2024 Lakeridge Costa Rica Middle School Service Adventure
Program Blog
Latest Updates
Blog 12: White water rafting made me jump off a cliff
By Theodore H.
Today was the last day in Costa Rica. So naturally we went white water rafting as people do on their last day in a country. In the morning we left and drove to the rafting spot.
Then we sat through a safety presentation and finally went out on the river. The first rapid was very… splashy, as in we got splashed a lot. The other rapids were like that but some were calm and smooth. Sometimes we got out and swam.
After a little bit we got to this part of the river where you could jump off a cliff into water. Some people choose to jump like me. After we had a snack which was pineapple and cookies. Then we set out on our rafting adventure again.
Towards the end there were a couple big rapids but luckily no one fell out. During some parts we splashed water at each other using our paddles. At the end we dried off, got in the bus, and went to lunch. After we went to a hotel and stayed there until it was time to fly home.
Blog 11: Middle Slide
By Ethan H.
Saturday was the 12th day of our Costa Rica trip. The plan for the day was to start off taking a 20 minute bus ride to a waterfall hike. After the hike we went out to a restaurant. Then, we took a little brake at the hotel. Our second and final activity was at the Baldi hot springs. Then we ate dinner at the Baldi hotel. Finally we spent the night at our hotel.
The waterfall hike, our first activity of the day. After the 20 minute bus ride we took about a half mile hike to the waterfall. Which for some reason we were told it would be 7.9 miles. Once we got down we swam in the river below the waterfall. After that we walked back up and got on the bus.
The hot springs, our final activity of the day. After we rested a little at our hotel, we left for a 20 minute drive to the hot springs. When we got there it wasn’t exactly what we thought, think more water park. Instead of a long hike to a natural hot springs, it’s the largest hot springs in the world. But it is most definitely not natural. There were 4 water slides and we weren’t aloud to go on one of them because earlier that day someone got hurt on it, it was still open though.
After our activity’s we ate dinner. We ate dinner at the buffet style area at the Baldi hotel. There were foods from Mexican to Italian. After this we spent the night at our hotel.
Blog 10: Fun on the Bus
By Avery A.
On our second to last full day of this trip, we started off bright and early with a hotel buffet breakfast at 6 AM. Then we hauled our suitcases down the hill and got onto the bus for a 6 hour drive to La Fortuna, a gorgeous small town in the mountains home to the Volcán Arenal. On our way there we stopped in a restaurant to get lunch, and then went to the shop next door to do some souvenir shopping. Everybody picked out gifts for their friends and family and then we all climbed back onto the bus to continue our drive.
Once we got to the hotel, everybody got their keys and went to go set their stuff down in their rooms. From the hotel there was a breathtaking and very clear view of the Arenal Volcano. Quickly after getting there we were all eager to check out the pool, and ended up staying there for a while. Once we got out of the pool we didn’t want to change out of our swimsuits for dinner, so me, Cori and Ruby decided we would air dry by running around outside the hotel until our swimsuits weren’t wet. After that, we got on the bus to go to dinner and to pass the time we played Wavelength on the way there.
For dinner we went to a nice restaurant with really good food, I got the pene with meat sauce. At the dinner table we played more wavelength and some Mafia, while also trying to be quiet and not disrupt the other tables. Once we were all finished with dinner we headed back to the hotel and ended up playing mafia again, and Heads Up on Anna’s phone for about 45 minutes before we were sent back to our rooms to get ready for bed. But the night wasn’t done just yet because we found a frog in Coriander and Ruby’s room and didn’t really know what to do with it, so we just locked it in the shower and hoped for the best. Overall, it was a great day and I hope the next day will be as good as this one.
Blog 9: The Burning Ocean
By Coriander D.
We started our day by waking up bright and early at 5:00. We got breakfast which was fruit, rice, eggs, and pancakes. Then we started our hour and a half bus ride. When we made it to our stop we got out of the bus to start a quick walk to Manuel Antonio National Park. The rain was coming down so hard so we all huddled around, looking for any place to cover ourselves. Ruby and I forgot our rain jackets so we took an extra poncho from Avery and fit in it together. Everyone else bought their own colorful poncho at a nearby store.
