It is incredibly hard to believe that we are in our very last day at Playa Hermosa together as a group of 30 students and 6 leaders. While many of us are getting excited about going home and sharing stories about our Costa Rican adventure, there is a palpable feeling amongst the group that we are not yet ready to say goodbye to one another!
These past few days have been so full of amazing experiences that we have had little time to write. Here is a re-cap of what we’ve been up to.
On Thursday, the villa crew headed to Lomas Barbudal Biological Reserve where we had the chance to learn about capuchin monkeys from our friend and primatologist, Susan Perry. We spent the morning together with local park guides helping to clear trails. In the afternoon we headed out to take a refreshing dip in the Llanos de Cortes waterfall before getting on the bus headed to the village of Silencio. There was much anticipation amongst the students in the bus as we rounded the corner and could see the village after a week of separation. We were met with huge hugs from the students and leaders whom we not seen for the past week and the Silencio community excited to share in one last night together. A delicious meal of arroz con pollo and frijoles molidos, a funny skit put on by our Costa Rican friends, and many, many hugs and tears later we were all in the bus together heading back to Villa Huetares.
Yesterday we had the chance to visit some local spots that the students had not yet been to. We headed to Playa Coco for an hour of market time to buy gifts for family and friends. Get excited! Lots of fun gifts coming your way from Costa Rica. Then we were off to Liberia where we had the chance to visit the farmer’s market full of delicious fruits and vegetables. Students chose their favorites to indulge in one last time before leaving this place where everything is so fresh!
Then it was time to head to a local fiesta celebrating the Guanacaste region of Costa Rica. Very similar to a rural county fair, these local fiestas offered us the chance to see some impressive livestock, eat some local food, and try our hands at bumper cars and other rides. We were lucky to see a parade of local dancers and drummers go by dressed in colorful costumes! Many of us stayed to see a local rodeo as well. It was a great day and made extra special by the fact that we celebrated Charlie and Tristan’s birthdays as well!
Today is our very last. Students are participating in the famed Putney Olympics this morning complete with events such as synchronized swimming, spelling bee, pool volleyball and many, many more. This afternoon we will have the chance to pack our bags and prepare for our talent show tonight before saying our sad goodbyes and flying home tomorrow. It has been an amazing journey. THANK YOU to everyone who made these last 3 weeks so special.