Last Day in Costa Rica
Our day started off early, and to most of us, maybe too early after patrolling the beach for turtles last night. We stayed there until about 12:30. We were suppose to make it until 1:30 am but everyone was fast asleep by 11ish. It was a hard night especially with getting used to not sleeping at Finca La Anita. Shortly after our breakfast, which consisted of rice and beans (the usual), we started our nature hike. We were out there for a good two hours, and it was a very mellow, flat trail. Not anything like our previous hike on Sunday to the waterfall; and may I just say.. thank goodness that was the case. That hike drained it all out of me. It was nice to take a slow walk through the dry forest, so that we wouldn’t all be tired for the next part of the day. We didn’t see very much on our hike, mostly just new vines and trees. We stopped at a place that resembled a water drop area, where water had flown into from different streams. It was so beautiful; a great spot to take pictures, and most importantly rest because it was very, very hot and humid. After getting back from the hike, we had a lot of down time. I personally like a little time to rest, because I can reset my mind and energy. I think that we all needed the time to take a nap to catch up on lost sleep. For lunch, we had pasta with alfredo, or something like that. Even though Carolyn and I, as well as the teachers, missed the lunch time, it was very good. I still wonder how no one noticed that we weren’t there.
We left for the beach at 2pm. I am typically not much of a beach person. I don’t like getting knocked over by waves, or swallowing salt water. But I am telling you all, no one could not have a good experience at the beach that we were at. It was the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen. The view was incredible. Blue bath water, calm yet exciting waves, sandy beach, and sandy ocean bottom. All of us had an amazing time together body surfing, jumping over waves, and diving under them. We ran along the beach, played some soccer, and snacked on some chips. The whole experience was so relaxing and fun. We got to see the sunset, but very little of it because it was cloudy. None of us wanted to leave, but when we had to, we caught a good last wave to ride in on.
When we got back to Horizontes, we struggled with getting everyone through the showers, and got ready for our barbeque. The food was amazing. It felt like home, with all different kinds of meats. Steak, chicken, sausage, and pork. There were mashed potatoes, grilled pineapple, and much more. It was so great to eat at a long table with everyone next to each other out on the porch. It was also the Chanhassen teacher’s birthday today, so we celebrated with a delicious chocolate cake. Everyone loved it. Today was a great day to end on. This day could possibly top all of the other days on the trip.
Despite today being a great day, I think we’re all ready to come home to good old Minnesota. Most of us have been talking about all the food that we’re going to buy when we get home for days now. Get ready parents. J We miss all of our family, friends, and for a lot of us, our dogs, cats, etc. I can’t count all the times we’ve passed our phones around sharing pictures of our adorable pets at home. Bottom line, we miss you all and are so excited to come home!
I believe that I can speak for everyone here on the trip when I say that this experience has been one of a kind. Especially for us East Ridge kids, none of us have ever been out of the country before. Everyone here went through challenges they had to face, whether it was issues with being homesick, health issues, or science group project complications. This trip challenged us to find a way to make a solution for our problems. Something our teacher, Adrian Pinto, said to us before he left made an impression on me. He said something along the lines of, “Remember, no matter how hard the situation is, you can always adapt.” What he said spoke volumes to me and most likely many others. I, as of many others, learned to adapt to my situation. I met some pretty awesome people on this trip from Wayzata and Chanhassen. It was great getting to know my fellow East Ridge people too. Gavin, Mark, and Wyatt are all pretty cool guys. I also met some great local people here, who taught me what it really means to be warm and welcoming. I experienced new foods, new surroundings (my favorite being the biodiversity), and a new way of living. I must say that wasn’t my favorite thing to do; constantly living around things that could possibly kill you. I have now seen, done, and accomplished things that I never thought that I would do. I know positively that everyone else around me can say the same about everything I just mentioned.
That being said, Carolyn, Mark, Gavin, Wyatt, and I thank you all for encouraging us to go on this trip, and most importantly for all the parents, thank you so much for the dedication, effort, and money that you put into all of this. Thank you all for your support before and during this experience. We also thank Ms. Keiser for putting so much of her time into us, and coming with us on this trip. I can say for all of us that we had an amazing time with Ms. Keiser. She is the kindest, and most fun teacher to go to Costa Rica with. This was a wonderful trip that all of us will remember for a lifetime. Thank you again! We can’t wait to come home and see you all!
