Volunteer, Illianith, from Toronto tells about her experience volunteering with Tropical Adventures.

The plane from Toronto to Costa Rica was the first time in months that I finally got to sit down and realize that I was on my way to small village called La Flor. Many curious travelers asked me where the town was as we looked on their maps. They were more concerned about this lone traveler than I was. ¨Where is it?¨ ¨Are you sure that you’re going to be all right?…here take my number just in case!¨

But there was a sense of calm in me, generated from the many conversations I had with Mauricio and Isaac. They reassured me that there was nothing to worry about, and that I would be well taken care of. And that I was! From the moment I stepped off the plane, I realized how grateful I was for all the many detailed instructions they had provided me.

Even though I was not embarking on a resort-type vacation, I certainly felt comfortable with their level of care. Manuel, their friendly driver, was nice enough to give me my first guided tour as we drove through some main cities: Alajuela, San Jose, Cartago and then Paraiso. I will always remember seeing my first non-domesticated parrots and Costa Rica’s most famous and sacred place of worship, “La Basilica de Nuestra Senora de Los Angeles.” The intricate carvings and snow white walls were immaculate. 

Finally putting faces to names I met the crew! Warm hugs all around!  I remember my first meal in Costa Rica. It was in Isaac’s house (also the Tropical Adventures headquarters), and all I kept thinking was how happy I was, and how I will never forget that moment of contentment…funny, as I sit here four weeks later and write this entry, I realize that feeling of contentment has never left me since day one!

So ¨Adventure travel¨ is not my thing

My third week here I met some other wonderful volunteers from New York and Florida. What I love about being here is that no matter who you meet and from where, you are all here with a uniting purpose, to share with others and learn from others, the result is a community of sharing and positive growth for all. More on the aspect of learning from others it has always been my philosophy to always say ¨Yes¨ when traveling. Whether the experience is a positive or negative one, in the end it is always a learning experience. So when I was asked if I wanted to go on a Canopy / Zipline Adventure, naturally my response was, of course, “what should I wear?¨ For those of you who are ¨museum or mainstream attraction-type” travellers like me I will detail a bit of what you have to look forward to…

Imagine 1800 meters of cable strung out across 13 platforms and here you are suspended above everything speeding from platform to platform high above the rainforest canopy of Costa Rica. And least I forget to mention landing by rappel two times. Okay, so I’m going to have to admit that landing by rappel is not for me.

After about 10 minutes of begging and pleading and convincing the guide that ¨I’m not that heavy,” he agreed to let me descend with him. Yes, that’s right this girl was not about to compromise her safety and life rappelling 200 meters all by herself. Apparently its Costa Rican humour to speed up on the rappel for a good 10 seconds and then stop suddenly! Let me tell you all of the other individuals touring with us were surprised to know later on at lunch that this trucker mouth is indeed a high school teacher! It certainly made for good laughs, and valuable video footage!

Meeting my Family for the first time

I was ecstatic to know that I would be staying with a family of three. Johanna a 27-year-old mother and one of the hardest working people I know, her husband, Carlos, affectionately known as ¨Cata¨ and their adorable 5-year-old son, Yustin. On my third day here they admitted how happy they were to have me, and how on my last day they are going to cry when I leave. I realize now that I’ve cried about four times in my life and my fifth time is going to be when I leave this family.

My typical day with my second family includes Johanna’s friendly voice letting me know that it is 6am and the warm water for my shower is ready. Only certain showers in La Flor have hot running water. This house is not one of them. I later realized after a day of working in the fields that cold showers are a necessity. Breakfast is light, and usually consists of a carb of some sort, along with, a freshly brewed steaming hot cup of the best coffee in the world. I am not kidding about this and I am not the first person to say so either. Coffee in Costa Rica Rocks! Yustin and Johanna wave goodbye to me as I walk along the bumpy dirt road to my first school in the nearby town of  El Yas.

The walk is 40 minutes long, but trust me, there is no other way for me to work off this beans and rice booty I’ve developed over the past few weeks otherwise. The walk is certainly a pleasure, as every single passer by greets each other, even the new faces in town, as if they have known you for years. Having taught for 3 years, I have to admit it is unusual when I see students anxious to get a seat in the front row, pencil in hand and books open ready to go. But I can now say that I have seen it! Most of the children in this community are so eager to learn, and I was lucky enough to teach those who were willing to come in on their summer vacation. Walking home was always exciting as well. I never felt the duration of the walk one bit. Again the kids were happy to walk home with this ¨gringa.¨ Talking with our hands was always a good way to overcome the language barrier, but even more so, the uniting sound of laughter and sight of smiles always made the walk even warmer.

My family and a warm lunch always awaited me. My 100 class in La Flor was always tons of fun too, and seemed to get bigger and bigger every passing day. Children from the first school would walk over to the second school just to get another chance at an English class. Even though it always rained hard in the afternoon I always looked forward to going back to Johanna’s house. She would always have a warm cup of hot chocolate waiting for me…I admit it, I’m a bit of a Princess, and Johanna does nothing but encourage it. Did I mention that she is the best???!?. At 5pm was the adult class and  that is always lots of fun, mostly because of the level of motivation. Walking home again is always nice, as I see Yustin looking out the window getting ready to run out the door to give me a gigantic hug. Dinner is always nice and is always eaten together as a family. The funniest part is trying to retell the events of the day. And opening my dictionary about 103 times every evening has certainly allowed me to officially add ¨speaks Spanish¨ to my resume.