Finally, we started to make our way into the national park. On the walk through the national park we saw crabs and a sloth. The crabs were bright blue and orange. They looked as though they were painted and put there just for decoration. The sloth was up high in a tree, its hair soaked from the fresh rainfall. We finally made it to the beach. At the beach the rain kept coming down with no intention of stopping. We all took our ponchos off and rushed to get in the ocean. We captured the moment by using Zacharys Go-Pro, that is until it sank down under the waves, but luckily we were able to find it soon after. We also played a game called chicken in the water, not only playing against the other team but also against the waves, working to stay up as the waves crashed against ourselves. Lots of us started noticing that our skin was burning, some on our legs, arms, wrists, necks, backs, etc. As we got out of the ocean we saw splotchy red patches throughout our body’s from jelly fish stings, but luckily they faded fast. We all went to shower and change to get ready for lunch. As we headed back we stopped by a part of the forest where we got to see monkeys climbing through the trees.
Finally it was lunch time, we had an assortment of food, some of the choices were burgers, casado, nachos, or burritos. When we got to our hotels I got back in my bathing suit and joined everyone else in the pool. Later we all got ready for dinner. I got a veggie wrap while other people got cesar salads, pasta, or quesadillas. They also served us great mango and passion fruit smoothies. To end the night we walked home in the pouring rain and everyone had given up on staying dry. We all fell fast asleep, ready for the next day.
Blog 8: Several goodbyes
By Ruby M.
We woke up at 6am and made sure we packed everything up and made sure we wouldn’t forget anything. Then we ate breakfast and got ready to drive down to say goodbye to all of the host families. We said our goodbyes to all of the dogs and cats. We drove down the hill with all of our stuff and said our goodbyes to all of the host families and hopped on the bus for about 2 hours.
Our first stop was a cool place where some of us milked a cow and drank fresh warm milk and tried the cheese that they made. After, we hopped back on the bus for what felt like a pretty short ride. We made it to our next hotel, which was definitely my favorite hotel yet.
After we got our luggage we went up to our rooms and they were super fancy and nice. I shared a room with Paige, Coriander, Avery, Hayden and Anna. We all called which beds we wanted and then got ready to go down to the pool. We went and had fun in the pool. After we walked to a nearby beach. When we got there we started our surf lessons. The surf lessons were really fun and everyone got better at surfing. When we were done with the lessons we went back to where our stuff was and the instructors cut up watermelon and pineapple. Then, we went back in the ocean and just had fun.
Then we left the beach and walked back to the hotel. When we got there some of us went straight to the outside shower and got back in the pool. But other people just went back to their rooms. Then we took showers and got ready for dinner. For dinner I got Cesar salads (because I ate everyone else’s too) and it was very good. Then we all went back to our rooms and got ready for bed. We had fun before we went to sleep. Then, we got ready to wake up at 5am.
Blog 7: Banana Snacks and Pretty Monkeys
By Samatha H.
Like most mornings the various pets or animals in our host family houses woke me and classmates up. After eating our breakfasts we all start our walk to the gym. We’ve all been on our paths so many times that there are landmarks to help give directions when wanting to visit another classmates host family. Some people use the bridge, some people use the steep inclined hills, or some use the spot where the duck Nina (one of the host family dogs) bit, resides. Today is our last day of working on our community project, so we finally finished painting the floors and walls of the gym! We taped around the previous lines of the basketball court to paint back over them to refresh them and fix and any marks left by painting the color yesterday. While the paint was drying a lot of us tripped or stepped into the freshly painted lines and tracked white footprints all over the court. Luckily, all it took to take the paint off was some rags and a little water.
After a little more painting and cleaning we took our break for the day. My friends and I sat on the curb and braided hair while we talked. The adults offered us some bananas as a snack while we hid in the shade to escape the heat. We didn’t have much work to do after that besides setting up the kitchen for our gathering tonight. Once everyone finished moving tables, setting up chairs, and drying/cleaning the floors, we walked with our roommates back to our host families and their houses. When we got back a lot of us took showers to get rid of the paint, and changed out of our work clothes, into something a little nicer for our group gathering tonight to close off our time spent with our host families. Some of the host families weren’t at home when we finished walking so some of us had to go to another classmate’s host family for a while. Spending time with the host families can bring a lot of funny memories and create new ones. My personal favorite is when we get to spend time with any siblings they may have; we can learn a lot about the culture here or just laugh when the 4 year old kid you’re babysitting calls you “un mono bonita” (a pretty monkey).
