Day 5- Wednesday

Today was also unique. We left the hotel at 7am (not easy!) so that we could get to an elementary school early. We passed out coloring books, stickers, kaleidoscopes, and blew bubbles with the school children. Mary lectured on the importance of wildlife conservation and marine preservation. We loved playing with the kids and they loved the attention!




After the kids went back to class, the group split up. Half of the SLABers went to Montezuma for shopping and lunch. The rest of us hiked to a waterfall and swam in the pool of water at the bottom. It was an absolutely refreshing treat from the heat!

We reconvened at the hotel later that night and Amber led Jewish learning. We continued our discussion on community and ranked the communities in our life. Amber asked us to consider what we got back from these communities and what was our role and responsibility within them. It was yet another great dialogue and although we were all tired, there was great participation and new thoughts to consider.

Day 4- Tuesday

Today we switched gears and volunteered outside of the Sanctuary. After an hour bus ride, we got out where the road ended and proceeded to walk almost 3 kilometers (5 miles!!) in the afternoon heat to a stretch of beach where we picked up trash. It was hot, hard, and dirty work... but it was extremely important. The large pieces of plastic littering the sand obstruct the path of sea turtles in laying their eggs. After filling our trash bags, we left them by the side for pickup later and started to walk back. Although we were EXHAUSTED, it was a gorgeous beach and we also go to enjoy a beautiful sunset.




After stuffing our bellies at the bar/restaurant, we took the bus back to the hotel. As most of us had fallen asleep on the drive, we dragged our tired bodies to our rooms, showered, and went to bed!!

Day 3- Monday

This was our second day at Rainsong, and it was much like the first. We arrived early and got straight to work as we were much more comfortable and familiar with what was needed to be done. Mary assigned an additional task for part of the group to transport rocks into an eroded river stream. Trivia fact: During the rainy season, Costa Rica receives 40 feet of rain... so preparing the stream beforehand was a necessary task. We met Pepo, a staff member of Mary's and a local who introduced us to the machete! (Sorry to any parents who are cringing right now). It was an important tool in clearing brush and introducing a cultural tool that Costa Ricans have utilized in their jungle climate. Mary assigned us this job because Rainsong rarely receives a group this large, and Pepo could hardly do it by himself. We felt like we really made a difference and contributed in a meaningful way.

The group headed back to the hotel after lunch, while Lauren S. and Elena P. stayed an extra hour to help with additional feedings. Tiffany, Daniel, Scott, and Lauren S. worked kitchen duty and prepared a great dinner of rice, beans, and potatoes! We definitely stayed true to the Costa Rican culture!

Later that night we went to the tourist city Montezuma for some night life and bonding. We found ourselves talking to locals, right on the beach, and dancing the night away. It was great to expand our Costa Rican experience that much more!

Pictures coming soon!

Day 2: Sunday- First Day of Work!

This was our first day to flex our volunteer muscles and get to work! We were downstairs at 7am sharp... (ok maybe a few minutes later) for a quick breakfast and briefing of the upcoming day. Once at Rainsong, we met the owner Mary, a truly dedicated individual. Before anything, she told us to go watch the baby howler monkeys have their breakfast. She didn't have to tell us twice! The 4 baby monkeys-- Francesca, Doddles, Evee, and Mona were all on their own and without Rainsong would not have survived. Lauren S. went first and fed the small monkey with a baby bottle filled with milk and honey as we looked on. The rest of us got our chance to feed them and let them use arms and heads as a jungle gym-- they jumped from person to person and even sat on top of some heads.










After a short meeting where we divided up jobs, we got to experience another incredible opportunity. We fed a young anteater-- Anti. Locals saved her after her mother was killed by dogs and she is being raised in the Sancutary instead. We gave her orange slices to eat and watched her walk around the Sancutary.

Then we got to the REAL work! Rainsong is a wonderful place that helps so many animals, but animals are DIRTY! We cleaned out crates, cages, fridges, aquariums, turtle ponds, and more. Other volunteers worked on preparing the food for the animals by cutting up fruit.

