing.

Working for the people of Quebrado Arroyo was an amazing experience. The village had been struck with fungus on their cocoa and vanilla in the past, forcing them to switch to ecotourism as an income. This meant that people had to get to the village, which is where we came in. During our time there we helped to make a retaining wall to help keep the paths from running off. Also, we helped fix a variety of holes in the roads, and filled them with sand that we had to move up and down the hills. It was a very difficult task for both of these jobs, and it required lots of physical labor. This was great for us as a group though because we worked together as a group to get the job done, and we all had to overcome the difficult tasks in front of us.

When we weren't working in the rainforest, we were either sitting around playing cards, or we were swimming, or in my case, playing soccer. As for the card playing, it seemed that we all became addicted to playing one game. Mr. Z taught us all how to play a game called euchre. At the beginning of the trip no one was playing, and now you can't go 20 minutes without someone asking you to join a game. Other than that, I really enjoyed the soccer as usual. On the second day we played a game with the locals. They split us into different teams, and of course my team ended up winning. Neal was a really good goalie. He was diving around and stopping everything somehow.

After the rainforest we had to walk over 6 km to get to the vans. They picked us up after our long walk and took us to the zip lines. They were really cool, but half way through it started to rain extremely hard. It was storming so much that they actually cut it off and made us finish early. In the end all of our bags were soaked, we were soaked, and it turned into a pretty upsetting morning. Later the vans took us to Manuel Antonio. We spent the majority of yesterday, and half of today there as well. Last night we just walked around in the rain and bought a lot of food. Later that night Mike P., Neal, Nick, and I through our own mini-party in a room and played euchre all night as we drank coke, ate chips, and laughed.

This morning we visited the national park and beach. The beach was awesome. We got to see a variety of monkeys, a sloth, and many different lizards. On top of that, the beach was a pretty fun place to be at. I kept attempting to build sand castles, but the ocean had other ideas for the sand. After a few hours of swimming we headed back to the hotel, which was amazing by the way, and headed back towards San Jose. When we got back we bartered with merchants, and prepared for the final night of the trip.

Overall this trip has been an amzing experience. One thing that I will definitely take away from this trip is being grateful for what I have, and being nice to others. Everyone in Costa Rica is grateful for what they have. They are not greedy, and they don't try to rip each other off. They are nice to the tourists, they are nice to each other, and they are just overall a really nice nation. If everyone was more like Costa Ricans, I feel like the world would be a much friendlier place. I am not sure how it is going to feel going back to America where people will get angry at you for the littlest things, where as here they will give you a hug without even knowing your name.

Well, that is all from me. I really enjoyed this trip, and to all of you who have contributed to this experience I thank you for letting me come on this trip. Goodbye, and I will see you all tomorrow. Pittsburgh here I come!

La Carpio

Written by: Ms Robinson

La Carpio was very humbling and excellent! From the moment we entered La cCarpio, we knew there was a lot of work to be done.  The streets, in some areas there were roads, but in other areas there were piles of rocks and dirt. The first thing we began to do was level the roads in order to lay the cement.  Quickly, we saw the students create their own teams and begin working on the project. There was not a single standing body, everyone was working, and we all worked very hard together.  As we worked, the adults of La Carpio came out to see what we were doing and how we were working.  By mid morning, on the first day, the streets began to fill with small children who stood closely by their parents to watch what we were doing. Because of our students great team work and hard efforts, we were about to flatten 5 blocks of road and remove tons of large rocks that crested the hill top that many families needed to use in their daily travels. We all paused for lunch and were given time to relaxed for about an hour.  I rested in the church with some of the students, and what brought tears to my eyes was the later opening my eyes to the sounds of children’s play and laugher.  I looked outside and saw Our CityHigh students laughing, hugging, and playing soccer with the young children in the community.  It was absolutely a fantastic time.  The smiles of the parents toward our students I’ll never forget, and the smile on everyone’s faces was priceless.  After lunch we headed back to work rejuvenated and ready to go.  We were taught the formula needed to make the cement, and came up with a plan to make and lay the roads.  Again, no real complaining just purposeful work! I am so honored to know, work with, and be with these students.  Their diligence and dedication is amazing!! By the next morning we were able to see how our hard work paid off.  The community members, along with one of the of their leaders, gave us a tour of all of the places CityHigh worked/helped  that we were able to do in the last 6 years, and how this work truly improved the lives of their entire community.  At lunch, some of the students again played with the children of the community, but this time there were lots more children who joined.  A few other children sat with the store owner who spoke to them about the children of La Carpio.  She explained that it costs money to go to school, so many of the families cannot afford to send their children to school.  Most learn from their parents and learn to work as well.  Throughout the entire second day more and more families and children began to help us work, and by the end, it almost felt like we became a part of their community, which ended with a celebration that was inspirational to all!  Thank you La Carpio for your hospitality and graciousness. We will never forget you!       

