2023 Westgate Costa Rica Program
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Blog 9: May 18
Written by Zanon G.
Today we woke up early to go rafting. We started the day with waffles, eggs and rice. After an hour and a half ride, we got to the river. We split into the groups and floated down the river. Mr Kern and Domo both fell into the River and got knocked around. The rapids were fast but not too bad. After an hour we ended up at a fancy restaurant and ate well. A four hour drive later we were at the hotel. We ate a delicious meal from Diego’s Mom’s and swam in the pool. Before bed we reminisced about the trip and thanked Diego for all he taught us about Costs Rica.
Blog 8: May 17
Written by Walker S.
We rose early for a delicious breakfast combination of Costa Rican and American food, and with a final goodbye to our kitchen staff at Pura Suerta and our Jungalows, we embarked on a scenic road trip to Parque National Marino Ballena for a day of relaxation. We arrived at our hotel, El Tecal, to drop off our luggage before taking a short walk to the beautiful ocean. Once there, we met our surf instructor Dennis. After a quick tutorial we were ready to hit the surf, I was able to stand up on my first wave. We surfed for a while longer, making it my favorite day in Costa Rica so far. For lunch, we went to Pizza Time, which provided a very familiar and homely feel. After lunch, we retreated back to El Tecal to swim in the pool or bask in the air conditioned rooms. We finished the night with a delicious dinner overlooking the bay and the beautiful sunset. Then retreating for a relaxing sleep.
Blog 7: May 16
Blog 6
Written by Domo A.
Today was our third day of renovations at the school. We arrived early to celebrate Agriculture Day with the students, which is a widely celebrated holiday due to the agriculture industry’s significance to Costa Rica. It was a good opportunity to meet the students that attended the school we are renovating and to appreciate agriculture with hands-on activities. Yesterday we only worked a half day, but today we worked a full day. Luckily we were able to take lots of breaks and still had a good time working. Today we did renovations on the cafeteria by painting the inside of the building. The work went by quickly because everyone was working together and was motivated to finish the task. After working we enjoyed lunch and headed back to our rooms to shower and relax before enjoying a delicious dinner. Being able to clean up and have free time after a busy day of working was very rewarding and left me feeling motivated to finish up our project tomorrow.
Blog 5
Blog 4
Written by Adam W.
The real work begins: today started very typically, with us sleeping in and waking up just in time for breakfast (Which of course, was delicious). Following breakfast, today we went straight into the service in our senior service trip. We were sudden up at a nearby school, where they had us doing helpful jobs. Basically, there were two tasks we had people on. First, there was a team dedicated to clearing out some of the trees and using care of the branches by breaking them up and pouring them in a pile, and there was another team dedicated to cleaning, and then painting tires, to be used for various purposes, but mainly gardening boxes, from what I heard. In then end, we ended up spending 6 hours on it, from like 9:00 am, to 3:00 pm, (Our guide prepared a nice snack break with fruits, electrolytes and snacks). It wasn’t extremely grueling or anything, but it certainly wasn’t easy, so in the end, we had to cancel the soccer match we had planned, because everyone was either too tired, too hot, or just didn’t want to do it.
Blog 3
Blog 2
Blog 1
Written by Margaret O.
Today was our first day out which means we spent most of the day jumping between airports and planes. It was a total of 5 hours flight, with a 4 hour layover in Texas, so we arrived here in Costa Rica around 8 o clock at night. From there we met our guide for the next 9 days, Diego. He got us to our lodging for the night, a nice set of houses in a valley, and we had dinner and settled in, though not too much because we’re only here one night! Many of us ended the night by sitting by the pool and talking about our aspirations for the trip before turning in to get some rest. Overall, even if we didn’t do much today, and I am quite tired from everything, I am very excited and hopeful for the days coming.