Hi families! It’s Abbie and Sam, the GG Leaders for the trip. We got the honor of being the first leaders of the day [:

After a well-deserved rest and finally making it to Turrialba (with all of our luggage!!!), we had a wake-up call at 7 am with a typical Costa Rica breakfast: gallo pinto, eggs, bread, fresh fruit, and fresh juices – muy deliciosa! We then had a mental warm-up, welcome orientation, and met with students one-on-one. Students enjoyed free time until lunch, which included swimming/playing water volleyball, reading, exploring the accommodation grounds, and resting. Lunch was potatoes, pork, salad, and more fresh fruit juices (AMAZING). Zimba the dog loves meal time too because he gets to eat all of our leftovers.

The theme of the day was Global and Local Business, so we went to Finca La Florita, a local cheese farm run by Karla. The rain didn’t stop us – Karla educated us about how she feeds her cows proper nutrients, how the cows are milked, how cheese is made from the milk, and how she reuses the manure as biogas and fertilizer. It was so incredible to see Karla’s passion and how she does not waste any part of the processes in the farm; she even uses the gases from the manure to power her own stoves. Students participated in a fierce competition – Team Queso Fresco vs. Team Las Vacas – in trivia about the cow’s food, fastest milking, making the best cheese, and hot potato trivia round. Victory went to Team Queso Fresco!

Before heading back to our base house, we stopped by a convenience store to grab some snacks. We had a great hamburger dinner with chips, and then students enjoyed playing games until our nightly meeting. We discussed how buying local products, lowering how much we consume, and choosing not to get extra things like plastic grocery bags can make a huge difference in both the environment and the people we’re supporting. Finally, we passed the torch to Tati, Lesly, and Steph, who will be the Leaders of the Day tomorrow for Community Day. We ended the evening with a reflection activity where students reflected on what they’ve seen and experienced so far.

Big loves to our cooks Diego and Emilia for the always amazing food; to our bus driver Gustavo for navigating the windy, rainy roads; and to Manfred who stepped in as a program coordinator for the past few days with us. We can’t wait for the rest of the trip and to see our students continue to bond together and grow in their perspectives of the world. ¡Pura Vida!

(Artsy milking photos by our PC Julio lol)