Day 5 in Costa Rica :)

After an late wake up the day turned around. The volcano we visited was were amazing! The smell wasn't the best however. Most people complained about the climb, but it was actually relatively easy. After the fun on the mountain, we took a 45 minute trip to the other side of Costa Rica to see one of the most famous mask makers in the entire world. It was exciting, because he was a very happy man, and continues to make mask, but he WILL NOT SELL them to anyone. Leaving his house, we went to the coffee plantaition where the best coffee in the world is grown LITERALLY. To conclude this long day the group wound down for the rest of the day at the hotel.

La Carpio Days 1 & 2 and the Volcano

Day 1 in La Carpio:

This is the first day that we had come to this amzing part of town. The very moment that I entered this area, a young female, age 11, by the name of Ana had grabbed me by the hand asking me for my name. After lunch following hard work leveling out the roads, I got to play with the children. A simple game of catch had turned into a large game of soccer. This is the moment that all of the kids and I had a connection that could not have been broken.

Day 2 in La Carpio:

Unfortunatley, this is the day that we had to leave. The people of La Carpio had made us two cakes along with prepared a pinata for us to play with. The kids that I had met the day before had urged me to play and hit the pinata. After that, the children had walked with me to the van and said their good byes. This is when I had given my young friend Ana my hat so that she can remeber me. It was very hard to leave the people of la carpio. They were all very nice! All of the people had a sence of happiness and it touched my heart. I will forever remeber the moment that Neil accidently walked into one othe people's houses and the little kids had sang, "Gringo in mi casa! Gringo in mi casa! Gringo in mi casa!" as they danced arround.

The trip to the valcano:

The trip to the valcano in the cloud forest was very interesting. I think that it was a beautiful sight to see along with a great walk. While we were walking, Mike was "bullying" people which consisted in him running arround taking pictures of random people including us and himself in a very funny fasion. This was deffinatly a highlight to the walk itself. I just wish that we could have spent more time actually looking at the valcano and taking pictures.

Poas: Not Your Grandma's Volcano.

Written By: Neal Niedecker.

Today we went to the Volcano called Poas. It was really high in the air, so the altitude made it really easy to lose your breathe. Now I know how it feels to play at Mile High Stadium in Denver. So we climbed up this hill and got this fantastic view. Poas is filled with acidic water, so all along it there is no vegatation. It was wild. Then we climbed down and went to see this traditional mask maker. We walked up to this guy, rain pouring, thunder and lightning going strong. There he stood with his shirt half unbuttoned and a huge grin on his face. He is one of the few traditional mask maker left in Costa Rica, as the dancing mask tradition has died out. He seemed really happy, and his masks were great. He and his son put them on and danced to the traditional music. It was really funny. Then I got to put on a mask and dance. One of the funnest moment sof my life

Lar Carpio Part 2: Revenge of the Sun

Written By: Neal Niedecker

So we went back to La Carpio today. What an incredible expeierence it was. See first they showed us the progress they had made in the village. Roads that were dirt and mud a few short years ago are now paved. Parts of La Carpio have sewage and electricity. It is cleaner and safer than it was before. So we went back to building the road. Mixing the cement and pouring it. We not only built a road, but also we helped build a  path for a sick child to use his wheel chair on. After we worked on the road for a couple hours I was so tired I feel asleep in the church. When I woke up the people of La Carpio had a celebration for us. We had cake and a pinata and exchanged words. It was a really powerful moment. They were so grateful for all our hard work, it made me want to go back to working. Alas we had to leave as later that night we had a concert to go to. We went to a local jazz club where a really great band played. I danced for like 2 hours solid. My classmates were a little lamer though. A couple of them danced with me but most just sat. It was hands down the most fun I've ever had at a concert, also the band was fantastic. I need to find out what their name was.

