Lizette guerreo

This summer I spent two weeks in Costa Rica. I was really excited when I found out I was going there. My goal is to travel to many places and Costa Rica was one of them. I was sort of sad when I left my house because my mom and dad were sad that I was leaving. I was nervous because I was going alone and I did not know anyone.I started traveling at a really young age because I had family in Mexico. I talked to one of my counselors in school that I really wanted to travel, she told me that I should apply for Trip of a Lifetime. When I got accepted I was super excited. On my way to the airport all I could think of was Costa Rica. I was super excited.I was thinking of how would this amazing trip change me for good. I was at the airport scared that I wouldn’t fit in. But everyone was really nice. I made my first friend in the airport. I was not scared anymore. We arrived and I was amazed. I loved how Costa Rica was so different from New York. It kind of reminded me of Mexico in a way. The food was amazing. The second day we started our community service. I got to do the elementary school. It was 45 minutes away from our hotel in La Fortuna. During does 45 minutes to get to our service, for me it was good because I was watching the people passing by and all the stores. During that drive we also stopped to see sloths. The first day in our community service was so amazing because they welcomed us with a celebration. We got to see a traditional folklore dance. I was able to relate this to what I did in my school for our Hispanic Heritage Gala. We also got to hear a “bomba” (bomb) from many kids. I learned that day that a “bomba” is like a poem that rhymed and was said fast. The second day for our community service I was amazed. The kids were really friendly. We started working right away, we got the paint and started painting the walls. At first we saw we were not making progress but after we worked as a team and we got more things done. Doing this community service made me feel great because I knew it was to make the school better for the children that attended that school. Little comments from the children made it even better, hearing “está quedando muy bonito” was just great! We were able to also play with the kids. After our community service we did different activists every day. Many of the activities we did I was sort of afraid, but that did not stopped me from at least trying. That’s what I loved about this trip, everyone was there for you, helping each other out. Of course if you did not feel comfortable doing something you did not have to do it but it’s worth doing it. One of my favorite place was the second hotel we went to, Tamarindo Diría. It was one of my favorite because from our rooms we were able to enjoy the beautiful view of the beach. I loved having free time and going out in small groups to eat in town. While we were in the beach,we went surfing! I was really scared because I do not know how to swim so I was scared. At first, I didn't do it, but then I decided to try it at least once because I did not want to leave without trying it. I fell and decided not to continue but I was glad I did because it was fun but I still did not feel comfortable. My second favorite place was when we went paddle boarding. Again I was a bit nervous. But right away I loved it! I was really enjoying the view. It feels great to overcome a fear? It was honestly an amazing activity. Another of my favorite was water rafting! All the activities were mostly on water, which freaked me out a little. But just like the paddle boarding it was really fun. I would definitely do it again! The empanada place was another of my favorite place. On our way back from the service we would stop to get empanadas. Those empanadas were so good! Those empanadas were the best one I ever eaten! Going out to town was also my favorite thing to do because we got to see how a normal day for a Costa Rican. We also bought things from gift shops. Zip Lining was awesome. We did 12 zip lines. I loved it! Los Lagos time was great! It was a time were we could go to the pools inside the hotel. I felt like Los Lagos time was awesome because that’s where we got closer with our friends. We would listen to music and dance and talk before doing to dinner or before going to our rooms. It was a time where we could relax. During that time we could call our parents but in La Fortuna the WiFi was bad so most of the time we were just in the pools. I loved how there were different types of temperatures. I loved how on our second to last day we wrote our names on a piece of paper and put it in a hat. We randomly chose a paper and who ever we got, we were supposed to buy them a gift. We gave our gifts the last day in the night. We had a celebration well more like a slumber party because we all brought pillows and blankets and the gift. We put music and danced. We talked a lot. At the very end, we made a circle and talked about what was our favorite part of the trip. Every answer was perfect! In that moment I was full of joy, I knew this trip had impacted everyone. That moment was all I could ask for. Everyone laughing because we remembered something funny that happened in the beginning of the trip. We were no longer just friends. We were family. We still keep in touch. I learn that it’s good to try new things, to get out of your comfort zone. I see things more different because I did so many things that I know I would not dare myself to do before. I learn that doing things with a positive attitude help, because I was able to do all the activities because I was thinking in a positive way, and that helped a lot. This trip was definitely a trip of a lifetime!!