=omg it's all over =(

Well were all back from Costa Rica and I know for many of us were sad it's over but also so glad to be back. We spent 10 days in Costa Rica learning new things, meeting new people, helping/hurting the rainforest. We've done it all and it could have been one of the funniest trips I have ever been on.
As I hope you've noticed we didn't blog for about 3 days. That was because we were in a big place called the Rain Forest. Being there was one of the hottest places I have ever been to. Like it was so hot I had a beard made of sweat. I especially had a bearded made out of sweat when we were working on the trail of the rainforest. Well I’m getting a little ahead of myself.
The first day we were there, all of us had to get to know the trail that we would be working on for 2 days. So we hiked all the way to the top of the forest and walked all the way back down. It took us about 2 hours or so to do the whole walk. It was pouring down us which didn’t make it any easier to climb and walk the trail.
So the next day we began working on the trail. We had to bring these huge logs from our cabins down to the trail and put them in the ground. After we did that for the first 2 hours we got to eat. Than after eating back to work! Afterwards we had to make the trail wider and make sure all the big rocks in the stream were pushed to the side. I was working on the making the trail wider. The like wall on the trail was mostly rocks so we had to really smash the rocks down to get the trail wider. Well while doing so 3 of the group members; Meghan, Monteria, Crystal, and Morgan all caused some small land slides. It was quite surprising when it happen. Because all of the girls were just screaming and jumping around when the slides hit. We had to fix the trail about 4 times I think.
The next day we pretty much just moved logs up the mountain. Now that might sound hard and your right because it was. We had to lift these heavy logs all the way up this mountain while the sun was burning on us. It was half fun half torture more torture than fun but lets just say I felt really good about helping as much as I could.
Oh the funniest thing we did there was swimming in the waterfalls. Really that was what I was looking forward to the most. I just really wanted to swim in the waterfalls. We got to swim in two different ones. One which we all liked the most because in had a deep end. The other was as much fun just because it was really shallow and there was A LOT of rocks so it just hurt.
The last night we were the Rain Forest Don Miguel who was like our guide and the man who owned the resort we were living at played some games with us. One game was where someone would act like a cat and he/she would have to go up to someone. That someone who that person chose had to same this phrase and if they laugh than that person would have to be the cat. That was a really fun game, Crystal was really bad at it though. She went up to this little kid and couldn’t even get a giggle out of him.
We were all sad to leave Don Miguel but we were all happy to leave the wasps and misquotes. When we got back to the other hotel we were staying at we were all tried. So we slept and than we got to go to the market and buy things. We stood there for about 2 to 3 hours.
It was our last day and we all were really happy to go see our favorite person there Don Francisco. He was this cook at this restaurant we went to all the time. We all loved him and I would like to this he loved us. The last time we ate dinner there he made us burgers and all of us were talking about how much we wanted burgers. So it was a awesome surprise to get.
Now that I’m back in America I really do miss Costa Rica and all the people we met there. I really can’t wait to go again and I am going to miss everyone that I want with.
COSTA RICA BUDDIES FO LIFE!!!!

Home at last

Well, we landed safe and sound late last night here in Pittsburgh. The trip is actually over. Hard to believe. It has been ana amazing experience and I want to thank everyone involved: the students, Matt, Isabell, Don Fransisco, Don Miguel, and all the others that worked so hard to make our trip as great as it was.

This blog will remain active for at least the next week so that all the students can post final entries about their experiences and post pictures to our photobucket. So please, keep dropping by so you can see everything.

If you havent seen our pictures yet, please visit our photobucket site and Meghan's Flickr site. We also have some videos on the photobucket site.

Thanks for visiting and coming along on our trip.

Celebrando el Rojo,Blanco y Azul

Well it sad to say that i didn't wake up with the sounds of the national anthem, but I did wake up for the final time listening to the waterfalls of a natural rain forest in Quebrada Arroyo.
The leaving was very bitter sweet, because your realize how close people become on trips like this. Leaving Miguel today almost broke my heart, because he was so selfless. Yesterday he open he doors of his home and allowed 13 people to chill on his porch. he even fed us coconuts, star fruit (which is the best fruit ever), as we waited for the rain to pass over the beatuiful landscape. Even though today was a very sad, i felt that in my heart that i will see him again & be able to hike up a 3km trial just to see the pacific ocean.

We had such nice ride back ot the peace house, we had an very interesting stop to a river bed, where we were able to crocodiles. The timing was perfect because a boat came by and a guy pretty much went into the water and fed teh crocodiles. (which of ecotourism) standing there from a distance it was pretty cool, but i was amazed at the fearlessness of many Ticos.

When we first made it to the peace house it was quite a relief becuase we were finally back into an environment that we were pretty used to. The most amazing gift that i recieve came at 6:30 tonight.
My adopted Costa Rican Grandfater Don Fransico (which you all should be familiar with) cook us hamberges and french fries for independence day. This was so amazing i almost cried "he treated us like angels" said mimi at tonight meeting. And it is true, he treated us like we were made of gold i owe him a million times a million thank you for being our true "Pura Vida" in Costa Rica, he made every one smile.