La Carpio

Written by: Neal Niedecker

Today was a very rough day. Still I enjoyed myself. We started off by taking a trip to La Carpio. La Carpio is not the nicest place. It was a little strange to see, but still it was overall a great experience. See we leveled out the ground and moved some rocks around. Then we began paving the road. If you saw this town you would know how much a road could do for these people. Most of the houses seem to be built out of corrugated metal and miscellaneous trash. I got to use a pick ax for the first time in my life. It was a serious work out but I enjoyed it. At one point I accidently stepped into some one else’s home. The little kids all started singing “gringo en me casa” It was very funny. Overall I’d say this day was great.

Day 5: Off to Poas

By: Holly Herman

Waking up today was rough! The group had to be up and ready by 6 in the morning. Typically this would not be that bad but thanks to a late concert last night it was horrible. Besides waking up early the day was amazing. It was great seeing the active volcano Poas. Lucky for us the sky was clear and we had a great view of the crater. After the Volcano we stopped at numerous gift stores and a coffee plantation. Next we took a 45 minute drive, which was full of laughs and jokes, to see a local mask maker.   Overall the day was amazing .      

Day 5:

Written By: Andrea Webb

Hola!
Today we left for breakfast at 6am for a restaurant in Heredia. Our meal consisted of rice, beans, eggs, and bread. Once breakfast was over we were greeted by our volcanologist, Ruldofo. He showed us to the volcano, Poas. Once exploring Poas we learned new facts. We had lunch at the same place as breakfast but this meal consisted of mash potatoes, cole slaw, rice, beans, and fish. Once lunch was over, we headed over to a mask makers workshop/house. At this mans house, he was very enthusiastic to share wih us his work of making traditional masks. The students were then invited to try on the masks and dance with them. Another group of students were able to make masks themselves out of clay to compete for a mask made by the maker. After this wonderful exprience we headed back to the hotel for dinner and prepare to go to the rainforest in the morning.

DAY 4: The real impact

Written By: Andrea Webb

Today, we went back to La Carpio to finish our service project. When driving down the road, you could start to see the impact we had made in the community. We have filled up buckets of rocks, sand, and dirt, to mix cement and pave the roads. After a while, the community lost electricity so we had a delay in our project. During this delay some students migled with the children of La Carpio and others tried to help out with what they could. At the end of the day, the people living in La Carpio expressed their gratitude with a cake, pinata, and kind words. To finish our day, we went to a Costa Rican club where a band played modern Costa Rican music. This was an amazing day!

Day 5: Volcano and Masks

Written By: Caitlin Boyd-Ragin

At the start of the day, we went to explore Volcano Poas. I was not looking forward to this at all because I was so tired. Thankfully, my attitude changed once we got there. Even though the walk was a little long, I actually enjoyed it. One thing that I did like was the fact that it was cold there because by now, I was used to Costa Rica's weather being hot, humid, and rainy.Once we got to the top of the volcano, I was completely amazed. The view was beyond awesome. We took many pictures there and learned about the volcano.

The other thing that we did today was visited a guy who makes masks. He told us about the tradition and the masks. Next, he put one on and danced around.The best part was when he let us have the opportunity to wear the masks and dance. He also presented us with the opportunity to make a mask mold using the clay that he uses.

Life Changing Work!

Written By Mike Vaughn

La Carpio was the most impactful, life changing experience of my life. For two straight days we paved roads and helped the people of this community. The community was just so grateful and they were the happiest people I have ever met. These people really didn't have anything, but were still so happy. All of the community was like one big family and they all came out to help and better their community. Seeing how these people all come together inspired me and it was just something that I have never seen or been a part of before. After the two days of work we had a little party with the community, consisting of cake and a piñata. This had most of the group in tears because even though they have barely anything they all came together to show their appreciation.

Today was our last day in San Jose, and we decided to take it to the mountain tops. We explored two volcanoes that were 2 miles in elevation. The volcanoes provided a breath taking view. This site will definitely be my next Facebook profile picture. After the volcanoes we meet and worldwide known mask maker. This man was just so proud of his work, even though he makes no money off of the masks, it's his hobby. He is a farmer during the day, and mask maker at night. He is one of the few people that keep the mask making tradition alive. The masks were very interesting, and he is so proud of his work, and people like us that come to see his work is why he does it all in the first place.

