Surf and Service in Costa Rica 2021
I’m 17 years old and a senior in high school. I live in Los Angeles and I love to travel, cook, and hang out with my friends. My dream is to travel the world!
My Rustic trip to Costa Rica was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. It pushed me out of my comfort zone in ways that made me more confident and more willing to try new things.
Being in a different country, I was forced out of my comfort zone through finding new friends, trying new foods, and the language barrier. Though it was very new and intimidating at first, I felt like a new person by the end of the trip with a whole new perspective on the world.
I went on this trip without knowing a single person, but by the end, I had 17 new best friends. Not only did this trip make me more confident in myself, I now feel more open to meeting new people and exploring new things.
There are so many memorable moments from this trip but one of my favorites was going whitewater rafting. Each drop was so exciting and I definitely screamed on every one.
The last drop was 14 feet and my raft ended up completely flipping over in the water. That was definitely one of the best moments of the trip.
Doing community service is also something I’ll always remember. We did service at a local elementary school and it was one of the most rewarding experiences for me.
We installed a door for a classroom, sanded wood for the walls, and cleaned up the playground. Though I struggled to install the door at first, my friends were extremely encouraging and I kept going until I could do it. It was so rewarding to be able to give back to this school and help out so many kids.
Also, I will never forget our last sunset surf at the base house. During sunset, we all went out for one last surf and ended up surfing the best waves of the trip. This last surf brought us all so close together and I miss that day more than anything.