Global Works

In April of 2023, I went to Costa Rica with a bunch of kids from my school. There was about 60 kids in total and we were often divided into groups of 30 for days. When we flew in, we were warmly greeted and immediately taken to our first place where we began and ended the trip. The next morning we were divided in two groups each of which went to separate places for multiple days. My group got in a bus for 3ish hours heading for a preserved wildlife forest. We stopped to eat lunch where we were served amazing food and had the opportunity to shop at our pitstop. After this, we got to the top of the forest where we had to hike downhill for 3+ miles to reach our lodge which was only accessible by foot. The lodge was beautiful with the most of amazing sunrise (don't miss out!) and we were served traditional foods (the fruit was amazing) on all the days. During those few days in the secluded lodge we were split into groups and we helped build stairs in the forest and we went on night hikes and looked for cool animals. At the lodge there was no hot water but this was not a con because you have to expect things like this in a place so secluded. On the morning we were going to hike back uphill the way we came, I threw up from the water I had drank but this was my fault because I think I accidentally drank a bit of water not specifically given by them. We then traveled to a very nice place where we stayed for the rets of the trip until the last day. The other 30 kids that weren't in my group apparently cleaned a river and other activities but we never did what they did or vice versa. When we were reuinited we spent our days volunteering at a school (painting chairs, helping out in classrooms, and so on). The place we stayed at was amazing and there was a pool, soccer fields, amazing food and we had a lot of freedom. We were also given the chance to shop at a cute town and go to an animal rescue center. In general, this was an amazing trip adn we got over 24 hours of community service!

I really enjoyed going on the service trip. I was able to meet many people from many different walks of life. It was interesting to compare and contrast how different people went about different situations, both socially and personally. The housing was great, aside from a lack of hot water sometimes. Food was good, considering I am a vegetarian, and I was still able to find things to eat. Counselors were very relatable, which also added some more intrigue to the thing as a whole. Overall, the experience was great.

This past summer, my cousin Ana and I had the incredible opportunity to participate in a Costa Rican summer service volunteer program, and it was honestly one of the most enriching experiences of our lives. We had initially chosen this program because we were excited about the chance to surf in Costa Rica – but the service component turned out to be the highlight of our trip.

From the beginning, we felt supported and welcomed by our program leaders, who were not only super fun but also great mentors. They created an environment where we could learn, grow, and genuinely connect with the local community. Their energy and passion for the work they were doing made everything even more impactful, and we learned so much from them both on and off the field.

The best part of the experience, though, was staying with local families in the community. The warmth and hospitality they showed us were beyond anything we expected, and living with them truly changed my perspective on life. The bonds we formed were so strong that I’m happy to say I still keep in touch with the family I stayed with, which has been such a rewarding connection to maintain.

The Costa Rica service adventure was amazing and definitely the highlight of my summer! I did not want to leave the great friends, leaders, and community I found by the end of the trip. I know I will have these memories for the rest of my life including, hanging out at the beautiful beaches with the new friends I made and sitting in hammocks on top of a huge mountain playing guitar and singing songs. Arriving there I was very sad and scared to leave my home and by the end I felt the same but I had a new meaning of home.

I was initially pretty nervous to go on this trip, I've never done anything like it before, so I was totally blind when committing to this. On the first drive from the airport to the hotel I sat next to someone who I became great friends with and we literally sat next to each other every bus drive for the next two weeks. I met some really cool people and there was always something to talk about.
I think the best thing about a trip like this is that it really pushed me outside my comfort zone in a lot of ways.Yet there was still a lot of structure and support from the counselors, who were all incredibly nice and were incredible at communicating with everyone and making sure we were having a good experience. I learned so much and I would really encourage people to try it out even if they're nervous because it was a truly amazing experience.