Tropical Adventures Foundation

If you are outdoorsy & adventurous than Barra Honda is for you. It was an incredible once in a lifetime experience. It was a chance to make a difference, to experience a different culture, to be surrounded by a beautiful environment and to travel & meet like minded people. I would recommend doing it.

Overall, I was very satisfied with the project. The town of Hojancha is fantastic. The people there are very friendly and the surroundings are amazing to look at it. The kids at the daycare centre were great as well. I had a great time teaching the local kids/teenagers how to play guitar despite being able to speak very little spanish. The great thing about the town is that you really feel like you have been "absorbed" into a new lifestyle and atmosphere when you're in Hojancha. Time goes by fairly slow in Hojancha and therefore it is quite different from where I am from. I recommend it for people who are open-minded about doing different, sometimes spontaneous, tasks.

My family - myself, my husband, 10-year-old daughter & 6-year-old son - volunteered for three weeks in the summer with Tropical Adventures. We spent two weeks in Hojancha at the elementary school and daycare center and then one week in Camaronal. Doing this volunteer work gave us a unique opportunity to get to know the students and teachers and to have more "authentic" exchanges with them. It gave structure and purpose to our trip and it gave us a great immersion experience -- both in the language and the culture. When we walked around town, we knew most of the children we saw and it was fun to greet them. My daughter worked at the daycare center for a week while the rest of us were at the elementary school, and it was wonderful to see her self-confidence grow. She blossomed with the responsibility. We also loved staying at Dorati Lodge which gave us the perfect mix of private space for our family, but also interaction with the family who owns the Lodge through conversations and meals. The friendship between their daughter and our children was one of the highlights of the trip for us. This is something that would not have happened if we were travelling around on vacation. We all wanted to work on our Spanish, and having these opportunities to work and play with the people/children in Hojancha forced us to use our Spanish no matter what our grammar or pronunciation sounded like. I wish I had been able to record the conversations between my children and their friends -- all in Spanish! I also want to add that Ricardo took very good care of us, checking in often and getting us right to a doctor when my daughter got sick. He taught us our mantra for the trip -- "Go with the Flow!" I think that may be our family motto now. Camaronal was a very different experience. The lodgings were quite rustic. And at first we had trouble finding some purpose to our day. However, once Monday arrived and we could go to the 5-student school, we regained a bit of a schedule. It was neat to participate in the two very different schools (in Hojancha and Camaronal)and we really enjoyed the students and teacher in Camaronal. Our children participated in class for part of the day while we did some cleaning and painting, then we taught a short English class at the end of the morning. We had them all singing "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes" with actions, wearing temporary tattoos as prizes for counting and our kids made up an English conversation for the whole class to practice. The turtle part in Camaronal was also amazing, but it sometimes seemed like a long wait until evening when we went on patrols. We felt rather superior to the tourist groups who came in for the turtle tours -- WE got to sit with the turtles while they were laying their eggs and hear them straining and grunting, WE got to catch the eggs, or find the nests and dig them up to rebury, WE knew from first-hand experience exactly what the whole process was. And then WE got to be on hand when four(!) different nests hatched and cheer those baby turtles on as they crawled to the ocean. It was really an incredible experience and one our whole family will never forget. We see pictures of sea turtles now and we know exactly what those moms and babies and eggs look and feel like. We know just how their flippers move. We know just how the ground seems to shake as the mother packs the sand around her eggs. For us, this volunteer experience was not one where we felt that we made a huge difference to the people or turtles that we worked with (although there are some 2nd and 3rd graders in Hojancha who will never forget how to pronounce their fruits and vegetables in English!). But the experience did make a huge difference for us -- making our trip meaningful and teaching us in a very real and unforgettable way about Costa Rican culture, language and sea turtle life. We are different people now than we were at the beginning of the summer.

I participated in the Summer Adventure program for two weeks in Cabo Blanco and Bambu. It was so great to see two different areas (on complete opposite sides of the country) of Costa Rica. Bambu was great because of the people. And I never thought I would live in a tree house but it was awesome!

