Only 13 days to go!  Pack you bags and we'll see you soon.  Pura vida!

I asked each student what their favorite activity was and what they learned on this trip.  Here is what they said:

TH- Even though you are living circumstances might not be as well as you are used to, you can still have fun and get something out of life. Favorite activity- Extremo zip line

JG-  I don't need a bunch of things to be happy.  Favorite activity- Extremo zipline

LE- I learned how to be more independent, how to adapt to different situations.  I learned the most with my Spanish from being with my family and having conversations with them.  Favorite activity- school service project and snorkel cruise.

BP- I learned Costa Rica has no hot water.  Living in another person's house is fun. It showed me how you can live off less, and you don't need more to be happy.  Favorite activity- Extremo.

KS- I learned that you can live alot more simply and still be happy.  Favorite activity- Extremo.

MM- I learned that you don't have to have everything in the world, and can still have a good life and enjoy yourself.  Favorite activity- horseback riding and and farewell dinner/dance.

PC- In other countries that are poorer, we should always try to take that into consideration and help them.  Favorite activity- Waterfall rappelling.

WB- I learned that you don't have to have as much stuff to live happily.  Favorite activity- sky trek and whitewater rafting.

GW- I learned that you can live without as much, and eat more natural foods and don't always have to go out to dinner.  Favorite activity- Extremo.

TS- I learned that we are all very similar no matter where we are from.  Favorite activity- volunteering at the school.

MR- I feel like I can do things now that I could never imagine doing.  Favorite activity- Sky Trek zipline and the school service project.

MB- I learned to appreciate what you have.  Favorite activity- waterfall rappelling.

OD- I learned that we are very spoiled at home and that taking cold showers isn't as bad as everyone thinks.  You can still be as happy as we are without fancy playsets or air conditioning.  Favorite activity- sky trek zipline, school service project, and whitewater rafting.

CG- I learned you don't need to have everything we have to be happy. You can live with alot less and still be happy. Seeing our host family and how happy they were without having alot is inspiring.  Favorite activity- school service project, surfing, and Extremo zipline.

SW- I learned you don't need a phone, computer, or big house and things that we always have to be happy. You just need your family to have a good time. Favorite activity- school service project and water rafting.

JW- I learned you can live with less than you have.  Favorite activity- everthing.

CT- I learned that you shouldn't take things for granted because lots of people are less fortunate than you are.  Favorite activity- school service project and Extremo zipline.

AV- I learned that we are spoiled and that most of the people here don't have all of the extras like iphones here, and they are still really happy.  Favorite activity- whitewater rafting.

SG- I learned they are happy without having everything we do.  They are fine living a simple life.  Favorite activity- the volunteer school project and the snorkel cruise.

BS- I learned that you don't need everything to be happy. You don't need tons of things.  Favorite activity- surfing and snorkel cruise.

JW- I learned that these families are happy with what they have and they don't need any of the extra things like we have. They are happy and they know how to live without all of those things.  Favorite activity- Extremo, surfing, and rafting.

Costa Rica 2012-- It has been MUY TUANIS to be with you! 

Today's blog is written by KS~ 

What a day filled with so many mixed emotions.  I personally felt sad last night that it was time to go home.  Today, as we picked up the students and they hugged their host families goodbye, it warmed my heart to hear them say they weren't ready to go home either.  You would be so proud of your children for the way they have opened up their eyes and their hearts to the world around them for the last two weeks.  The things they have seen, done, observed, tried, and poured their hearts into is something that will not soon leave them.  The new and deeper friendships and personal relationships they have made amongst each other, and with the chaperones has forged a bond that will run deep through the rest of their lives.  Every smile, new experience, and courageous determination that has come from them is the reason it makes it an easy decision for me to leave my own family behind for two weeks to do this with your children. 

Thank you parents for entrusting your children with myself and the other teachers to build these memories that will last them a lifetime.

Yours Truly,

Kathryn

Today's blog was written by WB and JG.

To start out our day we woke up at 6:30.  We had eggs, sausage, and fruit for breakfast.  We were greeted by our friends at 7:30 at the bus stop.  We left for school ten minutes later.  We had a ceremony at the end of class where we got certificates from our teachers.  Our lunch was delicious, we had lots of pizza.  After lunch we watched a slideshow that Jeff our guide made us with pictures from all of our events we did over the last two weeks.  After that we went to Conchal Beach.  It was awesome.  We swam, played with a frisbee on the beach and we buried James up to his face in sand.  It was awesome.  We are going back to spend our last night with our host family.  This trip has been absolutely amazing.

Today's blog was written by MB and KSS.

Today was awesome.  To start off, we got up at 6:00am and got ready.  Then we headed out for school.  After school we had lunch at a nice restaurant.  The food was good. Then we went to ride horses and went along Conchal Beach.  It was so pretty.  Then we went home and got ready for the dinner and dance.  We saw the sunset on the beach, then we had a buffet of chips and guacamole, salad, chicken, roasted potatoes, and beef tenderloin skewers.  We also had a DJ and danced alot.  This trip has been a great experience.