Coast Rica has been so much more than I could have ever imagined. We are barely half way through and tomorrow morning we will be ascending deep into the Rain Forest for the rest of the trip. We are all looking forward to this and will be supplying tons of pictures and blogs about it next week, once we regain internet.

Singing off from Costa Rica-- Mike Vaughn

Changing lives: Day 3

Hola!

Hello friends,

Today we had left out early to start our project in La Carpio. Once arrriving at La Carpio we were introduced to our project. This project consisted of our group to help pave the roads. Our group was slipt up into 2 group one group was assigned to help make the road even. Another group was assigned to work on another road , this road was for a disabled child's wheelchair to be able to get out of his house.

As a group we worked hard and at our very best to make and impact on La Carpio. At the end of our day at La Carpio, our hard work had paid off. Once arriving back at the hotel for warming showers and a fresh pair of changing cloths, we had ate dinner. Once dinner was over we had enjoyed the rest of our night with salsa dancing.

Day 2: Site Seeing

Written by: Andrea Webb

Hello Friends,

Today is the 2nd day here in Costa Rica. Today we woke up at 6:30am to have breakfast, abd to plan for our day. today we had a meeting with Espy Campbell after our meeting we had took a group trip to see important site here in San Jose. Today was the day we had our meet and greet the students at Liceo Julio Fonseca. But once we had arrived at the school and found out that the students didn't go to school because of the protest that was held in San Jose. Instead of comming back to the hotel our tour guide Alfredo decided to take us to the museum. Once our day was completed we had came back to the hotel for dinner and sleep.

Day Five: From the City to the "Wild" and Back

Written By: Dray Cottingham

Today was our first encounter with Costa Rican wildlife. Waking up at the crack of dawn (as usual) we set out to an early breakfast which consisted of rice and beans, and scrambled eggs. After our meal we headed to one of Costa Rica's national parks where we hiked for a half an hour uphill through the "cloud forest" to get to the zenith of the Poas Volcano. The smell of rotten eggs and beauty given off from the volcano and its surrounding vegetation really took my breath away. Actually being in the presence of a volcano is something that none of us can, or will, ever forget.

After our excursion to Poas, we stopped for lunch and continued on our way making a few stops. Our first stop was to a souviner shop which sold fresh Costa Rican strawberries; which by far have been the most delicious fruit I've ever tasted. The second stop we made was to a coffee plantation which held what seemed to be millions of coffee plants. Our last experience of the day was to the home of a local mask maker where he shared with us the tradition of mask making in Costa Rica and the significance it has in Costa Rica history. During our time at the mask maker's home, we were able to wear some of the masks and dance to traditional Tico music and Charlene, Jasmine, and I were able to create our own masks in a mask making competition against each other. After all of these festivities, our group headed back to Las Orquideas for our last night in San Jose.

Tomorrow we will be making our way to our eco-lodge in the rainforest. No technology for six days! This should be a great experience.

Day 5... Chillin at the Craters

Written by: Alex Guy

As usual, the group woke up at 5:30 this morning but this time we went out for breakfast. No need to worry though, we still had our dose of rice & beans with eggs. Mmmmmm... so good. The diner that we ate at this morning wasn't so different from diners in Pittsbugh though. It still had the same atmosphere, the early risers that eat when the diner opens, and the food had the same quality. It was still good by all means, but it was just the same.

Today's event... Poas Volcano! We left from the diner to the volcano called Poas. By the time we got to the top, we were about 8,000 ft above sea level and only about 5,000 ft above where we were in San Jose. The first thing I noticed was that it was extremley cold. It felt colder because of the wind and because of the altitude. Once we started walking, we warmed up very quickly since we walked all up hill. Our guide showed us some interesting things on the way about the plants and the animals as well.
The hike up to the top of the mountain was worth the view of the massive crater at the top. Not only could you see the stone around the crater where the most recent eruption took place, and not only could you see the acid/liquid inside the active crater, but you could also see where the earlier crater was before the volcanic eruption in 2010 had ruined it. It was an amazing site and I never thought that I would see an acitve crater that size. What an experience it was.