After a lunch break in the shade, we started the 30 minute walk back to the hotel-- which wasn't easy. The heat was brutal and the road baked in the sun, but we toughed it out and made it back to the hotel. After a dip in the pool, 3 volunteers (Lauren Z., Hanna, and Amber) went back to Rainsong to do additional feeding of the animals and work. The bus wasn't running so they had to walk there AND back again in the heat of the day!

That night we went to dinner at a small restaurant and ate to our hearts content. It was a delicious meal of rice, beans, fried chicken, fish, pasta, cole slaw, and salad.

Mike asked "Does anyone feel that mist or is that just my sweat?"

-- It was just his sweat.

Then Amber led Jewish learning and we discussed what we thought the definition of community was and how it was significant to Judaism and this trip. There was great discussion as people explored different opinions and thoughts.

Then we walked back to the hotel and hung out on the beach to stay cool. Day 2 was complete! Tomorrow? We'll be picking up trash on the beach to allow the sea turtles to lay their eggs!

Friday night- The group met at Daniel's house where his wonderful parents provided a delicious Shabbat dinner. (Thank you SO MUCH Mr. and Mrs. Aaronson-- you gave us a great start to the trip and full bellies for the long plane ride!) During dinner, we realized how much fun the trip was really going to be as we ate, drank, and laughed together. Everyone was really excited and eager to bond with their fellow SLABers.


LAX- Arrived way too early and kept ourselves entertained with naps and card games. :)

Flight- Over 6 hours of flying with one stop in Guatemala, which was an absolutely beautiful country even from the view point of a plane seat.





Arrival- We walked outside and were instantly greeted with the infamous Costa Rican HEAT. (We can't say we weren't warned though.) We loaded onto the bus and took off for our number one destination-- FOOD. Henry, our dashing bus driver, took us to a local restaurant where we ordered our first authentic Costa Rican meal.

En Route- The bus ride to the ferry was... interesting. We got to see what San Jose is really like as we wove in and out of small towns, getting lost along the way.

Ferry Ride- We ordered our first drinks and danced on the ferry. This was our chance to chat with the locals and get a real feel for the people and the country. Not to mention, the ocean and the surrounding islands were BEAUTIFUL.

Bus Ride Numero Dos- It went on forever and ever and ever.... about 3 hours on a dirt road with no street signs or traffic etiquette whatsoever. We made it in one piece though and ran straight to the hotel's private beach as soon as we got there. We were in paradise! Too tired to do anything else but lounge around, we ordered pizza! We ended the night with Havdallah, which turned out to be some people's first! It was a good way to end the night and set the tone for the Jewish learning that Amber would lead throughout the week. After that, some went out on a walk to explore while the rest of us crashed early.

Our first day in Costa Rica was complete. Lots of traveling, lots of bonding, and a very memorable trip in the making. Well, your bloggers Hanna and Sammy are being called away to dinner... but don't worry, we'll be back to tell you more about the trip! :)

Last official meeting at Hillel before Costa Rica!

TEAM COSTA RICA

Welcome to our blog! 20 UCSB students are going to Costa Rica for Spring Break this year to help the wildlife. We'll be planting trees, helping sea turtles and other native animals, and engaging with the Costa Rican culture. We are all extremely excited for our trip!
Log on to this blog for updates.

This week's fundraisers:

Chino's Rock & Tacos
Monday, March 8 2010
4-9pm
10% all purchases go toward our trip!

Panda Express in the UCSB Hub
Wednesday, March 10 2010
10:30am-9pm

Donate to our trip:
Make check out to SB Hillel with "Costa Rica" in the memo
Thanks for all your support!

The Fabulous Team Costa Rica:

Sasha, Adrienne, Keren, Scott, Shirley, Talia, Elana P., Hanna, Lauren, Tiffany, Michael, Jeremie, Phil, Daniel, Sam, Lauren, Elana K., Sarah, Samantha, Lindsay,
and our amazing Hillel Staff Member, Amber.