Proverbial Bubble Popped!

Today was our last day in Junquillal, and so we are coming to the end of our trip. I think I speak for all my fellow service breakers when I say this experience was unlike any other. We have learned so much since the moment we arrived in Costa Rica.

From our first day we learned about culture, Costa Rica, turtles, and more! You can really see the pride people have for their country, and the kind of priorities their pride brings. In our last reflection we talked about what we, as individuals, are taking away from this trip.

Audrey and Miranda felt reassurance in their majors/ degrees as they really felt this was the type of work they were meant to be doing. Rebecca felt more pride in her own Latin American culture as she saw how we all interacted and were eager to immerse ourselves and really try to learn everything we could. Maddie said she was inspired by how much one person can really do to help the environment and how it effects other people who have the same goals. Courtney, also inspired by this project, felt she could see herself doing this type of work if things in her future didn’t exactly go her way. Taylor K. tied this experience in with her time spent studying abroad and was really able to show us how different things were, and how we, as Americans, were viewed but that it was okay to want something different than everyone else. Taylor K. really expressed how much she would like to leave the US after she graduated. Then there is me, the biggest thing I took away from this trip? I related it to having my. On this trip I was constantly placed outside my comfort zone, we as a group REALLY got to know each other, there was definitely no such thing as personal space. Eating food that I didn’t know anything about, trying absolutely everything; I really learned a lot about myself, and instilled a new sense of confidence in myself. I learned that I am capable and even willing to do so much more with no expectations. I decided to go with the flow and I will tell you it’s worth the trip! This was an experience of a lifetime. I sincerely hope we all stay as close as we have become on this trip and we never forget what we have learned.

- Cassidi Warren (CALUE Service Breaker)