What a day!

Hard to believe that this morning we were a group of 30 students and 6 staff and now we are off to our destinations in groups of 15 students and a split staff. It was a sad goodbye today after lunch as the villa crew said farewell to newfound friends as they headed off to their village experience. Energy was high as we wished them safe travels and settled into our new life here as a smaller group. The village students – Devin, Jack M., Matt, Ollie, Ben N., Camila, Jackie, Frankie, Dee, Evie, Ali, Ashley, Alexandra, Sophia, and Abby – were headed for a new adventure. Danielle and Tristan called tonight to give us a recount of their afternoon, reporting that the group had bonded well during their 2-hour bus ride up into the green lush mountains. Upon arrival, they moved into their new accommodations in the salon comunal and headed off on a scavenger hunt in Silencio organized by their leaders. After getting to know their new town and getting comfortable with their new surroundings, some students played with the local children while others joined in a game of futbol with their new Tico friends. Then it was time to start the bienvenida party. The local children danced typical Costa Rican dances before everyone gathered to enjoy arroz con pollo and ice cream while spending some time getting to know each other. The Putney group then had their first community meeting together to talk about the day and get ready for their first night sleeping village style. Time to start work tomorrow!

As for those of us who stayed here at the villa – Ben S., David, Nicholas, Charlie, Jack G., Alex, Emma, Sara, Evgenia, Maddie S., Madi G., Lilli, Nadine, Ellinor, and Hannah – we also took this afternoon to bond and enjoy the new-found energy created by our smaller group size. We started our afternoon off with a trip to the beach to test out the banana boats. Each student got a few rides around the bay to catch the beautiful scenery before getting dumped in the water by our mischievous driver. After beach time, we headed back to the villa and onto a language food activity with Jon, Andrew. and Nicole in preparation for out 4th of July picnic. Each student was given a list of three various ingredients for our dinner that they had to find in the store using their Spanish skills. Then it was back to the villa to prep for the evening. Jon headed up an amazing crew of students helping to make steak with chimichurri sauce, spicy mac and cheese, tangy potato salad, crisp green salad, and veggies for grilling. Nicole organized a group of students to make paper chains and decorate our salon comunal with tincel. When we were ready to start digging in, Ben S., Alex, Nadine, Sara, and Madi had a special song to dedicate to Jon who, with his creative cooking skills, had brought us such a delicious meal. With a Ukelele in hand, the group serenaded our wonderful chef. Ellinor and Kelsey brought out a 4th of July cake and together with the group sang a hearty version of our National Anthem. We rounded it out with a version of Lean on Me and then dug in to a sweet treat. Don Juan, our wonderful villa owner and friend, surprised the group by lighting off a few colorful fireworks. After all was said and done, we rounded out the evening with a swim in the pool and an enthusiastic group meeting of shout outs. Then it was off to bed in anticipation for another great day of exploration and activities!

Until tomorrow!