My grandson and I had an absolutely wonderful time! Our homestay with dona Lidia and her family was specially enjoyable- they were so welcoming - okay, so my grandson is in a little bit of trouble because he said she was a better cook than his mother. We worked hard at the ASIS animal rescue center. The work we did was really needed, not some tourist made up projects. I became the segunda madre a tres mapachitos - 2nd mother to three little raccoons. I miss them and am going to have to go back to be sure they continue to do okay. This was my second Tropical Adventure trip and I defintely be back for another next year!

Fantastico!!! Before I had children, I had the good fortune of travelling in foreign countries and absorbing the culture. I find such value in it, that I couldnt wait to bring my kids into the adventure. But because they are only 5 and 7, and because this was our first venture together, I was a little hesitant. I wanted something really safe, I wanted a program that would totally "hold our hand" as we started the adventure. And I couldn't have been more impressed with Tropical Adventures!! The staff were so considerate and thoroughly welcoming. Our host family was AMAZING. My kids are somewhat picky eaters, and we are vegetarian. Dona Carmen bent over backwards to make my girls happy, welcome, and invited. Being at the daycare was a great fit - my girls got to feel special and "older" as they helped organize and bring projects to the kids. We brought lots of fun supplies - construction paper, googly eyes, and glitter glue. We made caterpillars, butterflies, and decorative crowns. A good time was had by all. We all still relish in telling the story to our friends back home. It was such a wonderful opportunity to really be immersed in a totally different culture, and to really absorb what life is like there. You know what my girls want for Christmas? I washing board, so we can do our wash outside like we did at the host family!! Cheers tropical adventures, and thank you, thank you, thank you. we will be back! Suzy, Ericka, and Athena Rosen

My niece (14 yrs) & I recently returned from our 8-day fun & adventurous volunteer vacation to the Cocles Elementary teaching project in the funky beach town of Puerto Viejo. In addition to working with the elementary kids (k-6) each day, we had time to explore the beach town, do the zip line, go white water rafting, take the sloth & chocolate tour, visit Manzanilla beach town, eat some great meals, and meet some fantastic people! I can't say enough good things about Tropical Adventures organization and our project director Isaac. Isaac was fantastic and took care of us our entire trip. THANK YOU ISAAC!! He works tirelessly to take care of the volunteers in addition to the many hours he spends at Cocles Elementary with the kids. I would also like to thank Susan and Alice for helping me formulate my plans and ensuring that our arrangements/logistics (and changes to those!) were taken care of. Thanks to all, our trip was extremely smooth! I would definately consider another TA vacation, and probably select another project so we could experience more of what beautiful Costa Rica has to offer! I will forever have great memories of this trip :-)

Just came back from 8 day sampler(half volunteer, half vacation) It was very good experience for our family. Really enjoyed the volunteering experience everyone was extremely nice. Country was beautiful especially the volcano area. Hotels were very nice. We enjoyed the animals and children. We did do some hard work in the preserve but no complaints. The hard part for me was working hard and having no A/C anywhere to cool off and the bugs were bad at night. After 2 days I did get a little cranky and requested a hotel. The coordinator in Puerto Viejo was great. The best tour for us was the white water rafting trip. It was a different family vacation for us but it will hold lots of family memories we will cherish . I would advise all families to try this experience. Cindy

