Costa Rica

1. My last week in Costa Rica was amazing! Before leaving on this trip I had only been out of the country once before, and this trip was by far the better of the two. One of my favorite parts was the zip line. It was terrifying especially since I'm scared of heights, but I conquered it and was able to catch a glimpse of some breath taking scenery as well. My other favorite part was working with the kids. It was amazing to see the joy and love they had despite such poor living conditions. I was able to make quite a few friends. On the last day I hung out with a little girl named Rosa. I will admit there wasn't a whole lot of talking but we danced and smiled a lot:) Overall I will never forget that trip or the children I met while I was there. 

2. My challenges in this trip included first of all, the language barrier. I haven't had a spanish class since tenth grade so naturally my vocab and grammar skills were a bit rusty. I still managed to have a few conversations with people and kids using hand signals and the little bit of spanish I could remember. Another challenge was the cabins. Sharing one shower with 12 girls was extremely frustrating the entire week, I will admit it was nice coming home and not having to wait in line to use the bathroom. Another challenge I encountered was the zip line. The scariest part for me ended up being the beginning, walking up those sketchy steps to the top of the platform. I sincerely thought I would fall right through the cracks in the steps. After that however, the views were amazing and I ended up enjoying it. The last challenge I encountered while there was hiking to a waterfall while we were at the hot springs. For some reason, I still have no idea, me and my friends decided to follow Jonathan down this crazy path in the woods to a waterfall. All in all it was a half hour hike that went straight down the side of a mountain. One fall would've lead to an extremely long tumble.... Definitely one of the craziest things I've ever done. The water fall was nice, not that nice, but nice. The worst part ended up being the hike back up the mountain which literally felt more like a climb since at several parts we were flat out climbing. 

3. Successes of the week included making connections with several of the kids. I made a lot of new friends. Another success was the crafts. I was able to teach I don't know how many kids and adults to make bracelets. It was fun being able to watch them all successfully make the bracelets. Another success was our class growing closer. I definitely feel like this trip united us. The last success would be coming back changed. I definitely look at my life and life in general much differently in comparison to my view before Costa Rica. I am changed and I definitely feel like this trip has impacted me for the better. Hopefully one day I can go back! 

4. My plans for the upcoming week are to finish phase 4 and pick out a website theme for 'Tuft'. I'm also planning to knock out some work on my senior thesis.