I think that the best part of my day happened on the way down the volcano. On the way down, we stopped at two markets. The first one was the "more actracted" tourist place. It had a lot of more expensive souveniers and other products. The two things that caught my eye the most were the coffe beans and the strawberries. The coffee caught my eye for two reasons: I love coffee, and we were surrounded by coffee plantations. It was a little expensive so I didnt get the coffee and I decided to wait till the second stop. Then the strawberries were delicious. They were fresh picked and extremley ripe. They just melted in your mouth.

The second place we stopped was a coffee plantation. Alfredo explained to us the coffee procces, how the beans get from being planted in the ground to being in your cup, and then we went to the store which was directly on the plantation. Alfredo suggested that if we are going to by coffee in Costa Rica that we by it there because it is the best coffee you will ever find. So I bought some and I didn't regret it.

The rest of the day was just chill. We went to lunch and then to see someone make large mask. I still have not regreted signing up for this trip at the begining. There are still surprises around every corner and i am learning more than i could ever imagine.

Arrival: Costa Rica

Written  by: Andrea Webb

Hola!
Today was the day City High had arrived to Costa Rica! This day seemed like the longest day in history. After taking two airplanes and a half an hour drive was all worth it. once arriving to Las Orquides we had enjoyed a meal. This meal consisted of rice, beans, potatoes, salad, and meat. The dinner was great, I really enjoyed the flavoring of the beans and rice. After dinner I was conforted by a nice shower following a confortable bed. Well words are running short, Talk to you tomorrow.

Written by Mollie Schillinger

Today was pretty relaxing compared to the past few days we have had. We went to Poas, which is an active volcano. It was really cool and pretty. We walked around that area for awhile, and then we headed to lunch. When they first brought our food out, I was shocked because there were no beans or rice on our plates, I thought it was going to be our first meal without them, but then they brought out a bowl of each... After we got done eating lunch, we went to a mask makers house. The masks were really big and cool. Some of our students even got to put on the masks and dance around them. We got some videos of them too. It was pretty interesting to watch. The only bad part of the day is that we spent a lot of time driving around in the vans. But overall today was really nice and relaxing. It was a much needed break after our work in La Carpio.

Tomorrow we will be heading out into the rain forest. I am really excited, but at the same time, I am kind of nervous. The thing that I think I am the most excited for is the beach. I am also really looking foward to swimming in the water falls and zip lining. I hope I get practice my spanish some more as well. So far, I think I am doing pretty well with it. Yesterday, in La Carpio, I was able to have a full conversation with a woman the spoke no english. It was pretty neat and I was really proud of myself. Well, I guess that's all for tonight!

Costa Rica Day 5 - Volcano & Mask-maker

Written by Dawn Dallmus

Today we went to see the active volcano called Poas. It was a long ride but it definitely was well worth it. The scenery was gorgeous going up the mountain to get to the trail where we would hike up to the Poas craters. With the air being so thin because we were so high up, I had to take many rest stops because I was running out of breath and it was difficult for me to breathe. As we hiked to the first crater, you could smell the sulfur. The crater was emitting many other fumous gases along with the sulfur. Other than the smell, the site was just so beautiful and I wish that my family could have been with me to see it. After that, we visited another crater that was inactive and that caused rain water to fill it up and make it a lake. There was a lot of greenery around the slopes of the crater because the crater was inactive. As we left Poas, we stopped at a strawberry stand and got a few kilo's of strawberries for everyone to share. Then we stopped at the most famous and most delicious coffee plantation in the world. I even got a gift for my stepdad there as well. Then we headed to lunch in Heredia and then we were off to see a traditional mask-maker. This mask-maker was so amazing and talented. All his masks were made up of his second family and this was a job that he had pursued because he enjoyed making masks. He mainly made the masks for parades and such but every once in a while he'll take them to a convention or fair and put on a performance to make a little money but he will not sell them. Three of us were chosen to be in a mask-making contest and he and his son showed us the way the masks were worn and how the dances were performed. Finally, we headed home for dinner and to pack a bag for the next five days. We leave for the rainforest tomorrow and won't be back to the hotel till July 5. That means no technology and no way to keep you guys updated on what is going on in the rainforest until we get back. TTFN