What to anticipate with the thought of a week's worth of volunteer-vacationing? A week in Costa Rica with complete strangers? Spending days trying to communicate with the family in a foreign language, and hoping that no tropical ailments attack? None of that! That picture could not be farther from the truth. Our Tropical Adventures host family welcomed us with such enthusiasm that they were never strangers. Our language differences turned out to be a great source of entertainment, with our broken Spanish receiving praise and encouragement from our host family and friends. We even drank the tap water without any sign of distress. In short, we felt totally welcome. When the time came to work with students of English at the local elementary school and to assist at a day care center, again we felt welcome. By midweek, we knew the routine of head, shoulders, knees, and toes like real athletes. Depending on grade level, topics for discussion focused on identifying the English names for colors, naming body parts, and/or counting to 10. Then there was a national day of sports when every class went to the playing field for exercises, regardless of the 95-degree heat. What stamina! Our local Tropical Adventures representative Ricardo guided us through the routine at the day care center, joining in games and reading stories to the 3 and 4 year olds. On a free day, Ricardo was our guide to the Monte Alto Nature Preserve, a local volunteer project that hosts environmental education programs for school groups. He even joined our very ambitious plan to walk home from the nature preserve, a 4-km walk along a rough, dusty road. The walk turned out to be a highlight since it gave us more time to chat, learn about the local economy, and get to know Ricardo better. Breakfasts and mid-day meals were the handiwork of Maria de los Angeles, our host and an excellent cook. Much of our Spanish conversation with her centered on the ingredients and techniques of her classic dishes, most notably gallo pinto, the Costa Rican staple of rice and black beans. We also learned to improve our Spanish with 3 year old Mariana, Maria's granddaughter, who clearly has first claim to the title Princesa. Mariana's mother, Nelly, was on a week's sick leave at home for a wisdom tooth extraction, so we were especially blessed with our timing. Nelly had been a 4H exchange student in the U.S. during high school. Her English was flawless and we depended on her shamelessly to keep the conversation going between us and her mom. The very best exchange situation is to have a live-in translator with a vibrant personality and endless curiosity about her visitors. We had found friends for a lifetime!

My experience in Costa Rica was incredible! I volunteered for both the ASIS Animal Rescue Project in San Carlos (outside of La Fortuna) as well as the Camaronal Sea Turtle Project on the Nicoya Peninsula. Volunteering with animals has been an interest of mine for a very long time and both programs were exactly what I was looking for - and it was a great escape from NYC! While volunteering with the ASIS Wildlife Rescue Program I helped construct a larger cage for the 2 adorable kinkajous, Benjamin and Cindy. Landscape work around the complex was also a daily task. Feeding the animals was fun, too - Perla (wild boar), Hercules, Jessica and Mobli (spider monkeys), Benjamin and Cindy (kinkajous), lots of parrots and a sweet raccoon as well as the groups of ducks that would visit. Even a sloth lived on the grounds but he came on his own (not injured) as well as a cayman and a large turtle. Working on hands-on activities outdoors with beautiful wildlife around us was exactly the experience I was looking for! And the staff were amazing as well. Mary, Teniente, Alvaro and Don Jaime were great to work with during the 2 weeks that I volunteered. I certainly recommend this program if you want a chance at working outside among beautiful wildlife and landscape! I lived with a host family in the area which was a GREAT education. Living in a different culture was a refreshing experience and was great for brushing up on my Spanish! The Sea Turtle Program in Camaronal was an incredible experience as well. I was the only volunteer during my week stay. I lived in the shelter area along with the park ranger, Herman, and the project coordinator, Ricardo. The daily chef, Yaki, came every day (except Sunday) and cooked us hearty meals which was great. As for the turtle experience - what an amazing sight to see. Although we took night patrols each night or early morning I never did see a large sea turtle. However, I did see approximately 100 baby sea turtles hatch in the protected hatchery area within the week! Wow, they are incredibly cute. After they hatched we set them free onto the beach about 20 feet from the water. They made their own way into the water as we watched. I felt we helped at least partially with their survival as only 1% of sea turtles live until adulthood because of poachers or animals that steal their eggs from the beach or because they don't survive predators in the ocean. The hatchery must be patrolled at least once every 2 hours to watch for hatching turtles as once they're out and walking around the sun and heat can be quite dangerous to them. The hatchery is sheltered however, only by a thick mesh so sun can still get through. The experience in Camaronal was very laid back and quiet. Not only is the beach a hatching ground for 4 types of sea turtles it is also a great spot for fishermen and surfers. It's beautiful! Overall, I'd recommend either program. They're quite different from one another but a wonderful experience if you truly love helping animals and working outside!

My ten-year-old daughter and I spent five days volunteering at Project Asis and staying with a host family. The wildlife refuge did a great job finding age-appropriate activities for her and giving her just enough independence. She couldn't wait to return home and tell her classmates all about her experience. Our host family was delightful. Anyone can go to Costa Rica and do the same tourist things, but the home-stay experience is completely unique to you and your host family. Those moments were some of my fondest.

