A small group from El Paso Community College arrived in Costa Rica a warm Friday afternoon to enjoy a few days in Heredia before going on to CPI’s Flamingo campus. They had a tour of the capital city, San José, saw the sights of the Gold Museum, National Theater, and had lunch at a local restaurant. The following day the group got up bright and early to have a good time at Café Britt. They learned about the coffee process; from the time the seed is planted to the time the coffee is poured into the cup. It was informative and fun! Lots of coffee savored too! In the afternoon the group got in the van for the long ride to Flamingo in the Guanacaste province. In Flamingo they met up with the rest of the group that had arrived that day and the adventure began in Flamingo.

Wednesday, the group enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Ram Luna, with views overlooking the city lights at night. Everyone enjoyed a buffet dinner before the show started at 8pm. The show included a traditional dance and music of Costa Rica. One of the students was invited to dance with some of the dancers at the end of the show! It was a night no one will forget anytime soon.

Wednesday was the day chosen to do the catamaran cruise after morning classes. The catamaran set sail from the nearby town of Tamarindo. That afternoon was awesome! A sea turtle swam by and was seen by lots of people from on deck.

The group was able to return to La Carpio this past Tuesday to volunteer with the Costa Rican Humanitarian Foundation. In the morning the group split into 3 different teams to paint houses, work in the montessori and to work in the small library with children. The morning was filled with lots of smiles, laughter and hard work. It was extremely rewarding for the group to spend their time getting to love on the children in La Carpio.