Gap Year & Semester Courses: Costa Rica & Panama

I chose Outward Bound Costa Rica because of the unique cultural experiences they offered, as well as the variety of adventure activities. The most meaningful part of my course was doing service work in Nicaragua and playing with the kids. The service was fulfilling and working with the community around and having interactions was awesome. Through my OBCR experience, I learned that I am strong and capable of flourishing on my own away from home and I have a huge passion for travel.

It's such a unique opportunity to authentically experience such a beautiful country, it was the challenge and thrill of a lifetime. I learned that I'm capable of so much more than I had imagined and my love for the outdoor education grew even more.

It's an amazing opportunity to learn more about the World, and grow as a person. Doing the service projects in Nicaragua - it was amazing to see just how much the kids and the school teachers appreciated something as simple as a mural. OBCR will push you to your limits, physically and mentally, while being the experience of a lifetime.

It has be an opportunity to mentally re-center myself and put priorities into perspective. I'm much more mentally strong in physically stressful and challenging situations than I thought. The hike was insanely hard but pushing through each day and being able to think back to each challenge I overcame was very gratifying. i think pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and finding new things to enjoy are so important when it comes to living life and growing as a person and OBCR has helped me do that.

It has exceeded my expectations. All of the teaching has been much more in depth than i tohught it would be and each course has gone into much more detail than I thought. The WFR has been most beneficial because it gave me the confidence to go out into the wilderness and if something goes wrong I can depend on myself to help. I've learned a TON about backcountry safety, swift water, and ropes. I've also learned how I work with different teams with different levels of understanding and personalities.

The Wilderness First Responder course and lifeguarding phases hae been very useful because both courses focus on life saving and it is beneficial for everyday use. WFR especially because there is more to know than just life saving. I hope to accomplish every certification that this school has to offer and to go back home with a better understanding with what I want to do with my life.

I didn't know exactly what to expect coming into the course, but so far it has been an amazing experience. I have learned a lot of skills so far through our phases. I have learned about myself that there's more in me than I give myself credit for. The river phase so far has been the most useful for me so far because it taught me a lot.

Outwar Bound Costa Rica met all my expectations and more. It was both challenging and beautiful. The food was amazing but I think the best part was the wreck diving. I was full of life and it was a cool photo/filming opportunity. A steep learning curve, but worth it.

I loved the area for teaching lifeguarding. Much nicer than being in a pool. The escape drill we did was great as well. All of the cultural knowledge that Jim would talk about, and of course the diving in the area was incredible. I loved Jim's enthusiasm to teach and to listen and learn from us as well. A great overall instructor. Gretchen was incredible and knew how to fit in to our group and when to take charge and when to step back and let us take charge. Both incredible people!

My experience in Panama was a once in a lifetime event. The scuba phase was awesome. It had a great balance of down time and activity. I loved the night dive. It was something I've never experienced before. It was one of the coolest things I've ever done in my life and I'm glad every diver on course was offered the same opportunity. Gretchan was an amazing instructor, both on a personal and professional level. She maintained an instructor position while treating us all like adults.

It was wet and sometimes cold but all in all I would do it again. I learned to laugh again. I learned to just let go and be free for a while. That it was ok to smile and that even if things were bad, they could be so much worse. So I learned to be myself truly and embrace the fullness of where I was in that very moment. My favourite parts were being able to experience the culture in the home stays. This gave me the chance to truly see the country for what it is and all the values the inhabitants hold.

It surprised me that I would love the activies as much as I did. I realised my love of water. My whole life I've been afraid of and avoided playing in the water. Thanks to this course, I now know that I was born to it. I learned that I am a strong leader capable of overcoming himself to achieve goals.

The hike was absolutely amazing. I learned about myself physically and mentally. I experienced ways of life I've wanted for a while now. I learned outside of a classroom and felt more enjoyment for an extended time than I have in a long time. It has helped me to focus some of my life goals while still showing me my future is wide open.

Sometimes you have to go to a foreign country to find whats holding you back in life. I had a ton of fun, learned about a foreign culture, much improved my Spanish, and learned about myself and how I operate, all things that I hoped to get out of this course.

My experience was extremely eye-opening of the World and revealing of my own passions for my life. I have learned to give whatever you're doing/am passionate about, 100% of your effort. I have totally noticed a change in my outlook on life. On my solo, I had time to reflect and I realised I am so much more appreciative of life's opportunities, compassionate for people, and more likely to be active. I now expect much more from myself because I know how capable I am now.

I've noticed that my leadership skills have definitely gotten a lot stronger by having to be cacique and deal with different personalities. I have also become more confident in my ability to do whatever I put my mind to. I was suprised at how fast everything went by and I was also suprised at how mentally strong I have become. I have learnt that in life you will come across hard time but you will always come out the other side a changed person. These have been some of my the best 3 months of my life.

Outward Bound Costa Rica has openeed my eyes to a strength and confidence in my own abilities that I may never gained. Spending the past few weeks becoming healthier and pushing my physical limits really made me realize what i'm capable of and has restored a lot of my self confidence. Getting active again and living a healthy lifestyle has pushed me to believe in my own abilities for when I go home and motivated me to be successful. All of the hike meant a lot to me. This experience has made me so much more self-reliant and confident.

OBCR was a challenger that I really needed. It has been great for meeting friends and being out of our comfort zones. I learned that it's ok to take them time I need for myself to re-evaluate where i'm at in life. The most meaninguful part has been seeing myself change and try to change bad habits.

Outward Bound Costa Rica exceeded every expectation I had for my 85 day Coast to Coast semester. The course allowed us to experience the traditional culture of 3 different countries in Central America as well as teaching us everything we needed to know to get started with a career in the outdoor education industry. From community service projects to whitewater rafting, backpacking, surfing, scuba diving and more, this course was built for anyone that wants to push themselves both physically and mentally to become a better person, and for anyone that loves adventure. I couldn't recommend this company or their instructors enough, I wish everyone could experience OBCR!

Open up your view of the world physically, emotionally, mentally. spiritually, and everything in between with Costa Rica Outward Bound. I was a student on the Coast to Coast Expedition, and while the title expedition was my favorite part of the trip, every phase had strengths, weaknesses, and lessons. Surfing is a lesson in perseverance. With no surfing experience, for me the phase was just continuous wipe-outs in the exhausting waves, but I think I got somewhere toward the end.... Anyway, SCUBA diving was absolutely amazing. Sea kayaking, snorkeling, and diving in Panama were just absolutely glorious ways to experience the wonders of the Caribbean. And the hike! The hike was an ever-evolving journey as a team to traverse the width of the fabulous country of Costa Rica. I loved the roads, the people, the group development, the mountains, the food, and the satisfying pain from having walked miles and miles carrying heavily loaded packs. The organization of the trip could be frustrating at times, but it really just takes a positive attitude to get through lateness, missing gear, an absent sailboat captain, etc. As for group dynamics, you never know what you're going to get. Maybe your instructors are perfect for you and your group; maybe you clash. Maybe your group works ridiculously well together; maybe you fall apart daily. Maybe you do a bit of both. Everything about the trip is a risk worth taking.