After everyone was ready the host families and any extra relatives or friends drove or walked to the gathering. Once everyone arrived we said our hellos and served our families juice, beans, potato chips, and rice with chicken and vegetables. We didn’t know how many people would show up, so the amount of food that was made could almost feed the entirety of Costa Rica. For scale, the rice that was made filled an entire cooler to the brim! After we all ate we washed our dishes and the music started back up. Having the music on again encouraged people to dance, and using our new bachata, merengue, and salsa skills, we danced and talked with our friends and families. After some socializing we started a line of people trying to swing at a piñata. Once it broke, everyone ran towards the candy while the leftovers fell on our heads, people were trampled, and some tripped over others. After the candy was collected and we had calmed down slightly, three different cakes were brought out to share with everyone. Once people had had enough sugar for the night, some people helped clean up the messes from wrappers or food, packed away the tables and chairs, or went outside to play with the kids or continue conversations. To finish off our last work day, we said our goodnights and goodbyes, and went to our host families house for the last time to pack our things and get ready for the next adventures to come!
Blog 6: An assortment of Hues and Views
By Zachary B.
Yet another great day of service with the Herradura community. Today, we refreshed and refurbished the paint on their sports court. We also got free time to do fun activities including banana races, soccer, and playing games.
We started work at around 9:00 AM after healthy breakfasts including, pinto, sandwiches, hot cereal, tortas fritas, coffee, hot chocolate, and other crave-able meal items. A soccer ball was accidentally kicked into a paint tray and paint was splattered all over the walls, the stage, people, and the ground. A few more things like that happened but we cleaned them up and moved on.
We took a break a little while before lunch and did some fun activities. Cole, Kai, Joaquín, Theo, Jack, Grayson, and I (Zachary) took small pink bananas that had fallen off of trees. We then marked then and lined them up against a log at the start of a small stream we found and raced them along. During our other breaks and lunch, we played soccer and passed around the ball.
For lunch, at around 11:30 AM, we ate things such as fish, chicken, rice, beans, fried plantains, and some fun Costa Rican drinks. We then went back to work to finish painting for the day.
The court now looks very new and fresh with vivid colors and clean lines.
Right around 3:00 PM when we had finished our work early for the day, a few friends and I played soccer on the pitch. Its was pretty fun and good exercise until about 2 minutes in when somebody (me) kicked it into a pipe. It’s still there.
Others went home or to others homes and hung out. Some people came over to Theo and I’s home after we played soccer and we played games and watched tv.
Nothing much else really happened throughout the day. People went home, had dinner, and went to bed. Overall, today was an average and fun day. We did a lot of work, ate good food, and played.
Blog 5: Rest day!
By Kaya D.
This morning we woke up at 8:00 but just laid in bed for a little bit until Ruby woke up and called my name. Ruby is my roommate for my host family. Then at 8:30 ruby woke up and started to get up. We woke up and started getting ready because we were gonna make breakfast this morning. This morning Ruby and I made french toast for breakfast and it was really good, and to drink we had water apple mixed up.
After making a delicious breakfast, we left around 9:30 to go to the soccer game but once we got down there it was half time so we went to the pulperia (local shop) to get some snacks. After that we went to the gym and played for a bit. Anni and I went to my host family’s house because I forgot my water bottle and some bug spray. We got to the house and we ran in and grabbed my bag. We started walking back down and got to the gym. After about 10 minutes we started heading over to Kai and Grayson’s house so that we could have our cooking class. We made tortillas with our hands and it was really fun. After we finished we got lunch which was rice and chicken and then for dessert we got jello.
Once we finished we got to go home so me and Ruby walked home. Once we got home we started playing go fish. Me and Ruby then went to Zach and Theos’ house with Ryker and Cole and played cards for a bit. Then for dinner we had rice and a chicken piece with salad, and for a drink we had tamarindo. Overall we had a really fun day.
Blog 4: Dancing paint
By Annika E.
Blog 3: Luckily it started raining
By Joaquín T.
For a second we thought the bus had gotten stuck on the mud. Turns out it was just that a sign on a nearby bridge read: “no more than 1.5 tons” our driver Carlos noticed and made sure we didn’t fall to the river below. Thank you, Carlos.