Costa Rica - Day 4 - Service Work & Concert

Written by Dawn Dallmus

Today we did the same thing as yesterday in La Carpio. We continued to work on the road until lunch. When lunch was supposed to be finished however, the electricity went out and we were stuck trying to find something to do. Some of us took a siesta, others talked, and others played soccer. I watched Josh and Mike P. play soccer with the kids and then something really funny happened. Josh went to kick the ball and missed. He fell on his butt and split his pants open right in the crotch area. All the kids laughed and some even imitated what happened. After that, Alfredo said the leaders of the section that we were working in had something for us. We all gathered a short distance from where we were working and the leaders said many nice things about our group and what we had done to help their community. Then they brought out two cakes that said "City High Gracias!" We also said a few nice words to them. Then they brought out a pinata for us to hit and it took five different students to finally get the pinata open and have all the candy spill out for the children to get. Right after that, we had to leave to go back to the hotel. All the children hugged us and said goodbye and messed with a few others such as Alex. It was sad leaving them but I am glad we had done what we did because it was a nice thing to do. Once we got back to the hotel, we got ready to go to a jazz club where a band was playing. The band was amazing and so was the entire atmosphere. Everyone was just up and dancing when the band was ready to perform. The drinks were also amazing! We had the choices of soda, water, juice, a virgin Pina Colada, or a virgin Daiquiri. I chose the virgin Daiquiri and it was delicious with the mixture of the strawberry, orange, and other citrus fruits. When I finished my drink, I got up to dance to the music that the band was playing and I had a blast.

A life changing experience so far

This trip has continued to amaze me. I knew this trip was going to be a life changing experience, but I never knew I would grow as much as I have in the last few days.  The experiences I have made here will undoubtedly stay close to me for the rest of my life. Working in La Carpio was an extremely gratifying experience. The people living there were so happy despite their misfortunes. I have never met a more dedicated group of people in my life. Our group did a lot of good for the community; our help will affect them for years to come. What amazed me the most about La Carpio was the appreciation of the people there. At the end, they managed to have a cake and piñata for us, and we also received bible verses from them.  Despite having hardly anything, they were still willing to show their appreciation to us. There are people who have everything that would not have been that generous.

                The language barrier was not even as big of an issue as I thought it was going to be. I do speak a little Spanish, but I am by no means fluent. I have a really hard time understanding what people are saying when they are speaking very quickly. Costa Rica is actually considered one of the worst places to try to learn Spanish as a beginner because of the amount of slang they use when they speak. Even with this, I still managed to pick up a lot of Spanish. I loved talking to the locals, especially the kids (probably because they were more on my level). Despite not speaking the same language, we could all still communicate with each other fine. I am now determined to become fluent in Spanish. It is going to take a while, but this trip has stressed the importance of learning a different language to me. Also, today I received a mask from the mask maker we visited. It was such an honor to receive something that this man has dedicated his life to. Tomorrow we head out for the rain forest.  Hopefully the second half of this trip will be just as great as the first half.

Costa Rica Day 5

Written by Michael Pittek

Today was our last day in San Jose and it was a fun one. Today started off with breakfast at a restaurant where we meet the volcanologist that would be taking us on a tour of the volcano called paos. The trip to the volcano from the restaurant took around 45 minites. On the way we passed coffee bean plantations that were in the mountains, we later stoped to visit these plantations. When we arrived we began our hike up one of the trails to the volcano. After a short while we were at an overview of the crater. We were very lucky because there were no clouds at all and the view was amazing. It seemed to go on for ever and there was a strong smell of sulfur in the air. We visited another crater that was near the first. This crater was much older and was now filled with water and resembled a lake. We hiked back down to a museum and spent a little while there before heading back to the restaurant for lunch. After our meal we headed to the home of a man who made traditional masks. The masks were large and you could wear them over your entire body, some of them were over 4 feet tall. We talked with the man and his family and learned a brief history about the forgotten tradition. We learned that the man was one of the only ones in the country who still made these masks and they were no longer used by anyone. We than thanked the man for putting on a show for us and showing us how the masks were created and headed to the hotel for dinner. We are leaving for the rain forest in the morning, now we have to pack and we have a long 4 hour ride ahead of us. This will be the last time that we have internet acess and won't get to blog again until we return to the hotel in a few days.

