Getting ready for departure
December 21, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 30 °F
Hello friends and family. This is my first post for the Costa Rica 2023–2024 photo journal. I am Melanie Marks, and I lead the Costa Rica program. I will be creating posts for you to view severalRead more
Delayed in Dulles
December 27, 2023 in the United States ⋅ 🌧 46 °F
Flight delays are giving students a chance to get to know each other. But we are hoping not to see any further delays.
We are off
December 27, 2023 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 46 °F
Next stop is Guatemala.
We are finally here
December 27, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
We are 12 hours late but we are finally here in a small town outside of the airport. The group is tired, understandably, but they are in good spirits.
Cute LaJuela Hostel
December 27, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
We will spend three nights throughout the trip in this cute hostel with my favorite chef, Miss Laura.
Walking Tour of Alajuela
December 27, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
We are in a small community near the airport that is cute and walkable. Even though we were all tired, we went for a night stroll to get some fresh air.
Central Market
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
The students were set loose in central market where locals go to buy produce, cheese, fish, meat, etc. and their task was to buy ingredients for a cooking competition. And they had a scavenger huntRead more
Mask Workshop
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌩️ 79 °F
We spent the morning with a local mask maker who learned the skill from his grandfather. The process is like paper Mâché, but there are now competitors who use fiberglass because it is easier andRead more
Local Church
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F
We had the opportunity to visit this local church. Across the street you see a wall carving depicting the ox cart culture from the past.
Pal Michal
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 70 °F
We are in the mountains in a small, rural ecolodge. Students are meeting with one of the family members who founded this sustainability project for the community in 1994. Seed money came from theRead more
Cooking Competition
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ 🌧 68 °F
Students are engaged in cooking competition to make the best pico de gallo and guacamole. We bought ingredients in the beautiful central market and now they are working hard to see what they can comeRead more
Big Bugs
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
The bugs are big here in the forest.
Patacones
December 28, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Students are making fried green plantains which are delicious when salted and served with guacamole. They've done an excellent job trying new foods and volunteering.
Walk to Coffee Farm
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Our first activity today is a visit to a coffee farm. But it is far up the mountain. Along the way students see examples of the illegal deforestation to grow coffee.
Finca Pareje Bendicion
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
The coffee farm is stunning and the views are fantastic. The picture of deforestation is not the farm we are on. But you can see the line of deforestation clearly.
Coffee Picking
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 66 °F
Students have been assigned to rows of coffee plants and their job is to pick only the ripest coffee cherries. After 30 minutes of coffee harvesting, they will look at their cups of coffee quiteRead more
Homework Time
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Students are spending the rainy afternoon working on homework. In small group they are reflecting on what is involved in building an economy with a thriving tourism sector and what challenges thereRead more
Pizza Making
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Students visited the home of a local family who has a Pizza project. Today students are making their own dinner in this beautiful homemade pizza oven.
Latin Dance Lessons
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Students are hard at work learning the Salsa, Bachata, and most likely we will add the Cumbia or a Costa Rican dance. They are very good sports.
Smores Plan B
December 29, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 63 °F
When it rains and you cannot have a bonfire, you improvise with the four burner gas stove to make S'mores. This German student ate something like 10. Glad we could bring him all the way to Costa RicaRead more
Campaseno Breakfast
December 30, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 70 °F
Students visited the family farm of our local host to enjoy the type of breakfast someone would pack for their day of work in the fields. The farm is small, about 1.2 acres, and grows coffee, bananas,Read more
Monteverde
December 30, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F
We have arrived in MonteVerde, founded by the Quakers who were dodging the draft. You can see just how lush and green the mountains are. We will be exploring a lot of wonderful Ecotourism andRead more
Macaws
December 30, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
These are macaws that have been domesticated but they are still really beautiful. At one point, people were mixing breeds because that was a loophole in the laws. You cannot traffic or buy wildRead more
Horseback through the Mountains
December 30, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
Students had the opportunity to ride by horseback through the incredible mountains and we caught such a nice sunset.
Incredible Sunsets
December 30, 2023 in Costa Rica ⋅ ☁️ 64 °F
And here are some pictures of our incredible sunset that we enjoyed while finishing up our horseback tour.
