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! :)