Today's blog was written by SG and B.S.

Today was our 11th day, June 6, 2012.  This morning we woke up at 6:35am.  We got ready and ate a delicious breakfast of banana pancakes, and rice and beans.  YUM!  Then we walked to the bus pick up spot at 7:20am.  After about a 10 minute bus ride, we arrived at CPI.  For 10 minutes we played ping-pong and talked.  When the bell rang we headed to class for 2 hours.  We learned more about indirect objects.  After our 20 minute break at 10:00, we played games and had a blast.  We left class at 11:45 for our snorkel cruise.  We got on the bus and we went to the beach where we waited in the water until the dinghy could take us to the boat.  Once we were on the boat we sailed and gazed at the sun's reflections on the water and the breaking of the waves.  We anchored, put on our snorkel gear and went swimming looking at the wonders under the surface.  After about 30 minutes, we got out, took off our gear, and jumped off the boat.  It was a blast!! We swam and talked until it was time to eat the food the captain made for us.  We feasted on chicken, fruit, chips, and cookies.  We sang and danced to music.  We had so much fun. It was getting late so we boated back to shore. Before we got off the boat we saw the glorious sight of the summer sun setting beyond the horizon, and leaving a beautiful mix of peaches and pinks on the rippled surface of the water.

Today's blog was written by PC and MM.

When MM and I woke up after a night full of thunder and storms, we had pancakes for breakfast.  It was off to class for the second day with our new teachers.  After an exciting game-filled class, we went off to lunch.  At lunch, we had hamburgers which were a little taste of home.  Thanks to Mrs. Spinelli, we all enjoyed some TCBY ice cream.  We got back into the bus to head to the pottery place.  It was rainy when we got there but like every other day, that didn't stop us from doing our exciting activities.  The rain kept making mangoes fall on the tin roof where we were and it made everybody jump.  After a detailed tutorial on how they make their pottery, we got to experience it ourselves.  After we had a fantastic time playing with the clay, we started looking at the pots to buy.  Today was a very exciting today.  Tomorrow we go snorkeling!

Today's blog is written by KS again.. because the kids were having too much fun surfing and I wanted to give them every last moment possible on the beach!

This morning we had an early pick up time of 7am to get to school.  We got a tour of the new CPI campus- it has a pool and a ping pong table, and a basketball court!  THe kids were thrilled.  They met their new teachers and off they went to class.  At noon, we headed out to Marie's for lunch. Marie's is an open air restaurant in Flamingo Beach and most of the kids were thrilled to order hamburgers and fries there.  At the end of lunch, the bottom dropped out of the sky and the kids were all worried they wouldn't get to surf.  Never fear, it stopped right in time!  After a 30 minute drive to Tamarindo, world famous surf spot, we had about 45 minutes to shop before our surf lesson.  The kids bought some souvenirs to bring home.  Most of them seemed to remember to bring their parents/siblings something too!

Then it was time for surfing.  They carried their surf boards out to the beach and got a quick lesson on the sand before they headed into the waves.  They broke up into groups of 3-4 with each group having their own instructor.  They had so much fun!  They were riding like pros in no time at all.  Many of them surfed by me and smiled for the camera.  I got lots of great pics!    Everybody was sad when it was time to go home. Tamarindo is truly a beautiful beach.   We dropped everybody off just in time before the rain started again and it was getting dark.  The timing was perfect! 

Today we are off to Guayitil, the local artisan town where they will get to watch and try making some pottery.

Pura Vida!

Today's blog is written by your fearless chaperones:

It was an early morning today with a 6:30 am breakfast time.  We enjoyed another delicious buffet and we were off to waterfall rappell.  The van dropped us off and we hopped onto our transport up the mountain to begin our adventure.  We got geared up in harnesses, helmets, and gloves.  The first of 4 waterfalls was the highest at 165 feet. It was by far the one that had everybody the most nervous.  Once we sat back in our harnesses, we took a deep breath, loosened our hands, and down we went.  P.C. had absolutely no fear and jumped down like a monkey!  After we had the first one under our belts, everybody was more brave, and making bigger jumps all the way down the falls.  BP and MB kept jumping in the waterfall to see just how wet they could get.  By the last waterfall, all the kids were betting if they could make it down in only 1 or 2 jumps.  Several of the kids made it in one or 1 1/2 jumps.  They didn't want it to end!  Then we hopped back in the trucks and headed to lunch for-- you guessed it-- more chicken and rice!  After lunch we had about 45 minutes to hop through the shower, and get out the door to the bus.  We had about a 5 hour ride to Flamingo Beach-- everybody was excited to see the ocean.  The kids met their new host families and went home to get to know them.  Surfing tomorrow!