On our way home

We have made it through security in the San Jose airport. Our flight boards in about an hour. Hopefully everything else goes well!

Pura vida!

All photos are up!

Every photo has been uploaded to Dropbox.

Time for bed!

One final day in Costa Rica

Our last day in Costa Rica was certainly not uneventful. We started the day with breakfast at the hotel and a trip downtown to shop. The rain came at us with ferocity early on, but it subsided while we visited the town and right through our lunch.

A couple hours after we ate, we met our ATV guides and set out for a tour of the area. With the rain from earlier in the day, we knew we would be dealing with muddy, wet terrain. Trini and I have always done this tour in dry, dusty weather, so this adventure stands out as a rather unique experience. Shortly into our tour, the heavens opened up. Rain continued intermittently for about 75% of the journey. It was muddy, slippery, and super dirty. I’m not afraid to admit that I detest being dirty, but I’m also not afraid to admit that I had a great time out there. This tour was significantly more fun than the dry times (all were dirty, by the way), and the route was better than in the past as well. I took as many pictures as I could, but there were not as many opportunities, given that the camera was wet, and I was more focused on surviving.

It’s now just about dinner time. We will eat at the hotel restaurant and then relax and pack as we await an early morning pickup. We depart from La Fortuna at 6:00am to set out on a 3+ hour journey back to the capital of San Jose. Our flight leaves at 12:40pm local time (2:40pm Mercersburg time, now that we’re two hours behind).

If time permits, and if there is wifi available, I will try to update the blog on the way home. That scenario, though, seems unlikely.

Also, there are still over 100 photos to upload. I will give it my best effort tonight, but if they aren’t all up by then, they will be up late Monday night. They will remain in the Dropbox folder for a good amount of time (at least a few weeks) before I pull them down to save space on my account (there are 5GB of photos, almost 1,500 in total). Parents and friends, if you see any photos you like, download them to your computer. Of course, if you ever want photos later, you can simply ask me for them.

Here's one from today.

Thoughts from Courtney Levins '16

I love Costa Rica so much! The nature and adventure here are different than anything I’ve ever seen or experienced before. The other day I climbed all the way to the top of the strangler tree, and it was amazing! It didn’t even seem real, all the branches intertwining creating a ladder up to an amazing view. Ziplining through the rain forest was also a similar, surreal feeling. I’ve ziplined once before, but this time was different. While flying above the canopy and looking out to mountains, I felt strangely safe. Even when I got stuck on the middle of a line, I wasn’t nervous at all! I just laughed and went with it. That’s what Costa Rica has taught me – life is simple, just go with the flow. Enjoying the present isn’t something to do sometimes on vacation, it’s a lifestyle that I have learned about from the Costa Rican people and hope to embrace in my daily life. Pura vida!

-Courtney Levins '16

Thoughts from Nick Rubino '18

Working and working, walking up and down the windy and winding trails. One simple, but painstaking task to complete is to dig holes. Two meters deep and one meter wide. From inside the hole, scraping at the sides to try and even it out, I looked up and wiped the sweat off of my brow to see Mr. Cohen looking down and reaching out a hand to help me up. The hard work was done, but there was still more to come. I glanced down to see my work, and my glance turned into a gaze. I couldn't believe how much work we had done in such a short amount of time with just myself and four other people. Hiking back to the school, the small group and myself all felt accomplished, as if we had made an impact. 

While playing soccer with the schoolchildren, I could observe the glee on their faces. Salimo, one of the few who really stuck out, was always at the front of the pack, leading the charge for the ball. The immense enchantment of that moment granted a seed of pure joy into my heart, and I know that the only way to let it grow is to volunteer to help more people in need, not for my own personal gain, but for the good of those who will benefit from it. I hope to see Salimo and his friends soon, as I am aware that with more volunteering, they can be helped more.

-Nick Rubino '18

A reward worth the wait

We just returned from the Tabacon hot springs resort, which sits about ten minutes down the road from our hotel, at the base of the Volcano Arenal. You can read more about this volcano HERE. We enjoyed an enormous buffet dinner and then experienced the many natural springs that the resort has to offer. We had a great time, and we even had the chance for a nice non-alcoholic drink in the bar inside the pool - yes, inside, not beside. You can read more about Tabacon HERE.

Enjoy this picture of the ladies with their drinks tonight. They sure seem happy.

We have one more day to enjoy this beautiful country. There should be some more information up tomorrow after our ATV tour, and I will also post last two of our student entries.

