The annual sophomore trip to Costa Rica is a well loved tradition, one that upperclassmen have talked about since my first day at Convent. Aside from flight times and the packing list, actual details of what we were going to do in Domical, Costa Rica were very vague. I went into the trip with my friends telling me their experiences from past years, but to be honest, I had no idea what the trip was or what it entailed. So on Saturday morning, I powered off my phone back at my house and met my class at the airport. It would be more than a day’s journey to the hotel, with planes, buses, and crocodiles on the side of the road. But when we arrived, I immediately knew the trip would be something I would never forget.
I was quite surprised to discover how early both the wake up time and bed times were. We were waking up at 6:20 and going to bed at 9:30, but I was so tired the first night that the air conditioned room and real bed felt like the best thing in the world.
My first day activities were riding horses to the waterfall. We arrived on buses to the site and were assigned to either ride a horse to the waterfall or back. I was assigned to the first group and given a horse name Cucaracha, Spanish for cockroach. I had never ridden a horse before, but it was easily one of my favorite memories from the trip. Although it was scorching hot and very humid, I forgot about everything and took in the breathtaking views on the trail towards the waterfall as my horse trotted along the dirt path.
When we got to the waterfall, I was initially very nervous as I saw people scale the slippery rocks with water rushing over them, but I wasn’t about to back out now. Going into the trip, I told myself that any time an opportunity arose, I would do it, no matter how scary or out of my comfort zone it was. But by the time I swam to the waterfall, I realized that the force of the water on me while climbing made it impossible to open my eyes, let alone see anything in a sea of white water. This was especially challenging, but I got to the top, stepped on the rocks, and got ready to jump. From the shore, it doesn’t look very high, but when you’re up there, it might as well have been a thousand feet. My hands trembled and I backed up a step. The boy next to me, no older than 14, reassured me and counted down from three. When he got to one, I closed my eyes and jumped for what felt like an eternity, eventually making contact with the cold water and feeling my heart beat out of my chest. It was exhilarating.
Throughout the rest of the trip I continued to challenge myself and have an amazing time with my friends on activities like the night hike, surfing, and rafting. Each of these moments engraved significant memories and stories in my mind, and I was continuously in awe of how beautiful the country was. From the bus rides to the hikes to the simple walks around the hotel, I have never seen such flourishing, green nature.
Although we did countless activities, the one that stands out to me most was the service we did at the local school in Dominical. On Wednesday, my group took the bus up to the school and split into three groups of service projects. One group did work out on the field, one went to the kindergarten, and another painted a mural. I chose to paint the mural, which could not have been a better decision. Since the people the day before had outlined the image, my group of around 15 got to paint it. We met the local kids there who were lively and funny, and I loved being able to practice my Spanish in a low-stakes environment. One of the kids reminded me a lot of my younger brother, and it was so fun to have a project to do and be able to hang out with kids from another culture. I learned a lot about the games they play and how these kids spend their time. As we painted the mural, I met a girl who was about my age, and I realized we had a lot in common and similar interests. At one point, the boys told me there was a small lake nearby where there were crocodiles, and he wanted to know if we would go see them. Of course we said yes, and walked to a fence at the back of the school and waited to see a crocodile. He explained to me that at lunchtime he and his friends like to go over there and lure one over, which reminded me of my time in elementary school and all the creative things we did to stay entertained. Overall, the service project really stood out to me because I genuinely had so much fun painting and meeting these kids, who had such a different upbringing yet were still so similar to me and my friends.
I expected the trip to be enjoyable, but I can honestly say that I had so much more fun than I ever thought I would. Everyone we met in Costa Rica was so happy, and their joy was contagious. I loved the activities we did, the views we saw, and the memories we made. Spending a week with people from school may seem daunting at first, but I quickly fell into a routine and noticed that the trip has a perfect balance of being in uncomfortable or difficult situations with a good mix of comfortable ones as well. For example, we stayed in a very nice resort, had air conditioned buses, and ate nice food and deserts. However, Costa Rica is inherently new and different from what many are used to, with things like the climate, sustainability practices, and constant outdoor exploration. The trip was exciting, exhausting, lively, and beautiful, and surely an experience I will remember for years to come.
