Let Costa Rica Orientation Begin: Day 2

Day 2 in paradise! Today was a very busy but informative day. We started the day with a traditional Costa Rican breakfast of eggs, fried plantains, gallo pinto (rice and beans mixed together) and fruit juice. We then had some free time so we explored the hotel. There is a ropes course, two pools and about 6 hot tubs and it is in the middle of a forest on the side of a volcano. We have an amazing view from our room! We then had two separate meetings: one about our expectations of this trip and one about stereotypes.

We then had another break where we talked with Kat and German about  our homes and showed pictures to each other which was fun since we are all from different places. Kat is from Britain, German is from Costa Rica and our group is from Texas and Georgia. We then ate lunch which was chicken, rice, potatoes and juice. Our group also tried beets and heart of palm but none of us were fans. After lunch some of us went back and took a nap during our first rain storm in Costa Rica. After our nap we had another meeting which was my favorite of the day. We discussed Costa Rica and learned a lot of interesting facts about the country. Some of the most interesting were that Costa Rica has not had an army since 1948, 5% of the world’s biodiversity is present in Costa Rica, and 25% of their total land is protected which is the most in the world. We had a 30 minute break but since our group wasn’t brave enough to go out into the pouring rain, we played Uno. Our last meeting was to discuss the Sea Turtle Project and our schedule for the next few days in Junquillal. After dinner, we ended the night with a dance class which was the most fun part of the day! We learned salsa, merengue, and a Costa Rican choreographed dance. We all had a lot of fun and we are already looking forward to finding a salsa night in Lubbock. Today we received a lot of information and had a lot of rain, but it was a nice relaxing day before our busy week with Verdiazul and the sea turtles. I can’t wait to see what else we get to experience this week!

— Ahalee Cathey–