Volunteering with Tropical Adventures and teaching English at a local school in Costa Rica was the best thing I have done so far in my life! I loved it soooo much! I was in Puerto Viejo, which is truly a Caribbean beach town. The way of life there is so relaxed and beautiful, there's no way you won't fall in love with it. The school and the children were so sweet and welcoming. I didn't know Spanish when I went there and I never felt uncomfortable at the school, everyone was very friendly. I grew to love the family I stayed with and will certainly keep in touch with them. The Tropical Adeventures team were amazing! I really grew to make great friends with all of them, they are so nice and very, very helpful. They made me feel safe in a country where I was unfamiliar. They were their the whole time to help me with anything I needed. I would highly recommened this program to anyone. As soon as I got there, I changed my plane ticket to stay longer, and I'm tyring to save up money again just to go back and visit Puerto Viejo. It meet my expectations and so much more, I couldn't have asked for a better volunteering experience.

My trip with Tropical Adventures was the first time I had traveled alone, nevertheless left the country alone. The Tropical Adventures family made me feel at home right away and were always willing to make my stay more comfortable and enjoyable. The locals in Costa Rica are extremely warm people and it was a pleasure to be able to get to know their children through volunteer work!

My experience in Cocles, Costa Rica was wonderful and rewarding. Other volunteers and I taught English to second through sixth graders at the elementary school in Cocles down the road from Puerto Viejo. The children were a delight. The school had so little and the children were excited to try anything new. I was expecting a under-resourced school but it was still a shock to find not one textbook (except a set of old English reading books) in the school. In fact, the absence of reading books anywhere in Cocles or Puerto Viejo was alarming. I spent a great deal of my time at AVEC in Puerto Viejo using the internet to locate and design simple study sheets. As far as I know it has the only copier in town. The second and third grades were thrilled with just pictures to color. Whatever you do - come prepared with STICKERS. I never saw kids so excited about earning stickers. Basically I fell in love with the children and really do want to return. Although I have traveled on six continents and seen and learned amazing things, this experience rates at the top of the list. The area is beautiful, my host family was delightful and Ana, my Spanish teacher, was interesting and great fun as well as being a good teacher. There is one more thing I want to add. I am a single 56 year old woman and I traveled to CR by myself. Do not let age or traveling alone prevent you from enjoying this rewarding experience. -- Zoe

I had such a BLAST! I love Latin American people and the Bri Bri tribe with whom we stayed were soooooooo hospitable. We Learned so much about cacao harvesting and the process of making chocolate, as well as banana and plantane harvesting. The living accommodations were amazing! I felt like it was more of a vacation than service or work. I will definitely return as soon as humanely possible, for the relationships which I made while there will remain forever. I LOVE Costa Rica!!

My children and I volunteered with Tropical Adventures at Monkey Park. All our travels were very well planned, including transportation to tour sites along the way. We stayed at the Monkey Park and worked building a structure at the site. We were very well taken care of, and the people were very grateful for the service we provided. We wish we could have stayed longer!! Tropical Adventures has many projects for volunteers, they very happilly support you while their, are accessible, and helpful to make your visit a great experience. We can't wait to go back!!

We are a family of four (two boys, 13 and 10) who have never volunteered outside of our community. We wanted to expose our family to a volunteering in another country while having an opportunity to explore the country as well. Tropical Adventures did an amazing job of understanding our situation and working with us to create that trip. Their patience in working with us to meet the needs of a family was exceptional. This trip opened the door for our family to begin to volunteer more. I highly recommend this type of trip and Tropical Adventures to families seeking adventure, family bonding, and the opportunity to teach your children the value of learning about other cultures.

Tropical Adventures was very helpful. They help me feel like home in CR. I recommend them to anyone who wants to help out and feel like a part of a new family (Tropical Adventure Family).

I had a great time on this volunteer trip. What an amazing experience! The people living in Bambu were so warm and inviting, and eager to learn. They share every aspect of their life with you and it is really a cultural and intellectual adventure, and of course it is also a lot of fun. I would definitely return.