Goodbye Civilization

Written by: Joshua Brown

Today was a great way to end our time here in the capital of Costa Rica. This morning we went to visit the Paos volcano, one of Costa Rica's many volcanoes. Before we headed to the volcano, we went to eat breakfast at a small little restaurant where we met a volcanologist. He joined us for breakfast, and took us to the volcano.

During the trip, he told us a variety of facts about volcanoes. He demostrated how they work, how they are created, and the effects that they can have on civilization. We visited 2 different craters, and both were located at about 8,000 ft above sea level. The air was thick, but we made it. The first crater looked a lot like a desolate wasteland, with no vegetation. The crater itself was filled with highly acidic water, and it gave off a lot of gases which made the area smell terrible. The second crater was one that was formed thousands of years ago. It is located to the east, which means that the acid doens't get to it as much because the volcanologist told us that the wind normally blows west. This crater was a giant lake that was surrounded by vegetation, which is understandable due to its less acidic environment.

Later, we returned to the same restaurant as before. This trip, however, turned our spirits around. After eating endless amounts of rice and beans daily, we were treated with a delightful fried fish, salad, and MASHED POTATOES! Not rice, but something that a majority of the people actually liked to eat. They were covered in butter, and they were delicious. I am not normally a fan, but anything besides rice was acceptable to me.

To finish off the day we visited one of the most popular mask makers in all of Costa Rica. He is known internationally for his traditional masks, and performances. It was truly an amzing experience to see this man in action. He allowed some of us to wear the masks and dance around in them. He also let some students make their own mini-masks out of clay. It was amazing how the man danced, and it was a shame to hear that no one was willing to pick up the tradition.

Well that is it for our time here in San Jose. Now it is time to go off to the rain forest!

Dignity of Simplicity

Today was one of the most rewarding days yet.  As we ventured back to La Carpio to continue our service work in this village that was built from the ground up by those who reside there, we were able to see the completion of the sidewalk we paved the day before for a family that had a child who needed accessibility via a wheelchair and we continued with our other paving project.  Today seemed to be a bit more intense for us as many were sore from the day before.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to complete our work due to a power outage that hit the area.  The fortunate thing from this was we were able to interact even more with the residents and their children.  Some of our students interacted with the children in a game of soccer, used their Spanish to communicate and exchange their names and just enjoy one another to name a few.  Before we headed back to San Jose, we were able to provide a love offering to their community to assist with the continuation of the project we had started.  We allowed several of our students to present this on behalf of our group in Spanish.  Then several representatives of the community shared their gratitude and appreciation for all that we did for their community.  They also wanted to hear from each of us; what our names were and what we thought about our experience over the last 2 days.  This was a very heartfelt experience for our group to truly share how they felt about their time in La Carpio.  The response that we received from the residents was filled with sincere love.  As a thanks to us, the residents surprised us with 2 homemade cakes, a nice sign with a blessing for a safe return and a pinata to celebrate our efforts.  We were so overwhelmed by their thoughtfulness and deep appreciation.  I truly believe this was an eye opening experience for our kids to see how much of a blessing we were to people that are so humble, have a true sense of community, hardworking and grateful despite having very little.  It truly was a testament to the dignity they have in living a life focused on what truly matters (love, family, togetherness, support, hard work, etc.) and not centered on material things and what others think and more importnatly what it really means to survive.  To end the day, the local children were so intrigued by our cameras that they took many pictures with us and of us, gave us hugs and walked us back to our vans before we departed.  They were so happy to have us their and more importantly we were able to provide them one step closer to a better quality of life.  We will miss you La Carpio and your presence will always be in our hearts.  Mejores deseos~

Day 3 & 4

Written by Jozelyn Burke

To begin, these last couple days have truely been life changing and a reality check!

Day 3:
On this day we had breakfast then headed out for La Carpio. La Carpio is an area in Costa Rica which is a refugee village. At this area we went & helped dig out, flaten, and pave the roads in the village. While working we seen many homes of those who live in the area. The homes were not in the best condition and were mostly made out of thin metal. At first I had many thoughts going through my head about how bad I felt and how the families must be upse about the living conditions. After working for a bit, those living in the community then came out to help us which was interesting because we coul hardly understand them and they could hardly understand us. Once the day of working was over we came back to shower and get ready for our salsa lessons! At first I did not really want to but the instructor was so fun and exciting my entire mood changed. We learned many hip moving, shoulder shaking, and popping moves. The most intersting part was dancing with a partner. Since none of us really knew what we were doing, it was a fun and challenging time. After salsa dancing and working it seemed as if I had to long workouts in one day so sleep was the next huge step!