FYI: There are over 100 photos yet to be uploaded as of bedtime tonight, and they come from various events over the last couple days. Hopefully we will catch up tomorrow with all the pictures uploaded before our departure from the country. If not, they will be uploaded immediately upon our return to Mercersburg.

Thoughts from Brooke Kinney '16

With dozens of little kids gathering around us wearing faces of joy, I finally realized the importance of our visit. The work our group completed in five days would have taken multiple weeks for the staff at the Cloud Forest School. Many of the students could not understand why my fellow classmates and I took our time to come down and help out, and it is simply because we know that they are in more need than we are. I believe that I speak for the entire group when I say that I wish we could stay longer and work more. Many friendships were made and a lot was accomplished, so even with this trip coming to an end, it has already been very successful.

-Brooke Kinney '16

Thoughts from Mira Schlueter '17

Our week in Monteverde was a great experience, even though our work could have been more exciting. To know that I won't see my host family for a while makes me sad. It was nice to see how the people there live, how they eat, and which stories they have to share. The rafting safari today was great. We saw a lot of different animals and had a lot of fun.

-Mira Schlueter '17

Thoughts from James DiLalla '17

My time with the Arroyo family was an eye opening experience that I will never forget for as long as I live. During these five days I lived simply, yet I had an amazing time playing and hanging out with my siblings Johan and Pablo. They really made this experience incredible for me. Johan and I became especially good friends over this short period of time, mainly because we both have copious amounts of energy and enjoy the game of soccer. Although we had never met, we immediately bonded and became brothers. I can't thank Johan enough for incorporating me into his busy life, and constantly reminding me to always be optimistic. Thanks again Johan and the Arroyo family for showing me Costa Rican culture and for truly making me feel at home.

-James DiLalla '17

Thoughts from Archie Levis '17

Leaving Monteverde was a difficult experience for all of us. We all had created our own special connection with the various kindhearted families who offered us their homes. While each home stay was unique and different from the next, they were certainly different from our families back home. Each family seemed very content no matter how much or how little they had. The people of Monteverde were some of the most gracious and hospitable people I have ever met. Most importantly of all, though, is that the people were sincere and genuine. We have been very fortunate to experience such a staggering place, with people kind enough to match.

-Archie Levis '17

A morning on the river

We woke up early to meet our river guides at 7:25am. After a 20-minute drive, we were at the river. We boarded three rafts, and the rest was history. We were able to see crocodiles, birds, monkeys, a sloth, and other cool things such as a termite nest. About halfway through the tour, we stopped at a farm that has been there since the 1930s. The family there provided us with a snack and coffee, and we learned some history about the place. We then headed back on the bus for a 40-minute ride home, stopping along the way to see some iguanas and to pick up some fresh fruit for an afternoon snack by the hotel pool.

The weather here has been quite predictably unpredictable. We have had a mixture of light rain, heavy downpours, and sunshine. This morning, the first half of our safari was overcast and misty, while the second half was warm and sunny.

We will relax this afternoon, perhaps visiting the downtown area as well. We will depart for Tabacon (the hot springs resort) at 5:45pm.

Enjoy these two pictures. It may be some time until you see more, because the photos are uploading at alarmingly slow rates.

Saying goodbye is never easy

We had a very busy last day at the Cloud Forest School.

When we arrived this morning, we headed into the classrooms in groups to watch project presentations. The younger students (grades Pre-K through 4) were presenting, and others from those grades as well as kids from the rest of the school came to watch. It was quite a show, actually, and there are some pictures of their projects.

Afterwards, the girls joined Milton on the trails to rake again. They may not have been thrilled to be raking for the third or fourth time, but the trails needed to be clear for Sunday's run through the forest. Meanwhile, Trini and the boys and I hit up the bathroom in the woods. We mixed concrete by hand and delivered it to the bathroom area, leveling it off and getting it ready to become the floor. Unfortunately, the school didn't even have all the materials necessary to complete the bathroom yet, so we would never have had the chance to get the project done this week, no matter how much time we devoted to it.

We then hit the famous strangler fig tree, which is a five minute walk from the school. See the pictures.

Our last couple hours at the school were spent celebrating. Many of the families joined forces to prepare a huge meal for us, and we enjoyed the food with our hosts. Everyone was able to say thank you, and each Mercersburg representative had the chance to say a few words. Trini finished by presenting the school with a check for $3900, representing the proceeds from the exam baskets sold over the last two years. The school administrators were ecstatic, including Sarah Burbank '95, with whom we had a great time talking and sharing experiences. A couple pictures are included below, showing Courtney and James with their host brothers. These youngsters and others had quite a tough time saying goodbye.