Our 17 yr old son spent three weeks teaching and volunteering in the small community of La Flor. We found Tropical Adventures online, and after checking references, decided to send Jared. I was very impressed with how comprehensive the program is. TA gives you all the info you need to know, and then some! Personal contact, live chat, and email helped me be comfortable with sending my son, and answered all my safty, medical, transportation concerns. TA attended to every detail making our part quite easy. Jared had a wonderful trip, with some recreation thrown in. I highly recommend TA to anyone who is considering allowing their teen to have this terrific opportunity! Kathy Connery Sninsky

I went into the program at La Flor hoping to make meaningful and lasting connections with the people with whom I met. I wanted also to understand a culture different from my own.This is exactly what happened and more.The children are a handful but worth all the time you have to offer them. My family was amazingly kind and fun. This experience is for anyone who wants to learn something new about other people and more importantly about themselves. If you are considering Tropical Adventures, go for it!

There are truly no words to describe our experience. I have been home for about 2 weeks now and all I can think about is how and when I can go back! The staff at Tropical Adventures were very supportive and accommodating and it felt great knowing that there would be someone there if you needed them. We stayed with a host family in Bambu and they were really wonderful! I feel like now I have another family in Costa Rica, which is so neat. They took really good care of us, we had so many laughs and a fun time trying to communicate with one another. We really enjoyed meeting the people in the community and spending time with our family whenever we could. We spent a lot of time down at the cultural center, which is worth a visit just to see the center itself. The vision behind how the cultural center came to be, is a remarkable story and one you should definitely ask about if you are going to volunteer there or just to visit. Danilo is one of the guides who can take you out on all sorts of fantastic adventures while you are there and he is a wealth of knowledge about the Bri Bri culture/language, the history of the community and the amazing environment that surrounds Bambu. The people of Bambu are like none other I've met....everyone was welcoming, warm and so thoughtful. Everywhere you go in Bambu you are greeted with a warm smile and a friendly, 'Buenas!' It was refreshing to be a part of a community for a while that really lives as a community...it has challenged me to think about how we live in North America and to be more active in caring for those in need. During our stay there, we taught English to some of the children and adults from the area and had a lot of fun practicing our Spanish and finding creative ways to teach English. It took just two weeks for me to fall in love with the Spanish language and I really look forward to going back to Bambu when I have studied a bit more so that I don't have to rely so heavily on charades as a means of communication! In short....if you are thinking of volunteering with Tropical Adventures and you would like to immerse yourself in a culture, language and way of life that is different from the one you know...I would highly recommend going to Bambu. The English lessons have started and it would be great if they could continue so that the children and adults can form a solid understanding of the English language. This would help them tremendously and make it much easier for them to communicate with the tourists who are eager to hear about their way of life. It was an experience of a life time for me, it has changed the way that I look at the world. I hope you decided to go and experience it for yourself!!!!

Words cannot express how I feel about my time in La Flor. Everything from the families, the students, the other volunteers, the Tropical Adventures staff, the view of my backyard went beyond my expectations. I am in love with the students I taught. They were so eager and appreciative. They would see me walk by the school every morning on my way to the community garden and confirm with me that we were still on for class at 1 o'clock. It was so heartwarming! I'm so appreciative and lucky to have met them. I taught them English but they taught me so much more. It's been a week and a half since I left and I'm still missing them tremendously. Every day I view the pictures in my camera to remind myself of how lucky I am to have been touched by such generous people.

Tropical Adventures provided a great opportunity for me to indulge in Costa Rica's beauty as well as give back to a deserving community. The experience was touching, memorable and I returned with a wonderful sense of fulfillment.

My experience with Tropical Adventures in Costa Rica was one of the best and most rewarding experiences of my life. I loved feeling like I made a difference, no matter how small, to the kids in the elementary schools and at the daycare. My host families were absolutely amazing; they openly welcomed me into their homes and made me feel very comfortable. I also enjoyed meeting the other volunteers in Puerto Viejo because it was fun to share our experiences and explore the town together in our free time. Tropical Adventures was also great because they helped me arrange any additional adventure/sightseeing tours that I wanted to take. I ended up ziplining through the jungle and repelling down canyon cliffs alongside waterfalls, two things I had previously only dreamed of. My volunteer experience was both rewarding and fun, and I would recommend it to anyone who wants to truly experience another culture. Pura vida!

