Costa Rica gap students share a bit from their excursion weekend in Quepos and Manuel Antonio National Park, and their goals for the next few weeks in the community:
This weekend was nothing short of amazing! The beaches at Manuel Antonio were absolutely stunning. Being able to spend time with each other in such an extraordinary place is a blessing. The old saying “it’s not where you are, it’s who you’re with” is definitely true, but being able to be somewhere you love with people you love is bliss. Our friendships have grown so much since day 1!
We reached our hotel in Quepos around 10 on Saturday morning. Extremely pleased with the hotel, we set off for a day at the beach. When the bus pulled up to the beach, we were in awe! We played and relaxed on the beach until the high tide rolled in. Then, we ate some lunch and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the evening.
As the sun was getting low in the sky, we went back to the beach to watch the sunset over the water. This was our first time in Costa Rica watching the day end over the ocean. It was magnificent. Soon the sun had set and our stomachs were growling so we knew it was time for dinner. The bus took us directly to a delicious pizzeria called El Wagon. We laughed and talked over pizza and grass-fed burgers for over two hours! The day had exhausted us, so we returned to the hotel and went to sleep.
The beauty of the beach in the national park of Manuel Antonio is indescribable. First, to get there, you get to trek along a nature trail called the “Sloth Path” where there are sloths high up in the trees and miniature deer munching the greens that line the trail. The sounds of the birds in the canopy made the whole thing feel like deep rainforest.
At Playa Manuel Antonio, there are huge rocks along the beach that were the perfect platform we needed to get a better view of the scenery. After we climbed up the rocks, we just stood there in silence for what seemed like a lifetime. No words were needed. It was a moment of peace and appreciation. Appreciation for the beauty that surrounded us, for each other, and for this amazing experience.
This next week, our fourth in the community, each of us will delve into our independent secondary projects. We’ve already started this process and decided what we could do individually to serve the community.
Jonah has decided on doing a trash and recycling project, and has enlisted the kids’ help in doing so. Together they will place trash cans in public areas, paint signs that instruct the public not to litter, and collect and sort trash from each house (where it otherwise would have been burned).
Sarah plans on creating a day camp for the kids during the days they don’t have school, as there is generally a day or two each week when school is out for one reason or another.  Over the next week, she will be planning fun games and arts and crafts activities to do with the kids during her day camp.
Mariah will be working in collaboration with a health clinic in the nearby town of Rivas for a health education program. To start, she will be making health posters that inform patients on how to prevent certain diseases, and she also hopes to teach health classes at the school with the kids.
Throughout this next week, we’ll be figuring out the most effective and frugal way to go about working on these projects, as well as buying necessary materials and consulting the San Antonians to see if they have any suggestions.
Time is flying by so fast here. Four weeks already under our belts!
Pura vida,
Jonah, Mariah, and Sarah
