Costa Rica

When I stayed in Costa Rica, we visited just about every part of the country besides the Caribbean Coast. While there, I volunteered at a children's school in an impoverished area of San Jose, painting walls, rebuilding goal posts, and general tidying/gardening. I spent time in Drake Bay, at a turtle conservatory, catching sea turtles, tagging and rehabilitating them before releasing them back into the wild. I spent a lot of time deep in the mud along the ocean or rivers, planting mangrove trees, which are essential to the ecosystem's success in Costa Rica. I spent time landscaping, recording data, and organizing mangrove saplings at Monteverde Institute's tree nursery. I planted coconut trees along the most beautiful beaches I've ever seen in Parrita. I learned how to make soap and cheese using recycled materials on an entirely sustainable ranch. Overall it was an experience like none other, where I formed integral bonds with all of my peers and saw the world in a way it hadn't been presented to me before.