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!