On the cold, snowy morning of February 7, at 3:15 AM, a group of RHS students gathered at the RHS parking lot to get on a bus headed towards the John F. Kennedy Airport. The 10 day service trip sponsored by the Rhinebeck Interact Club to go volunteer in Costa Rica had finally arrived. In the months prior, Interact club fundraised for the project, raising around $15,000 from fundraising efforts and another $10,000 in donations from Rhinebeck Rotary. Our efforts would help build a playground and renovate a classroom at a school in Guanacaste, a blue zone located in northwest of Costa Rica famous for its beaches, national parks, volcanoes, and cultural traditions.
Over the past few months, the 14 students selected to go went through an application process and much preparation for the trip, and now, it was finally time for the trip. The group flew to Liberia, Costa Rica and enthusiastically reunited with the tour guide from the previous year’s trip and met this year’s bus driver. After driving 3 hours to Guanacaste, we met our host families who we would be staying with the next few days. We ate dinner with them, most of the meals included rice and beans, and went to sleep preparing to head to the worksite the next day.
Early the next morning, we arrived at the worksite and began the day with our advisors guiding us in yoga and Tai chi. Starting our work, we cleared out and leveled the land where the playground would be built, picked up trash around the school, and cleared and sanded the windows of the classroom. At around 2 pm, we were done with our work for the day and went home to spend time and eat dinner with our host families. That night, my host family taught my roommates and I to make empanadas from scratch. All of us had great experiences with our host families. Sawyer Giles, co. vice president of Interact Club and class of 2026 president says, “I really loved having a good laugh with my host family.” With 2-3 of us placed with each family, in our few days staying with them we were able to form a real connection with them. One that will last a lifetime.
The next day, I got to experience real Costa Rican hospitality for myself. I had the flu, so I stayed home from the worksite and was taken care of by my host family. The hospitality and care that I received from my host mom was incredibly touching. She prepared me a ginger tea remedy, which many Costa Ricans use to aid sickness, and homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch. Over lunch, we talked one on one for a while, and I learned about her life and family in Costa Rica. Later that night, we all went to a very lively fiesta in Nicoya and watched bull riding. We spent the majority of our time together, connecting in ways we hadn’t before.
Then came the day of our 6 hour hike in the Barra Honda national park. We all watched the howler monkeys climb from tree to tree and spotted an iguana on our way to the top of the mountain. The lookout provided a breathtaking view of the Gulf of Nicoya and surrounding countryside. After reaching the top of the mountain, we enjoyed a tour of the cave which housed massive stalactite and stalagmite formations. To end the day, we cooled off in a pool at a local inn and enjoyed a Costa Rican style pizza dinner.
It was back to the worksite the next day, our final day working on the project. We helped paint the classroom and set up the playground which was finished and ready to play on within the following days. It was our last night in Guanacaste, so we celebrated by having a going away party with all of our host families. At local inn, La Casita, we enjoyed a Costa Rican dinner and seemingly endless karaoke.
Waking up early the next morning, we were ready for the long bus ride to Rancho Mastatal. The drive was one to remember: a bus full of students, through the mountains, as it poured rain. Our appreciation for our bus driver grew immensely. The owner of the ranch introduced us to his mission. The ranch provides lessons on natural building, farm to table, and permaculture, focusing on sustainability. It was an experience unlike any one of us had ever had before. Graham Elliott, member of Interact Club, says, “One of my favorite parts of the trip was spending time at the ranch and meeting the people there.”
Our next few days were filled with new, unique experiences within and surrounding the ranch. We hiked through the rainforest to a waterfall, had a fermentation class learning how to make kimchi, dinner at a local restaurant, and ended the night with a nature walk learning about different bugs, insects, and plants that lived around the area. The ranch had no Wi-Fi, so our connections with each other grew immensely.
At 5:45 AM the next day, we all gathered for a bird watching walk provided by two tour guides who grew up in Mastatal. We then had a very messy but educational permaculture class which involved us making adobe bricks using both our feet and our hands and sifting clay. Immediately after, we went to La Iguana Chocolate, a small family owned cacao farm and craft chocolate company, and learned about the process of making chocolate, and we were all especially excited to try some after a long day. Before another farm to table dinner that night, we gathered in a circle to share our thoughts about our experience going on this trip. We all agreed we learned a lot about gratitude and different ways of life.
“The Costa Rica trip inspired me to continue to travel the world and understand cultures other than my own. I loved meeting new people and having new experiences that I can share for the rest of my life. Seeing bull riding, learning new methods of environmentally friendly building techniques, and meeting people completely different from who I’m used to at home makes me want to continue traveling and learning,” says Interact Club member, Sunday Ault Nolan.
We enjoyed our final day in Costa Rica by going to the beach, stocking up on souvenirs to bring back to our friends and families, and spending the night together at the hotel next to the Liberia Airport. In our 10 days together, we all got infinitely closer, gained many new experiences to share with others, and made memories to look back on forever.