We then set off for La Fortuna - a ride that would take three hours. We arrived safely and happily at our hotel, ate dinner, and are now enjoying some relaxing time while the rain falls outside.

Tomorrow morning we leave at 7:30am for our raft safari. Later on, we will enjoy a buffet dinner and a night in the hot springs. It should be an exciting day.

Thoughts from Fiona Flanagan '17

Everyone here is so happy and pretty. They are a true joy to be around. The countryside is so beautiful, too. I find my Spanish being put to the test, but my home stay definitely improved my skills. The food was quite magnificent and a riveting change for me. My host sister Milena was so gracious for little things like the small candies I gave her and for me reading to her.

The Cloud Forest School is so innovative, and they use everything they have. Digging the two-meter holes for the bathrooms was a new experience. After I saw the completed holes, I felt a wave of pride wash over me. Although most of our work seemed to be raking, I still felt very helpful.

The third grade girls were so sweet and excited to play with us. They really got joy from our time together. They asked for all of our phone numbers and emails, and we were happy to give the info to them! I really hope we keep in touch, so that I can hear about their eventful time at the school.

-Fiona Flanagan '17

Arrival in La Fortuna

After a three hour drive through the countryside, we arrived in La Fortuna, ready for our final set of Costa Rican adventures. The blog will be updated later tonight with more information about the events of the day. I'm trying to upload photos from today, but it doesn't seem to be going as planned with our hotel internet. It may take some time. Meanwhile, here's one from the strangler fig tree near the school. 

Pura Vida!

Thoughts from Maddie Rogers '17

As Mr. Cohen has been posting, it is probably clear how absolutely amazing it is here. Everywhere you go gives you an amazing view and a new appreciation for how beautiful Costa Rica is. Obviously the most rewarding part is the work we're doing for the Cloud Forest School. You can really feel their appreciation for the paths we've raked and holes we've dug in their high fives and hugs. Every smile we get just makes me want to work more - and it's not just in the school. Everywhere here you see so many people who are so appreciative of just the simple things they have. It has made me realize that all the things we have we take so easily for granted. Not everyone needs money and iPhones and a luxury house to be happy, and I think the more people realize that, the happier they will be.

-Maddie Rogers '17


[Apologies - this post was initially made with my phone, and there was a formatting error. I reposted it so it's actually readable.]

Raking our way to the top

We started the day by getting up early for an activity the group has been waiting for since the trip began. After catching taxis at around 6:45am, we left downtown shortly after 7:15 and made the 15 minute drive to Sky Trek - the local zip line course. We got our gear, heard some directions, and then headed out to the first line. There was no practice run, as we have had in the past. We made our way through eight zip lines, three of which were tandem runs. Fiona and I did not have enough speed on a run together, and we had to manually get to the finish line. Embarrassing? Sure. Fun? I suppose it was.

Only about 60 minutes after we began, we were finished. The longest line was about a half mile long, and others were up to a third of a mile. Still, it does not take a long time to travel from one end of a line to the other. We headed inside for a snack and relaxed a bit before going to the school.

The remainder of our morning consisted only of dragging supplies into the forest and raking leaves off the trail.

We had a nice sized lunch break. I took a group of five students for a hike up to the kiosk - a structure I helped to build some seven years ago. While we did that, another group visited a 2nd grade classroom and a few of our other students joined the kids for soccer.

After lunch, it was back out to the trails. We started raking again as a group. So much raking. Really, we raked a lot. In fact, this time, we raked a trail we never saw before. The path kept increasing in elevation, and we ended up spending about 30 minutes climbing further after we stopped raking. The hike ended up serving as a considerable workout. Somehow, we ended up at the very same kiosk my group had visited a couple hours earlier, but we came from a different direction. Needless to say, our group left the forest tired.

Not too tired, though! Ten of the students joined me and Trini for a dance class with, by all indications, an excellent dance teacher. He only spoke Spanish, but we knew what he meant and learned by watching. Everyone had a great time - even me, and I generally find it tough to express the extent of my distaste for dancing. We danced an hour away, and then we took taxis back to our home stays.

James and Nick decided to forego the dance class and head home on the buses. James spent his afternoon organizing a big soccer game with our students, their host brothers and sisters, and others. They should be playing right now. All is well in Monteverde.

We will go to the school tomorrow one last time. We will enjoy a party after working through the morning and then depart for La Fortuna, our last stop before flying home Monday.

Unless the wind knocks out internet again, photos should all be up by late evening. Below is a group shot from just before the first zip line.