We made it to Herradura, where the rain made taking the baggage out of the bus considerably harder (thank you Carlos again for doing it anyway). We got into a circle and got introduced to the families we would stay with. I’m still not sure if they heard everyone’s name correctly (I definitely didn’t) but not because of the language barrier, because of the rain outside.
From my personal experience, and what I’ve heard from my friends, all the families were really nice and welcomed us with open arms. Apparently most people had casado for dinner, a typical Costa Rican dish that includes rice, beans, various vegetables and plantain. Jack and I had chicken with rice, broccoli and polenta (although I argue it was most likely mashed potatoes, as it felt softer than any polenta I’ve ever had).
In the morning we had breakfast, showered and went to work (most of us late) we spent the first half of our day cleaning tables, chairs and the basketball court. The longest break we got we used to go buy snacks. I also took advantage of the store’s WiFi to text our parents, I predict the place will be used a lot in the future to make calls and download entertainment for the long haul.
Blog 2: Bugs, sweat and fun
By Paige D.
On Wednesday night we stayed in a beautiful jungle farm in Pura Suerte. We saw the animals, including rabbits, cows, chickens, and slightly smelly but not so slightly smelly pigs. It was really hot and raining at the same time, so we couldn’t tell what was sweat and what was the rain. All I can say is that our jackets smelled like mold after and we were soaked. We got to see the different plants growing in that area, and we got to try the cacao fruit. That night we were separated into cabins. I stayed with 5 girls, with the other 7 girls in another cabin and all the guys together in one large cabin.
We got called down for dinner where we got to eat delicious traditional Costa Rican food. When we came back all of us girls got ready for the night, and I would describe the cabin as homey, fun, and full of surprises. The girls were all really nice and welcoming and I felt really comfortable, although I was worried about not really fitting in before. They were so kind and welcoming in fact, Coriander and Ruby wanted to take the bed from the small lonely upstairs area of the cabin to put it downstairs so I could be with the rest of the girls. We made an awesome discovery when I plopped on the bed to sleep and Anna said, “huh what is that.” I lifted up the cover only to find a scorpion with its claws right out to get us. Everyone screamed to call Laura. After Laura removed the scorpion peacefully from my bed, we were all settled down and ready to sleep. But the bat that flew in did not want us to sleep. It flew around the whole cabin, dipping down right where we were. Screaming for Laura yet again, we were told that the bat couldn’t be caught and it would just be flying around us while we slept. We all fell asleep with our new friend battie.
The next morning we went down for breakfast, the bat nowhere to be found. I got a serving of many different fruits, gallo pinto with nice seasonings, and juice from a fruit I had never tried before. We were handed our lunch so we could save it for later, as we were going to hike down to a beautiful waterfall where we were going to swim. We got into the back of the truck, which was fun, but I think half of us were secretly hoping to go into the back of the banana truck we got to go in last time… Unfortunately not legal in the U.S but it totally should be. All gleaming with sweat, we all hiked down to the waterfall, which was beautiful. The name is Nauyaca, one of the most beautiful waterfalls in Costa Rica. We all got into the water, and it was hotter than Oregon but that didn’t stop me from shivering. Everyone else seemed to be fine though so I think it was just a me issue. I did get dunked a few times though :).
After some gorgeous views and lunch, we got into something I can only describe as a hybrid of a truck and a bus combined. We drove to our host families, where we were separated into groups of two or three per each family. My family I got placed with is really awesome. They are really nice and they even have a one year old baby girl who has the biggest eyes I’ve ever seen. She likes watching Coco Melon. She really got me into that series. My roommates are Avery and Hayden, which I’m really happy to be with because they are really nice, and awesome people to be around in general. We all had dinner together consisting of traditional Costa Rican food served in very, very large portions. We were not hungry that night. At all. It was tasty though, and also served with another type of juice I had not had before. After dinner, we had time to relax and take a shower and contact our parents. I called top bunk and after saying goodnight we all fell asleep. :)
In all, I’d say I’m really lucky to get to go on this trip. It’s a really unique and memorable experience, and I can’t wait to stay 4 more nights at our hosts house.
Blog 1: In touch with the organic world
By Laura M.