• Register Now
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
Call Us: 800-487-1074
Global Volunteers
  • Countries
    • International Destinations:
      • China
      • Cook Islands
      • Cuba
      • Ecuador
      • Greece
      • Italy
      • Nepal
      • Peru
      • Poland
      • Portugal
      • St Lucia
      • Tanzania
      • Vietnam
    • USA Programs:
      • Appalachia – West Virginia
      • Blackfeet Reservation – Montana
      • Rosebud Reservation – South Dakota
  • Projects
  • Dates and Contributions
  • Discounts
  • Blog
  • Search
  • Menu
Student Volunteers, Volunteer Voices Costa Rica

Student Group Ready to Volunteer in Santa Elena

Volunteer in Santa Elena

Read about Fountain Hills High School group’s first service-learning day in Costa Rica

Getting ready to volunteer in Santa Elena on our service assignments started today with a basic Spanish lesson and orientation to the Monteverde area. We learned about Costa Rica-specific words such as ‘mae’ (which means ‘dude’). We learned to introduce ourselves, our ages, our grades, and our hobbies.

Volunteer in Santa Elena - Orientation Day

Spanish lessons during orientation

Two buses transported us on a four-hour trek up the mountain. We stopped halfway for los baños (the restrooms) y helados (ice cream). The first 2/3 of the trip were easy breezy and the last 1/3 was non-paved winding up a mountain with the ability to look down – way down – and ponder your own mortality. As we made our way toward Monteverde, we saw more monkeys hanging in the tree, as well as beautiful rainbows. We arrived just fine in Monteverde.

Volunteer in Santa Elena - Rainbow

Rainbow in Monteverde

The first three ‘profes’ (teachers) from Colegio introduced us to more of the country. With our team leader, Maggie, interpreting, we learned how long they’d been working there, what the school offers students, and how students progress through the programs there. It was cool to see that basically, these students are learning life skills and studying tourism, just like us. Claire, Danica, and Sam E. got to sit with Joy, who teaches rural tourism. Through a blend of Spanish and English, we learned about her love of nature photography, birds, and hiking. Her pictures were stunning still photos of birds and bats in flight. She has two books published with her pictures.

The drive revealed a lot of differences in how city and country ticos (Costa Ricans) live. We saw cattle being shuttled and also procreating in the wild. We also saw a lot of horses and goats. It’s pretty easy to fall in love with this place and this country. The people we have met have more than live up to their reputation for being kind and happy. Though they may not have the ‘stuff’ we have, they appear to us to have the stuff of life – connection, enjoyment, family. Time to get dirty! Time to meet the teens of Colegio! We are ready to volunteer in Santa Elena!

Journal entry by Sam C., Sam E., Nat B., and Danica

Read more about Fountain Hills High School volunteering experience in Costa Rica here.

Share this:

  • Click to print (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
  • Click to email this to a friend (Opens in new window)
March 8, 2015/0 Comments/by Maggie Bjorklund
Tags: service-learning, Spring break, Work with youth
Share this post with a friend:
  • Share on WhatsApp
https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Volunteer-in-Santa-Elena.jpg 578 1500 Maggie Bjorklund https://205eev2oa0jm1t4yb914s1nw-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/2014-GlobalVolunteersLogo-Web.png Maggie Bjorklund2015-03-08 15:47:362017-08-24 10:23:09Student Group Ready to Volunteer in Santa Elena
You might also like
Volunteering at La Molina Reflections on Volunteering in Peru
We Learn about our Work Projects in Anse la Raye, St. Lucia
teaching English to Vietnamese students Teaching English to Vietnamese Students is an Act of Love for Vietnam Vet
volunteer lodging in Poland "Reymontowka" - Volunteers' Home Away from Home in Poland
volunteer work in West Virginia Global Volunteers Work and Learn in West Virginia
Memories of Ecuador Live Bright Within Us
Having fun learning English in Greece A Summer Memory in Greece
Leverage Your Professional Experience to Enrich the Lives of Others Abroad
0 replies

Leave a Reply

Want to join the discussion?
Feel free to contribute!

You must log in to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Partner Communities

  • China 65
  • Cook Islands 38
  • Cuba 111
  • Ecuador 79
  • Greece 55
  • Italy 52
  • Montana 39
  • Nepal 7
  • Peru 73
  • Poland 72
  • Portugal 41
  • South Dakota 8
  • St Lucia 51
  • Tanzania 55
  • Vietnam 38
  • West Virginia 22

Categories

  • Alumni Global Volunteers
  • Boomer Volunteers
  • Conversational English
  • Couples Volunteering
  • Culture and Traditions Worldwide
  • Development Impact
  • Family Volunteers
  • Free Time Options
  • Global Volunteers
  • Group Volunteering
  • Impact Stories
  • Individuals on Teams
  • Projects for Professionals
  • Reaching Children's Potential
  • Retiree Volunteers
  • Staff worldwide.
  • Student Volunteers
  • Uncategorized
  • Volunteer Voices

Tags

alumni volunteers American Indian culture Appalachian culture Care for children Caribbean island College groups Conversational English Cuba people-to-people Earthbox gardens Essential Services food insecurity Funding your fee Health and nutrition High school groups Labor projects lgbt program retiree service-learning Spring break summer volunteer program Support women teaching children teaching english team leader volunteer benefits Volunteer impact work on reservations Work with youth youth volunteering
  • About Us
  • Board of Directors
  • Staff
  • Our Beginnings
  • Community Partners
  • Collaborators
  • Our Vision
  • Compare Us
  • Volunteer Vacations FAQs
  • Accountability and Agreements
  • Travel Risks
  • Your Impact
  • Donate to Global Volunteers
  • Donate to a Volunteer
  • Money Matters – Explaining Your Service Program Contribution
  • Discounts & Fundraising
  • Alumni Center
  • Scholarship Opportunity
  • News/Media
  • Employment
  • Privacy Policy
  • Agreements
  • Site Map
  • Contact
  • Podcast
  • Volunteer Portal
Global Volunteers
375 East Little Canada Road
St. Paul, MN 55117-1628 USA
(800) 487-1074 | toll-free
(651) 482-0915 | fax
globalvolunteers.org
email@globalvolunteers.org

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Subscribe receive notifications of new posts and updates by email.

Global Volunteers - Partners in Development ® | © Copyright 2002 - Present Global Volunteers
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Mail
  • Global Volunteers is an apolitical, non-sectarian, non-profit (501C-3) tax-exempt organization.
  • Send feedback about this web site and its administration.
“I’m leaving part of me behind.” Working in the Monteverde Forest in Costa Rica Working in the Monteverde Forest – Our First Day Volunteering at Cole...
Scroll to top
loading Cancel
Post was not sent - check your email addresses!
Email check failed, please try again
Sorry, your blog cannot share posts by email.