I still don´t understand the obsession with horror movies in this town.

I have seen more horror movies in this town than I have seen in my entire life. I think it’s hilarious! Horror movies of the kind that include over sized insects and animals attacking poor stranded individuals on abandoned islands. Okay, so I can see how the insects can hit close to home, seeing as I have feared over and over the sightings of new unusual bugs in this town, and boy have those fears been confirmed. I can also see how ¨Attack of the Killer Dogs¨ can hit home as well, seeing as dogs roaming free is a usual sighting. Actually the other day, and ironically the day after seeing the Attack Dog Movie, my heart nearly came to my throat as a dog harmlessly barked up my leg, thoughts of the movie from the other night ran rampant in my little mind. But Attack of the ¨half man half shark creature¨ I don’t quite get…maybe because a beach is not to be found for two hours around this town. My most memorable moment with horror movies was when Kevin, a bright student of mine, came to class asking me to translate the disturbing words he transcribed from the movie, The Exorcist, the night before! I unregrettably declined to entertain his curiosity. The mystery of the horror movie obsession remains!

Who says this city girl can’t milk a cow?

¨No Shower tomorrow morning at 500am Ilanit, just get dressed and lets go!¨ Johanna reminds me. Yes, that right this city girl is ready to work in the fields, or as they call it around here ¨El Campo.¨ Johanna´s father owned miles and miles of field that her 4 sisters and 3 brothers now maintain. They grow every kind of fruit, vegetable, herb and livestock you can think of out here. It’s always nice to know where your food is coming from, and actually kind of great to know that I can pull whatever fruit from a tree, chow down on it and not worry about any kind of allergic reaction common in North American Countries these days from all the pesticides. I thought it would be part of the full experience to say “yes” to working out in the fields on Saturday morning.

First stop was Johanna’s closet. Goodness knows I don’t own anything functional to wear. An old pair of jeans, size seven rubber boots and a typical ¨tico¨ hat was the fashion of the day! I was having too much fun already!  Feeding the pigs was the second stop, which was an experience in itself and a stench that will never leave my memory!  I officially understand why they are called pigs! A full appreciation for all of the La Florian people came when Johanna asked me to carry up an empty wood basket used to gather the vegetables of the day. I walked about 2 minutes and just couldn’t go anymore. I can’t even imagine these women and men carrying full loaded baskets, they are so hard working! The rest of the day consisted of gathering herbs, and lettuce, seeing my first pig slaughtering. Johanna’s brother Hector is the ¨animal slaughterer” of the village so it was a ¨treat.” Finally Johanna herded the cows where I was waiting. I was looking forward to the whole experience, but when the moment came, and I was sitting there head to utter…I just couldn’t help but laugh. Actually Johanna and me couldn’t help but laugh for a good 5 minutes before I even started. The idea of this city girl from Toronto, unusually placed in the cow barn was certainly a sight to see. But after gathering the courage and mastering the technique I became an expert, and yes, milked my first bucket of milk. I have to admit I didn’t drink it. Milk is one thing you don’t want to drink after knowing all the details of the process!

It just wouldn’t be the same without those day trips!!

I am so grateful for the many day trips I have been able to take here with my family, Tropical Adventures, and friends I have made here in La Flor.  I have seen so much, and it is all out of the kindness of Costa Rica´s people. My second day here my family was excited to take me to San Jose, and take the time to show me all the ins and outs of the city. It’s not what I quite imagined a major capitol city to look like, and trust me I have certainly traveled to some major cities, but it is typical of the Costa Rican culture. The best way to describe it is ¨Modest and Kind.”

I have been able to return several times, to better be acquainted thought the kindness of the friends that I have met here. I also had the chance to go to the Lankester Botanical Gardens to see the often talked about fauna and flora of the country. If given the opportunity one should certainly take advantage. I cannot even begin to describe some of the beauties I have encountered. One of my favorite trips was to the Irazu Volcano. This was my first time ever looking down into the crater of a volcano, and was it beautiful. I remember the first mention of Costa Rica in my life at the age of ten. It was talk about this highest volcano in the country. Looking out to the west you could see the Pacific Ocean, and to the east the Atlantic. There I was 17 years later, and one of the luckiest gals of the moment! The temperature was absolutely frigid, yes even for this Canadian girl who is in love with the winter. I guess my sandals didn’t help much either! 

Our day trip to the Orosi Valley was also a memorable day for me. The sight of the valley was spectacular. Isaac took us up to one of the best views he could think of before embarking within the many winding roads within. We saw one of the oldest churches in the country ¨La Iglesia de San Jose Orosi¨ built in 1743 and one of the only churches that has withstood earthquakes that have wiped out nearby villages.  The greatest moment was walking across a suspension bridge in the pouring rain. I don’t think I have laughed so hard in long time. Isaac has officially declared ¨carelessly walking with an over sized umbrella¨ my superpower as I so determinedly sped across the bridge practically knocking over other crossers. We still laugh about it today. Last weekend we went on a hike of the rain forest. Just beautiful! And understandably called the ¨rain¨ forest. The floors were so wet we all couldn’t help but slip and slide; we even  sunk in very muddy parts officially know after our hike as ¨squishy¨….no there was no better way to describe it. The views were like no other.

Costa Rica will forever be in my heart.