Thoughts from Yuna Yamamoto '17

Every day on this trip, I appreciate a lot that I had an opportunity to join the trip. The view of the sky and mountains that we see from the Cloud Forest School is beautiful and priceless, and the fact that I can help out these nice students and faculty through the community service project in this wonderful environment makes me feel pleased. Also, I had one of the happiest moments of my life, riding a horse in between beautiful mountains. Getting used to a different culture isn't easy, but at the same time you receive joy from it. Especially because I take Spanish, it is very nice to have a conversation with my host family and eat Costa Rican food together. When my host family and I were watching a soccer game on TV, my mom told me that her brother is on the Costa Rican national futbol team, and she also baked a brownie just for me. Kids in the family are so friendly, and each night we play different games. This trip will be an unforgettable, rewarding experience for me.

Yuna Yamamoto '17

When the landlines stop working

Our third day in Monteverde was filled with work. We broke up into three groups and went to it right away. Trini and her group painted roof material for our bathroom. Meanwhile, another group of four students spent over two hours filling bags with dirt and rocks. My group spent the morning digging two enormous holes for the bathrooms.

After lunch, our students joined the CEC kids and some staff for soccer, and it will surely happen again before we leave. Our students are always impressed with the skill of the youngsters. They love it.

In the afternoon the other two groups did some different things, swapping jobs. My group wanted to finish the holes, and we did. They ended up as required - two meters deep and one meter wide. Digging out a hole from six feet under is quite the experience. And getting out of the hole can be quite a challenge.

After school we took off for the town. We spent a couple hours shopping and eating before heading to our dinner at a fine Italian restaurant. We were also joined by many of the CEC staff. We had great food and a great time. The rest of the night was spent with host families.

The landline phones didn't work across the entire town. There were no credit card transactions available while we shopped, and it was difficult to communicate and do such simple tasks as order a taxi. There was also no internet when I arrived home, explaining the delay in the posting of this entry. More photos from yesterday still need to be uploaded - and that will happen later today. One more thing - apologies for the fact that pictures from work are skewed toward my group. We were far from the others and separated most of the day.

Thoughts from Gabriel Allgayer '16

After another five minutes with the shovel in my hands, my back started to hurt again. After another two, I needed a break. The work we are doing, building a bathroom, is hard but also fun. Almost everything we do is without the help of electricity, since we are a seven minute walk away from the school. Yet this is the most enjoyable and relaxing part for me, helping the people while having fun. Yes, the work is hard, but being in such a great place (the middle of the rain forest) and having the opportunity to have such an experience is just amazing. Since we arrived, I have enjoyed this trip: the people we meet are all friendly and happy to help us, the country is beautiful, the food is more than delicious, and the activities we do are fun. The most fun one for me so far was the activity we did Monday after we were done working: a visit to the local snake house followed by eating ice cream in town afterwards. I enjoyed it so much since after working we were all in a good mood and ready for relaxing downtime with each other. But my experience was made even better with what happened next. After having trouble with my taxi, I arrived two and a half hours later than I told my host family I would arrive. Instead of being upset or angry, because they had to wait to eat dinner, they welcomed me as friendly as usual and asked me what happened. After explaining everything, all was good and we enjoyed dinner together.

-Gabriel Allgayer '16

Thoughts from Kari Anderson '16

On Sunday, March 1, I got to meet my host family. There was a little girl, Deilyn, and her parents. Deilyn is the cutest girl ever! She's in 3rd grade at the CEC.

On March 3, I woke up at my usual time of 5:30 and started to get ready for work. As soon as Deilyn saw me, she wished me a happy birthday. I was so happy and excited that she remembered it was my birthday from when I told her the first day. We came back from horseback riding, and they made me an extremely nice dinner. And they brought out flan and pumpkin pie for dessert! I wasn't expecting that at all! I couldn't believe that they did that for me - especially after only knowing them for approximately two days. It made me realize how close I was to them and how close they were to me. Honestly, I wouldn't want any other family. Yes, the shower water is freezing and yes, they have no wifi, but I will never trade these in for a different family. These people are my family, and I wouldn't have it any other way.

-Kari Anderson '16

Thoughts from Maddie Surmacz '17

I cannot put into words how beautiful Costa Rica is! Most people take what they have for granted, myself included. However, while horseback-riding through the gorgeous mountains today, I took a minute to just stare at the scenery and take in the vast beauty. In this moment I realized how lucky I am to have an opportunity like this. It was amazing to take a step back from reality and enjoy the peaceful and tranquil nature. Additionally, I could not be more grateful to be with the host family I am with, and it is a great pleasure working with the students, staff, and friends. Pura Vida!! 