I had a great time in Costa Rica. I would recommend this program especially teaching English in La Flor to anyone. The minute I arrived in La Flor I felt welcomed. All the people were friendly and helpful. The kids at both schools where I helped teach were energetic and eager to learn English. The trip as a whole was unforgettable.

I had a great trip volunteering in La Flor. Scott, Isaac, and Mauricio were all fabulous and did all they could to make sure we had a positive experience. La Flor is such a charming community. Everyone seemed to be truly excited about us coming and wanted to learn English. This was my first trip to a Spanish speaking country and the locals were all really patient while I blubbered with the Spanish I knew (my Spanish improved incredibly for just two weeks!). The children my aunt and I taught were all very sweet and bright. I only wish we could have stayed longer and had the opportunity to teach more classes. Thank you Tropical Adventures for this Fantastic experience! Love, Lauryn

La Flor is a small rural village not far from Paraiso in the mountains of Central Costa Rica. The community had requested help in their village and my niece, Lauryn and I were happy to respond. We spent most of our time teaching English to 5th and 6th graders who had never had any English lessons before. The kids, both in the small village of La Flor and nearby El Yaz, were enthusiastic. We played games with them and tried to understand their Spanish--and had some great help from Isaac of Tropical Adventures. I also presented 2 women's health seminars, which were successful. All in all, it was a very RICH experience, with many warm heart connections. Scott, Isaac and Mauricio could not have been more helpful--even provided us with a mobile phone! We felt very well taken care of--and thoroughly enjoyed the local sites in their company. Our host family was wonderful, cooked marvelous typical food for us and even taught us how to cook some of them. We both felt safe and welcome. I would highly recommend this lovely little town of La Flor--and Tropical Adventures in general. Their caring organization, as well as the hospitality of the villagers, made this a wonderful experience. You should try it, too!

My experience with Tropical Adventures is one beyond words. Every component of this organization makes you feel comfortable and at home, like you are surrounded by your very own family. Although I have never met Scott personally, all of our conversations have presented him as a very warm and generous person, like a long lost uncle. From the moment Laura and I met, she took me in and became my bestfriend. My experience would not have been the same without this beautiful, hospitable, and loving young woman. She is the perfect touch to this organization, embodying everything that it represents. The family I stayed with took such great care of me, doing everything in their power to make my stay as enjoyable as possible. And months later, I still consider them my very own family. The town of Watsi is all part of one big family, giving it a true feeling of home. The fact that I had the chance to live with such beautiful people made Costa Rica itself a much more beautiful place in my eyes.

I am not sure what more I can say than my experience was so amazing I have not left and have no plans to leave! Scott and Laura planned my trip for me and it was completly effortless on my part. I had several projects to finish up in the States before my trip and I had no time to really think about my trip before arriving. Everything was perfectly planned and organized for me. When I arrived I was picked up and taken to Casa Milagro in Paraiso, Cartoga to spend a couple of days to have orientation and to learn about the projects of Tropical Adventures. Isaac spent the time to take me on a wonderful tour of the area and to see my first of MANY waterfalls.I thoroughly enjoyed my time with them becoming the best of friends. Elizabeth, the house Mother and the staff of Casa Milagro were equally as wonderful. Laura met me in Puerto Viejo. I don't have enough kind words to possibly describe one of the most amazing, compassionate people I have ever met. Laura, Scott and Isaac have added to much to my life and through them I met my Host family which I will never leave!

I visited Costa Rica as a volunteer with Tropical Adventures in July and I loved every minute of my stay there. From the moment you are picked up at the airport until it is time to go back home you know that Tropical Adventures appreciates your help. As a participant in this program I got to meet a ton of wonderful people, participated in several awesome projects, learned to speak Spanish, and had an overall exciting time in Costa Rica. My host family as well as the community welcomed and embraced me. Every person I met on a project delighted in my efforts and reinforced the difference my presence made in my host community. I fully recommend the experience to anyone who is looking for a rewarding cross-cultural volunteer experience which will have a real and lasting impact on the lives of everyone involved.

