Saying goodbye in Costa Rica

Today was a bittersweet day. It was our last day in Santa Elena working with the students. I am excited to be going home, but it was really hard knowing I probably won’t see any of these students or teachers again.

We started the morning off with one last delicious breakfast from the Mar Inn. We then walked to the school and met Liz to go work in the trails. We raked the trails and chopped down overgrown weeds. After this job was done, we went down to the gym to play more basketball and soccer with some of Jorge’s students. This was fun, as always, but I got worn out very quickly. My body is sore from all of the work we have done around the school these past two weeks, but it reminds me of how much help I have been able to provide for the school. The soreness will go away in a day or two, but I will have this memory for the rest of my life.

After our games, we listened to and watched some performances by some of the students. This included songs and a very funny skit about going on a road trip. Then we ate lunch. Our friends in the cooking department prepared us a delicious lunch with desert. They worked really hard cooking and serving our meal and I can tell that Liz has trained them well. After serving our food, they joined us for lunch.

Justin and Wilmer

We then received certificates from the school as well as lots of thanks and praise from the students and teachers. We were able to take some final pictures with our new friends and then it was time to say goodbye.

Saying goodbye to the students and teachers and town of Santa Elena was very hard for me. I am really going to miss these people. This has been such a wonderful experience and I want to continue providing them with my service and friendship. I hope that I was able to make the same impact on them as they made on me.

Entry submitted by: Ellie

Message of the Day – Justin: “Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I may remember. Involve me and I will learn.” – Benjamin Franklin