2024 Sandy Spring Costa Rica Cultural Journey

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Blog 5

¿What does Pura Vida means to you?
Nature, people, food and fun experiences.
– Sienna
Feeling of joy, kindness and community.
– Margo
Experience everything that nature gives you, do not change things the way you want everything to be.
– Logan
The time in the jungle and we hiked to the waterfall and swim there, but also the nature reserve watching the animals in their natural habitat.
– Keenan

Blog 4: My days in Costa Rica

By: Morgan

Hi Family this is first day in Costa Rica we saw street dogs in a pack there were three and they were so cute. And when we were going up the mountain there was a big waterfall it was beautiful. The best part right now is the food it is so good and the people are very nice.

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Hola Family today we had to hike up the mountain back to the bus. It was hard but I am a athlete so it was light work in a way. Then after the bus ride to the waterfall we had to hike down to go see and swim the rocks to get there were wet and slippery. It was worth it tho bc the water was cool and there were lots of rocks too. The hike back up to the cars to take us to the bikes was hard but again I’m an athlete so light work. After we got back to the place near the cabin we went to a family owned farm the husband and wife that showed use the farm was very nice they let us try raw coca bean the white part tasted like mango. And I got to hold a chicken and baby chicks. At the end of the tour they made hot coco and black coffee but I had hot coco of course. One more thing I bought coffee beans and coca chocolate too. Adiós

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Hello Family today we went surfing and I had mix emotions about it the salt water burned my eyes. The instructor was very nice and he said I didn’t have to go every turn. On the way back from surfing we saw two dogs that were walking with us and two parrots they were beautiful. After we got back from the beach to the hotel some people got in the pool including me. See ya

Blog 3: Costa Rica Reflections

Though originally I did not know that many people since I was introduced to a new class, I started to get to know more people and be more spontaneous, and it has elevated my travel experience. Though I so far have only scratched the surface of Costa Rica’s environment and culture, it has been very interesting driving around the area and exploring the local city scapes. My favorite stop was seeing the crocodiles, which made me more interested in the area’s nature. It was also interesting to make stops along our road trip on day 2, seeing local shops and wildlife. For example, I was able to speak Spanish with locals while shopping, and see many artifacts. Overall, I felt welcomed immediately
On day 3 and day 4, there were a series of adventures that embraced my spontaneity. Before however, there was a brief period of panic attack for a few people I was staying with. First off, I managed to spot a fatally venomous Fur De Lance. Then I saw a possibly fatally venomous spider. The day afterward was a lot nicer though, besides the fact that everyone in my cabin decided to get up at 4:00 A.M. That day, we hiked multiple times and eventually reached a waterfall. By this time, my roommates were tired but I was surprisingly fine. We were able to swim in the current next to the very tall waterfall reached, and the water was very nice. My favorite part of the past two days of the trip was surfing. The next day, my roommates and I immigrated to another hotel, this time not in the middle of the woods. I hope to remember the skills I was taught, since surfing was a lot more fun than expected since I had no prior experience. Overall, those two days had a drastic change in emotions and experience, but they were both enjoyable in their own ways.
By: Devan

Blog 2: Pura vida!

Though originally I did not know that many people since I was introduced to a new class, I started to get to know more people and be more spontaneous, and it has elevated my travel experience. Though I so far have only scratched the surface of Costa Rica’s environment and culture, it has been very interesting driving around the area and exploring the local city scapes. My favorite stop was seeing the crocodiles, which made me more interested in the area’s nature. It was also interesting to make stops along our road trip on day 2, seeing local shops and wildlife. For example, I was able to speak Spanish with locals while shopping, and see many artifacts. Overall, I felt welcomed immediately
On day 3 and day 4, there were a series of adventures that embraced my spontaneity. Before however, there was a brief period of panic attack for a few people I was staying with. First off, I managed to spot a fatally venomous Fur De Lance. Then I saw a possibly fatally venomous spider. The day afterward was a lot nicer though, besides the fact that everyone in my cabin decided to get up at 4:00 A.M. That day, we hiked multiple times and eventually reached a waterfall. By this time, my roommates were tired but I was surprisingly fine. We were able to swim in the current next to the very tall waterfall reached, and the water was very nice. My favorite part of the past two days of the trip was surfing. The next day, my roommates and I immigrated to another hotel, this time not in the middle of the woods. I hope to remember the skills I was taught, since surfing was a lot more fun than expected since I had no prior experience. Overall, those two days had a drastic change in emotions and experience, but they were both enjoyable in their own ways.
By: Devan

Blog 1: 24 hours in Costa Rica

Hi Mom and Papa, my favorite part of the past 24 hours was hanging with the other girls because they are so uplifting, and they help me with my makeup. Satchel has been really sweet and has become one of the girls, also his hair is fabulous. Jane and lsa help me with my make up and they are amazing and I really appreciate them and I’m so excited for the rest of this trip.
By: Sienna T
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Hey mom and dad. I’m doing alright. I’ve seen lot of cool things like waterfalls and dogs. I’ve also learned a lot about the animals of Costa Rica. Last night we had a snake blocking outside by our door to the cabin!  We are going to the waterfall today to swim. I’m really excited and I hope to see you soon!
By: Alexander R.

Llegamos!

We have arrived! Our current location has limited wifi access but we will be uploading more updates and pictures soon.

Pura vida!

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