Day 1: May 31, 2025
¡Bienvenidos a Costa Rica University of North Carolina Charlotte! What better way to start this journey than with food, specially traditional costarican dishes like a casado or arroz con pollo. ¡Muy rico! We headed to a beautiful city called Heredia where the students were super exited to meet their new costarican homes and families.
Day 2: June 1, 2025
We started the day going to the local marker ¡La feria de Zapote! It is a very traditional marker where plenty of fruits and vegetables can be seen, very fresh. After an exciting morning, the group had a tour in the capital of the country, San José. They got to explore the Teatro Nacional which is a very important and historical building. Just like time traveling!
Day 3: June 2, 2025
Una muy tranquila mañana ¿No lo creen? The group enjoyed the morning visiting the San Joaquín de Flores Church, very beautiful; we also had a little game to get to know more about the city. ¡A scravenger hunt! We interacted with locals and explored. In the afternoon, our professors waited for us to teach us a lot of new spanish vocabulary.
Day 4: June 3, 2025
¡A trabajar duro! Today the group volunteered at a local school in Heredia, after a short explanation of the ONG and being handed the correct equipment, the group was more than ready to start the action! Painting walls, cleaning and washing some furniture were some of the efforts made to make a difference and a better academic environment for the local students. We played with the kids too!
Day 5: June 4, 2025
With still some work to do at the school the group returned again super exited. They continued working on the organic vegetable garden the school has, later on we got to participate in an school activity where the kids danced and played in the band.¡Que bello!
Day 6: June 5, 2025
A free morning! Some of the group were able to sleep more while others decided to continue exploring the streets of Chepe, which is another way of refering to the capital city. In the afternoon the group had clases, they played grammar games and continue learning spanish. Getting better every day!
Day 7: June 6, 2025
Mishka! That's welcome in Bribri, one of the indigenous tribes in Costa Rica. The group traveled early in the morning to the indigenous territory, crossing the Telire River. They reached Casa Cónica which is a ceremonial house where a curandera, the healer of the village, greets them by singing.
Day 8: June 7, 2025
¡Medicina Bribrí, impresionante! The students learned amazing details about medicinal plants common to the area, in gardens or the forest close to the village. It is incredible the ability of the Bribriís to find these kinds of plants and know all their uses. After a delicious lunch of local cuisine and an amazing experience at the village, the group headed to the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. ¡Vamonos!
Day 9: june 8, 2025
after the great experience in talamanca with the bribries, the group continued to the coast where everyone wanted La playa, they were excited about,so one of the activities was to visit the cahuita national park where they walked through the tropical humid forest, some of them spotted a sloth, tucan, and lovely family of capuchin monkeys. right after was the time for chapuzon on the sea. incredible day ending at the hotel with a delicious rice and beans with chicken typical dish of this area.
Day 10, june 9;2025
what an end in caribeanside, listening one of the most follklorical music in cahuita which is the calipso music, they started playing and students started dancing with the rhythm, then they were sharing with the musicians and trying to play la Conga which is the instrument.
after the beautiful show, we were getting ready for lunch because after we were going back to Heredia.
Day 11, June 10, 2025
After unforgettable weekend on the caribeanside, it sounds great to have part of the morning off ,some of them , they took that morning to sleep a little bit more, others they did laundry with mamá tica and also they went to spent some time with their classmates in the cafeteria.
During the break some played soccer in the campus and they were talking about soccer culture in Costa Rica because they knew that "la sele" soccer team of costa rica was going to play.
After clases they were going to watch the soccer match with their families.
Day 12, June 11, 2025
Cocinando a lo tico! Ready for the costa rican cooking clases, they got ready for this new activity where they cook for themselves, firstly they started learning the names of the vegetables and utensils.
Then, they were preparing the dish " picadillo de chayote con carne molida" some were cutting, others chopping and also making the homemade Tortillas.
Once everything was prepared.
We set the table and we ate the delicious food that they prepared, "buen provecho "
Day 13, June 12, 2025
A bailar! What a morning, dancing like costarrican ,that was what they tried to day with their Latin dance clase
Learning some steps of chacha, salsa and the swing criollo of costa rica, as well they learned more details about the rhythms how through your body can express many things ,students really liked that experience
After that ,almuerzo and continue their Spanish clases.
Day14, June 13, 2025
Last day at valle central with their families and CPI'S teacher
They had the free morning where some of them were packing las maletas to visit la fortuna and to move to Monteverde where they are going o keep learning spanish but in another region of costa Rica.
Also excited to visit one of the beautiful waterfalls of the country and to visit the springs both places perfect to connect with nature.
