Kailee – Day 11 has come surprisingly fast, this incredible experience is soon coming to a close. After three hard working days at the Aquiares School, we enjoyed a day of exploration and bliss at the local river, Río Jesús María. Today we were supposed to wake up at 8am, however I spent my early morning with my roommates playing card games and listening to the early birds chirp. We enjoyed our cook, Diego’s breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit and headed off to the river at 9:25 in the morning. The water was so cold and the rocks were really rough; however, the people I spent my day with, the snacks, and the beautiful weather made the experience ten times better. We spent a few hours in the river and when we got back I and several other glimspers enjoyed our hotels’ pool, wishing for more time at the river. For lunch we indulged on Pizza Hut: cheese, pepperoni, and mushrooms galore.

Our question of the day was how does an increase in tourism impact the people in nearby communities as well as the environment. During a previous seminar we debated over the impacts of tourism in countries, agreeing that although tourism can positively impact an area’s economy, it can severely detriment the environment that inhabits the tourism and negatively impact the lives of those who live in these areas. This river was free to enjoy for outsiders like us and although we tried our best to keep the area clean, not every newcomer will have the respect or knowledge to do the same. Tourism is a privilege that we must be careful not to take advantage. On a light note hi Mom! Hi Gav! Hi everyone I love you and I am having a really fun time but I can’t wait to see you guys and Lola! See you soon 🙂

Josketty – After lunch around 3:00 pm, 11 of us went to the Turrialba to explore more of the town, while the rest stayed at the house. In Turrialba, we walked to an outdoor marketplace to buy some souvenirs such as bracelets and necklaces. I also bought some avocados at the market, which I lost at the next place we went to: the bakery (panadería). Jennifer and Caroline bought some ice coffees, while I bought some bread. Our third stop was to an empanada place, which 9 of us bought from. There were three options to choose from, cheese, beef and chicken. To keep everyone busy while we waited for the empanadas, we walked around the block and saw some soccer players performing some amazing stunts and we played some games with concealed rules. Everyone was frustrated since no one could figure out the rules to the games like Umbrella, Finger and Red Ball. The others who stayed at the house, watched an episode of Wanda Vision and the sign-along version of Frozen (in Spanish). They had the opportunity to learn some phrases in Spanish and impressed the rest of the group with their newfound knowledge once we arrived. We had dinner followed by our nightly meeting and we passed the torch to Tanya, which will be the líder del día tomorrow. We enjoyed being the LDD today. It is a lot of responsibility but I know she will be up to the challenge!

¡Pura vida!