Day 4:
Day three had my body so tired but I got up and went to La Carpio again. We then went and began to continue working on the project we started. After having lunch, we found out that the power in the area had went out so we tried waiting out to see if it would come back on, and it did not. The people that were living in the area then decided to have a meeting with us. What we thought was a meeting quickly turned into kind of a celebration. They were so thankful for what we did and they had prepared us cake and a pinata. I hate cake and vnever eat cake, but because they were so nice I tried it and loved the cake. Honestly, this was a moment I would never forget! I had no idea that I would have so much fun. All we had was cake and a pinata but I truely had an amazing time and even cried. I seen people who did not have much but were truely happy. They appreciated what we did for them so much and I enjoyed doing it. Material things do not have to be what makes us happy. We took so little and had the best time. Once we left so many of us including myself were sad because we seen the impact we made on them and with the impact they had on my life was even greater!

Days 3 and 4: Humbling Experiences

Written By: Dray Cottingham

Yesterday and today have been the most life changing experiences I have ever had. We completed service work in a refugee village called La Carpio where we paved roads. While there we worked hand in hand with the people living in La Carpio. Seeing how these people live really made realize how grateful I should be for the things I have. They have necesities to stay alive but these necesities are extremely basic. Their sewage systems aren't the best, the structure of their homes are terrible, and the overall area seems poverty stricken. Despite all these people live through, they remain very pleasant. Not once have I see someone frown or not smiling. In working with them the entire community helped from grandparents to children under the age of five. We had a great time working with the citizens of La Carpio. This experience has definitly made me more humble and grateful for having the things I do. The people living here are sincerely my heroes.

Gracias, to the people of La Carpio. You have truly changed my life.

Costa Rica Day 3 & 4

Written by Michael Pittek

Day 3

Today was when the work really started. We got up early, ate, and then left the hotel for Lacarpio. Lacarpio is in need of a lot of help. The rodes that they have are unfinished and the people live in unfinished homes. When we got there we were told that we would be clearing room for a rode and helping to pour concrete. The first half of the day involved moving rocks and digging up dirt to even out the rode. After that we had some lunch and took a break. When we started working again this time we were helping mix the concrete. We would fill up buckets of rocks and sand. We filled up the buckets and poured them into the mixer with the help of some construction workers. When the concrete was done mixing we would get wheel barrels and fill them and bring them to their destination where more workers would smooth out the rode. We did this for a few hours and it was a lot of work in the hot sun. Luckly I got no sunburn. The people in Lacarpio were very nice and welcoming. The kids of the area were also very nice they would bring out a soccer ball to the rode and invite us to play with them, it was a lot of fun. When we finised our work for the day we headed back to the hotel for some dinner as well as salsa leasons from a professional dancer. He showed us some moves and we danced for a while it was really funny. After that we spent the rest of the night relaxing and playing cards before going to bed.

Day 4

Day four was very similar to day 3. We had another early start, waking up at 5:30, eating and heading to Lacarpio by 7:00. We spent the day mixing concrete once again and moving it to where it needed to go. We worked until noon and took a break to eat lunch. During our break the power went out and the concrete mixer stopped so we could not continue. So we went outside where a game of soccer was picking up. The kids saw us and invited us to play in thier growing gae whic had far more players than the game yesterday. It was a lot of fun and the kids were very funny, playful and full of energy. After the game of soccer we were told that the leaders of the town wanted to talk with us and thank us for our help. They thanked us and had a little celibration for us. They surprised us with cake and a pinata. It was very nice of them. The people of Lacarpio were very greatfull that we had helped them and are very hard working people as well. They would not hesitate to help us out and made us feel welcome. It was a lot of hard work but it was all worth it and I am glad that I got the opportunity to help the people of the small and close community. We left Lacarpio and are now at the hotel. Soon we will be having dinner and then going to a concert.