Like i said before these trips just bring us closer together. i just want to say how thankful i am to be here because i feel like i have seen people in a new light over these past 10days.this trip has made so many people totally selfless Meghabn made that very clear to me today. i just want to thank meghan for giving mer gormet cocoa that meant so much to me. I just love the fact that everyone is just so caring, i feel that we have learned so much from the tico people.

Well i will see most people very soon
Pura Vida
** Cristal***

The Day Before Our Last...

We're looking at the second to last day of our trip. We haven't been able to blog because we left San Jose and went too Quebrada Arroyo for three days which was in the middle of the rain forest. Here we experienced many things out of the ordinary for us. First of all we went on a long hike to the top of the mountain, which was very hard for me personally. Many of us seen it as a very great opportunity, but it was really hard for me. Plus it was pouring down rain as well. That's not unexpected because it is the rain forest. Then the next two days we did service work to help the association with their trails so that it will be safer for the tourists and community, and also for the association to become a corporation. Again this was really hard for me. We had to carry posts and cross waterfalls, and and dig into the earth to make this trail more efficient for them. At that particular moment I didn't have the greatest attitude. But when we finished I felt way better about our effort.

When we finished our work we got to go to the waterfall and swim and get a chance to cool off. This was a first experience for me. I never been to a waterfall and I never thought that it would happen with 11 other of my new close friends at school.

Also another first experience for me was getting stung by a wasp. I never been stung before in my life, and that wasn't the greatest experience. Being stung by the wasps put me in reality check that we were actually in the rain forest surrounded by different different animals that we don't come in contact with as often.

This is an experience that I will never forget. I will never forget Costa Rica and I hope to come back some day. But I will also never forget the family that we've created.
Hope to blog again soon...

Last days in Quebrada Arroyo & Costa Rica

Yesterday was our last day of working in the rainforest. So many things happened during those two days of work. The first day we started moving post which are large sticks that are sometimes light and sometimes heavy. The work was really hard but on my part i think it was totally worth it. It was helping others in need as well as getting awesome work experience. I loved everything we did the whole time except getting bitten up by bugs. The waterfalls were the best part. We got to swim in and under the waterfalls it was AWESOME!..
The last night they we stayed in Quebrada Arroyo was fun. The people who lived in the small town showed us some of the games they play and we showed them some we play. They showed us this cat game which was really funny; and we showed them how to play duck-duck-goose. They seemed to really enjoy it as much as we did. I do believe we have pictures up of everyone playing the games. Tonights our last night in Costa Rica we went shopping, and our friend Francisco made us a "Pittsburgh Dinner" It was cool/sweet. I know i speak for everyone when i say this; we are going to miss everyone we met in the country and the country over all.

PS: See you guys monday.

Cabina's

We stayed in Cabina's in the Rain Forest the past three days. Hmm...lets just say it was rough, we were "swollen."


Don Miguel invited us to stay in his Cabinas and help his eco-tourism work for the past three days. We woke up at 5am each morning and carried heavy logs atleast a mile to create fencing so they can be in code for the national tourist board's regulations. This guy was awesome.


Trickster. Don Miguel was funny and always in a good mood even though he worked his behind off. We were walking through the rainforest while it was pouring. (I don't mean a Pittsburgh Pour times that by ten these rain drops were HUGE) He was walking up a trail and Boss (Bossert) was down below and he threw a rock right in front of her and creeped her out it was halirious. After a long day of work yesterday we were sitting in our work clothes in a water fall taking pictures and he started to throw water at Boss. As we walked through the Rain forest he picked different leaves and told us to try them, most of them were good, but when they were bad he of course laughed at our reactions. There was a huge bridge that was VERY scary to everyone at first and when we walked across he shook it so he could see us grab on soo tight. I loved Miguel he was fun, we even broke the rainforest but he helped teach us how to fix it. We were making the trial wider and there were landslides which almost killed Morgan, Crystal and Also Monteria.


We made a rather nice donation last night to his project of $650 and half of our first aid kit. (BTW The Nurse Hooked us UP! We used that kit sooo much) After our donations we played a few games. One he told us a ghost story about the headless horse man and Crystal freaked out, Don Miguel was laughing so hard. There was also a Gato (Cat) game, I'll let someone else talk about that.


Don Miguel took us to the coolest natural waterfalls ever. We got to swim in them and climb on them and everything. I've never seen anything more pretty in my life. Dubas said he'll post pictures.



I have tons to say but I wanna pass off the comp to someone who needs to blog as well, I'm sure with the combo of our posts you'll hear all about our past few days.



**Oh yeah, we were attacked by wasps and ants, and Boss, Dub & Matt Saved us**

Happy 4th of July!!

WE'RE BACK! In San Jose at least!! The rain forest was crazy. It was pretty and had awesome waterfalls. The work on the trails was Extremely hard, especially for me but we were all sweating. We got a lot done though. We expanded the trail, put rocks on the side of a river so when the water raises it does not erode the trail, and we also put up posts for rails about 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile up the mountain. <-- See CRAZY.

I'm so sad I'm missing all the parties :( It definitly does not feel like the 4th of July - I don't like it. I can't wait to come home because up in the rain forest it was so humid - everyone felt dirty All the time.

We don't have a lot of time to talk now because we're getting ready to go souviner shopping - which should make all of our friends & families really happy!

missing my eddie!
<33 chelsea b.