-Maddie Surmacz '17

More work, more play

Day 2 at the Cloud Forest School turned out to be a short one. Due to construction on the roads, we had to leave right after lunch for our afternoon activity.

The morning featured work on our bathroom in the woods. We spent most of it digging up land for a pipe and burying it about five inches underground. We covered a large area in a short amount of time, given that the entire group was working on the same project. After we finished that assignment, we didn't have much to do. We helped a bit but headed out for lunch.

We arrived to meet our horses early in the afternoon, dropping off a young girl from the school who would end up riding with us. In fact, her family owns the business. We rode our horses about 30 minutes down a steep incline before landing down near a river. By the river were two hot spring pools. They were not as warm as Trini and I remember them to be, but they were warm enough, and they allowed us to snap some neat pictures. After we changed, we headed back to our horses to climb out of the valley - much faster than we traveled down. Waiting for us at the house was the family with its homemade cake and fresh coffee, just like we have had in the past. The day was made even more special when our students joined the family's children for some soccer in the driveway. Everyone seemed to have a great time.

We then took taxis back to our homestays, and now we will enjoy some family time once again.

While you wait for some 265 photos from today to upload, please enjoy this one from the hot spring.

Day one complete

Our students had the chance to find out what the Cloud Forest School is all about. We rode buses to the school - some boarding as early as 7:15am. After getting tours from a pair of upperclassmen, the group joined forces to haul wood into the forest for a bathroom we will be building. We then spent most of the morning raking leaves off of a trail in the forest. The school is hosting a race this Sunday, and the trail needs to be clear so it's not slippery.

After lunch (which is provided by each of the host families), we headed out to accomplish a few tasks. We cleared some trails, raked some more, painted, sawed some tree branches, dug holes for posts...a little bit of everything.

Once the work was done for the day, we rode the school bus into town to the snake house. We were given a lesson about snakes, reptiles, frogs, and more, and then we had the chance to see them. Always a good time.

Eating some delicious Monteverde ice cream a little while later would be the last thing we did as a group. At around 5:45pm, we headed off to our home stays for the night. Pictures are uploading but will take some time, as usual.

Everyone seems to be enjoying the home stays, the school, the work, and the experience overall! We will be back at it bright and early in the morning.

The photo below shows some of our students hanging with a few of the youngsters after school today.

Arrival in Monteverde

The ride to Monteverde was the usual fare - lots of picturesque landscape and some crazy roads winding through the mountains. We had to leave a bit earlier than usual to get into town. Oddly enough, the road we needed to use was only open between 12:00pm and 12:30pm. We made it! Then we ate a delicious lunch at a mall that opened since the last time we were here. 

At 2:00pm, we met with our host families and went our separate ways. Pictured below is Whitney, the Cloud Forest School representative in charge of groups like ours, prepping the students to meet their families.

It's windy, rainy, and quite chilly outside. Hopefully the weather improves as we start our work tomorrow at the school. We will be reunited with our group members at 8:00am.

Pura vida!

A Day at the Beach

We looked for a sporting event. We searched for a show. We tried to find a movie playing nearby. We really could come up with nothing fun to do that seemed captivating. So...we decided to do something we've never done on the Service in the Sun trip. Something our students have asked about year after year. We went to the beach. That's right. We hopped on a charter bus and rode about two hours westward, landing in Jaco Beach on the Pacific coast.

The weather was perfect, and the water was unbelievably warm. The kids had a great time.

The pictures should speak for themselves. Hopefully they will all be up on Dropbox at some point soon. For now, enjoy this group shot.

Tomorrow we depart bright and early at 8:45am for Monteverde. We will stop for lunch on the way and arrive at our homestays in the afternoon. We will then ride the buses to school Monday morning to begin our work.

Stay tuned for another update Sunday night if internet is available (or Monday morning if not).

Looking for pictures?

If you want all of the pictures, you need to check out this link: Photos at Dropbox

For now, you can enjoy this picture of all of the students playing some sort of game near the pool.

FYI: Updates will not be this frequent when we get to the school and the home stays, so enjoy them while they last!

Jade!

Our first activity as a group was hitting up the Jade Museum, now in its swanky new location. We spent about an hour there before hitting up the markets and grabbing some lunch.

First meal

After only a few hours of sleep, most of us woke up for the classic Don Carlos breakfast. We are relaxing for now after a long night of traveling, but we will head out on the town by midday.

Made it to Costa Rica

The group arrived safely in San Jose. We did not get to the hotel until about 2:30am local time. Everyone is tired but excited!