Day 15, June 14 ,2025
Madrugando(waking up early) that's what they today in the last breakfast with their families. Then ready for a day in la fortuna where they swam in the catarata la fortuna and they had a funny morning there
After that everyone were hungry because the got early breakfast.
Some free time at la fortuna visiting some shops and markets. With the view of the arenal volcano we did the check .
We ended the day in a chill Beautiful place on the hot springs were after cold water in the morning they had the warm water.
Day 16, June 15, 2025
Ready to go to Monteverde, in the morning students visited the town of la fortuna where they visited some shops also the iglesia and el parque of la fortuna
After a delicious lunch students were looking the volcano through the road and changing the view and started looking the Arenal lake and also the wind power along the road.
We got to CPI of monteverde and the families were waiting for the students but also students were emocionados to be in another costa rican family.
Day 17, june 16, 2024.
Sobre las nubes , starting the week in monteverde with a tour in Santa Elena Reserve with a local guide who explained this incredible forest in Costa Rica.
Guide showed how we have this ecosystem and also the fauna in this area, we were looking for the quetzal that at the end we found it.
Students shared each other their experience walking through that cloud forest.
Day 18, June 17, 2025
Cafeteando ( to drink and taste differenttypes of coffe ) , let's be in a finca where the locals and some foreigners treat the Coffee and also another organic products.
Students had a talk about Coffee plantation the story of the Coffee in Costa Rica after that they had a dynamic in la finca where they needed to find some products, to share with workers and being in a forest after that they explained some topics to their classmates.
Besides it they went to visit some spots of the property and learned some topics of compost and organic products.
After that we went to have the delicious casado with chicken that mostly of the products of that casado were planting in the property.
Ending the tour with a taste activity, different types of coffee different flavors that students tried and knowing the process behing one cup of the delicious drink.
Día 19, June 18, 2025
Sharing with the Coffee peakers, we visited one of the properties of life Monteverde and the idea was to have the experience helping in a cafetal (Coffee plantation) the experience was quite difficult for some but at the end they got the point and had the perspective of being in a coffee plantation
Besides it they connect with the foreigners who came from another countries and try to have a better life in another country that experience was really emotional for the group.
The group continued with the lunch and then they bought some souvenir at the shop about coffee.
They really appreciated this experience at life Monteverde because there are many things behind the food.
Day 20, June 19, 2025
Mañana libre in Monteverde
A little bit of rest for the students today after good job of volunteering last day where some of them were tired, as result of it today had the opportunity to got breakfast a little bit late and also to waked up late.
However others they just were hanging out in the center of monteverde.
In clases some of the groups visited a place that is very known which is CASEM and they heard the story about this group of ladies who work with handcrafted.
Day 19, June 18 ,2025
Día de colaboración at one of the rivers in monteverde. Today we keep learning a little bit more about the importance of nature, water and how micro plastic can reach any places.
Being in the jungle collaborating with this was a incredible experience cause we got in the jungle down till the river and they saw the stunning ecosystem but also how the micro plastics are affecting this.
After being there we changed the place to have food and getting ready for the interested activity that they were going to have
Playing like a costarrican kids with some of the old games for instance la Cuerda,bolinchas ,el trompo
It was a funny activity to end this day.
Day 22, June 21, 2025
Having fun above of cloud forest.
Students felt the experience to be above the trees, canopy is one of the favorite things to do in monteverde, some of them hadn't had the opportunity to do it , and they did it and they had fun felling that experience.
Day 23,June 22,2025.
Sadly to left monteverde and the costarican families, but next place is waiting for them.
Flamingo in the province of guanacaste will be the last week in Costa Rica where the experience will be another one ,living close to the beach.
On the way to Flamingo they had the opportunity to stop in another indigenous territory which it is Chorotegas in Guaitil, they saw the costarican pottery and the story about this incredible art.
Ending the day excited meeting the new host families.
Day 24,June 23, 2026
Keep learning the pura vida,
Students met teachers whom are going to be in this week.
During the clas they learned a little bit more about the culture in Guanacaste.
After that we visited one of the oldest costarican restaurants in this area where they were eating with a beautiful view of the ocean.
Excited to be on the water we moved to playa penca so relax and to have fun in the water.
Day 25,June 24, 2025
Hechandole la manita a la comunidad the lorena
Another beautiful day being a volunteer but In this case it was in a small rural place in Santa Cruz, Guanacaste with Siempre amigos which is the non profit organization who has been there and collaborating with the community.
Students were collaborated working in the construction of basketball court for the kids of primary school.
The labor was a little bit taught but they enjoyed working as a group and seeing the process through the minutes.
Working as a group, step by step we can many things.
Well done chicos.
