2023 Ralston Valley Costa Rica Service Adventure
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Costa Rica Farawell
Enjoying the beach
Farewell Day
Today, from 9:00 to noon we were finished up painting the medical building and when we were done we went down to clean up the plaza in preparation for the party that we were having to celebrate our hard work. It took us about two hours to clean the plaza and when we were done we all went home to get ready for the party.
The party started around 5 and was full of people from all of the families that we lived with and the families that also lived in the neighborhood. The students from the school were also there. We sang happy birthday to people who are celebrating in march and there was a piñata. There was also a big cake to thank us for our hard work. Halfway through the party we read out our thank you speeches to the families and then danced til it was time for everyone to go home.
Los Niños
Service Project Day
A Refreshing Splash of water
A trip to the jungle
Written by Claire VanDeventer
Lean In
Up n down
Though we had to get up incredibly early, there was still an air of excitement and wonder. We were about to embark on a journey to a mysterious country, the likes of which none of us had ever experienced. But like anything in life, there ended up being plenty of bumps on the road to Costa Rica. We first landed at the Dallas airport, a place which most of us had never been too, with tired eyes and empty stomachs. Our empty stomachs were quickly filled, but our exhaustion did not fade. We soon boarded our second flight, from Dallas to Costa Rica. This flight normally should take about 2 hours and 45 minutes. Safe to say it did not. As we were literally about to land, less than 100 off the ground, our plane suddenly shot up to a 45 degree angle and took back off into the sky. Why? We had no idea for a good 10 minutes until the pilot came over the intercom and explained the situation: there was a rainstorm over the San Jose airport, and we could not land until it cleared. Moreover, we needed fuel, so we would have to land at Liberia airport and then come back after the storm cleared. We were told this would take roughly 30 minutes at most. It took at least twice that. We didn’t leave Liberia airport for roughly an hour and a half. Finally we got back in the air and began heading back to our original destination. We were nearing the ground about to land, and again the plane suddenly shot up back into the sky. We had to wait longer for the storm to clear. So we sat in the air for another half hour, and then FINALLY, we landed.
We got off the plane and headed straight to customs, where our group was split up and I personally was being interrogated by a customs officer, which was terrifying. Thankfully, Señor and Señora Rubin swooped in and saved my butt. We passed through customs and got on our bus, where we headed to the “Rosa de las Americas” hotel. It wasn’t a very long ride, and we got our bags and headed into our rooms. My two roommates and I were very pleasantly surprised. I saw the king sized bed first and staked my claim, while the other two couldn’t have cared less and took the first twin sized bed they found. Jake and I were chilling watching Spanish teen titans go, when all of the sudden we hear Dylan say “Guys this bathroom is sick” We all three squeezed into the bathroom and collectively admired one of the fanciest bathrooms we’d ever seen. After five minutes of that, we headed over to dinner with the rest of the group and we all had either a variation of an “arroz con pollo” dish or a “Casado con pollo” dish, both of which were happily enjoyed. We also found out that Costa Rican Restaurants freshly squeeze fruits to make some of the most delicious drinks you’ll ever have in your life. After dinner, we all headed back to the hotel. My group and I took showers and then passed out, and I’m sure everyone did roughly the same. Overall, the day didn’t start out great, but it sure ended that way.