My family and I were contemplating a 3 month camping adventure away from our hectic lifestyle in Northern Canada. We wanted to give our kids (boys aged 14,12 and 10) an experience that was more than just the normal tourist thing. We were complete novices to volunteer travel and simply started our hunt on the internet. I was overwhelmed at how many interesting options were out there. We ended up choosing to hook up with Tropical Adventures mostly because of Scott Pralinsky's interest and enthusiasm and willingness to accommodate all 5 of us and our travel plans. We chose well. We set everything up by internet communication and a few phone calls. I admit to being a bit nervous as we made our way down to Costa Rica but as soon as we met Scott and Issac I knew we'd done the right thing. They had everything organized for us : a cell phone to use in case of emergency, contact numbers of friends to call in our host town and transportation to and from Puerto Viejo. Once in Puerto Viejo we were met by Laura our volunteer co-ordinator. She was perfect for the job. She was there to orient us and make sure we were comfortable at our host home, and gave us a tour of our town. The next day she came back to escort us to the school we'd be working in. During our two week stay she checked in with us daily to make sure we were doing well. She also helped us to organize our leisure time as well. Our host family was lovely and welcoming (and their vegetarian cooking was a real treat and a good experience for my meat loving teenagers) Scott and his gang also set us up with Spanish lessons which we found to be very valuable and incredibly enjoyable. Because we were 'working' in Peurto Viejo during our two week stay we started to feel more like part of the community than we would have if we had just been there as tourists. Our family got to experience a culture very different from our own from the inside not just from a passing tour bus window. Perfect.

Every detail of my trip was so well planned, yet I was able to have this experience be exactly what I wanted. I had a say in how I participated (something most programs forget!). I liked speaking Spanish at first at all and blubbering my way through with 3 words and hand gestures. I liked being a volunteer and a traveler in Costa Rica; it's one of the most breathtaking countries I have ever seen. Costa Rica is just unbelievable. It was the most amazing experience. I got to do something with my life, such as see things, experience moments that most people only dream and wish to do. I got to grow as a person in an amazing country, live my life to the absolute fullest. I am so lucky that I got to volunteer, to travel, to realize that I have so much more to learn. I accidentally stumbled upon this program, Tropical Adventures. The program opened my eyes even more to the complexities of the world. My volunteering experiences where unforgettable. I met the most amazing, strong-willed people. My hysterical host family, the kids at the school, the hard working people of the Red Cross, the music, the food, the people of the town, the beach, the jungle, the fun nights dancing away, the Bribri people of Costa Rica that left me speechless. Thank you Scott and Isaac for making this trip simply the best. For showing me what a good and supportive program actually is like. Tropical Adventures had passion for what they do. They were dedicated to every aspect of the requests and needs of their participants. You guys welcomed me with open arms, made me feel at home from the moment I stepped onto Costa Rican soil.

Going on this program allowed me to see Costa Rica as a local. Although I was there for just 15 days, it felt like 2 months, and I fell in love with the life there. At the end, I didn't want to come back. The nature is beautiful, the animals amazing, the people warm and kind. I stayed with a host family, and the people treated me like their relative or a friend. I became friends with my charming Spanish teacher, and she helped me improve my Spanish in just a few days. Puerto Viejo is a wonderful and peculiar little town, and after just a few days there you start recognizing people on the street, yet you don't cease to find new amazing things there and enjoying the simple beauty of the Carribean sea and forests. I haven't stopped liking it and want to go back. The organizers also treated me more like a friend rather than a customer, and took care of me. Although I didn't get to do very much volunteering, and didn't get to see the whole country (I was in Puerto Viejo most of 15 days, and it's a distant region, and it takes time to get anywhere in Costa Rica), I was more than satisfied. Instead of being a tourist, I got to stay in one place and feel at home in this little Carribean town. My Spanish greatly improved, I made new friends, and my whole outlook on life became more positive and bright. I'll always have warm memories of my trip.