Costa Rica 2015 will forever hold a special place in my heart. My high school was special in the fact that every student starting in 9th grade had many opportunities to travel out of the country. At this point in my life I had not been too many places outside the Northeast, Florida was the only exception. I have always been an adventurer in the sense that I loved the outdoors and travel. My science teacher was my favorite, I liked science but most importantly he was one of the nicest teachers I have ever had in my high school career. He genuinely cared about his students and always went out of his way to strike up a conversation about my weekend or other things he knew I enjoyed. This man wore gym shorts and a tie dye tee shirt to school. If that doesn’t make him sound laid back enough and free, I don’t know what does. Not only did I take every science class he offered and laugh at his cheesy jokes I also had the privilege to accompany him to Costa Rica with 24 others.
Costa Rica 2015 was advertised as a lively experience which included volunteering at a local Costa Rican school, white water rafting, zip lining and visiting a massive waterfall. I signed up and worked really hard to raise money for the trip on my own. The payments were due almost a year in advance and the trip seemed so far away but the time sped on and before I knew it I was boarding a plane with tired eyes at 6 AM. The trip down was the longest most hectic thing I have ever experienced. I was awake for 36 hours, the longest I had ever gone without sleep. My eyes burned and were completely blood shot and I struggled to stay warm in my tropical gear on the first flight. When the flights were over and the first breeze of warm air brushed my nose I knew that the sleepless 36 hours were worth it.
I learned so many things from The Costa Rica 2015 trip that I will forever value. Below is a list of the top three things we did and what I learned from each one:
- 1) Volunteering: Twenty-four of us got off a small bus and looked at the Costa Rican school. There were little cement buildings with fencing over the windows. These windows were unable to be closed and there were no signs of air conditioning something that in this environment most of us would consider essential. At this school we were to paint the classroom, plant a garden, install a new plumbing system and most importantly create connections with the Costa Rican children. These small buildings may have not looked like much to the average eye but this school was unique from any elementary school I had ever visited. These children had the biggest hearts and were truly thankful for everything they had. To some they may not have much but to them they are grateful for the amount of things they have experienced and gained over time. I sat and wondered what it would be like to live somewhere that everyone appreciated their what they have and literally everything around them. I hope to visit a place with a similar mind set someday. These people are so content and upbeat.
- 2) White Water Rafting: The thrill of a life time. Water shoes, helmets, life vests and a positive attitude was all required for a successful trip down these class four rapids. Class four got caught in my throat as I told my mom over the phone. Water can be dangerous, what if I fall out hit my head and die ran through my head. Of course this didn’t happen this ended up being one of the most memorable times on the Costa Rica trip. It was such a trill to be holding on for dear life and paddling a large blue plastic inflated boat down a river that could easily swallow someone. We spent the night in beside the river in tents and baited tarantellas out of their holes with dental floss and gum. It was a very simple silly life we were living while in Costa Rica nothing was more than it seemed or too complicated in any case. I learned that living on the edge was fun for a change.
- 3) Zip Lining: Five hundred feet above the tree line I found myself suspended from a cable and moving at a rate I would never reach driving. A scream slipped through my lips as a let my feet come off the ground and lent all my weight to the cable. Praying that all would go well. I had been taught how to use the break to stop and how to sit but so much could go wrong. The first line I could not bring myself to look around, it was all too new and scary at this point. But as I traveled closer to the ground I began to gain the courage to look around. As I was flying like almost flying through the air I saw a beautiful lake and miles and miles of rain forest around me. There was so much that I would have never seen if I had chickened out on experiencing such a thing as terrifying and amazing as zip lining. The world around us is a beautiful place it’s important for each every one of us to see its beauty or we will have never truly lived a full life.
