Volunteering in Costa Rica: A Life Changing Experience
A First Person Account of a Recent Volunteer Trip to the Caribbean of Costa Rica.
Before going to Costa Rica, I was searching for a new life experience. I thought that maybe volunteering for people in need would help me to reach this objective. I couldn’t make up my mind right away and spent a lot of time thinking about the destination and what kind of volunteering I wanted to do. This is an important point to consider. You cannot decide any random volunteer abroad program online without having a specific goal. Choosing Costa Rica met my goals of wanting to discover a new culture, a new language and the natural beauty of the country.
Once I made up my mind on the destination, I had to find an organized program that met my expectations. I chose a non-profit organization rather than a ‘voluncation’ travel agency because I thought they would be closer to the local people and communities. I was right and there are truly no words to describe the experience I shared with the locals and my girlfriend who accompanied me on the trip. I have been home for about 2 weeks now and all I can think about is how and when I can go back!
The organization we chose to work with, Tropical Adventures, had a very supportive and accommodating staff and it felt great knowing that there would be someone there if I needed them. They set everything up during this trip, from the pick up in San Jose to the organization of the activities.
My girlfriend and I stayed with a host family in Bambu, a Bri Bri indigenous community one hour inland from the southern Caribbean town of Puerto Viejo. The family was really wonderful and I truly feel like I have a second family in Costa Rica now. They took really good care of us and we shared so many laughs and fun moments trying to communicate with one another. Once in Bambu, we met the other volunteers, two young Americans Charlotte and Zachary, a Canadian family and Isaac, our coordinator from Tropical Adventures who assisted us in our daily activities.
We really enjoyed meeting the people in the community and spending time with our family whenever we could. We spent a lot of time down at the cultural center, which is worth a visit just to see the center itself. The cultural center was the vision of a local named Danilo, who uses it to invite visitors to the town and teach them about the local culture.
Danilo is also one of the indigenous guides who can take you out on all sorts of fantastic adventures while you are there and he is a wealth of knowledge about the Bri Bri culture/language, the history of the community and the amazing environment that surrounds Bambu. Danilo has established himself as a natural leader and cultural ambassador for the Tribe because of his friendliness and the knowledge he loves to share with visitors.
The people of Bambu are like none I’ve ever met… everyone was welcoming, warm and so thoughtful. Everywhere you go in Bambu you are greeted with a warm smile and a friendly, ‘Buenas!’. It was refreshing to be a part of a community for a while that really lives as a community… it has challenged me to think about how we live in North America and to be more active in caring for those in need.
During our stay there, our principal role was teaching English to some of the children and adults from the area. It was a fun to practice our Spanish and to look for creative ways to teach our own language. The teaching aspect of our stay was a real challenge, even though it was only for three hours a day. We taught groups of 15 kids, all of whom were great, but it’s not so simple keeping their attention!
It took just two weeks for me to fall in love with the Spanish language and I really look forward to going back to Bambu when I have studied a bit more so that I don’t have to rely so heavily on charades as a means of communication!
If you are thinking of volunteering abroad and you would like to immerse yourself in a culture, language and way of life that is different from the one you know…I would highly recommend going to Costa Rica, and even working in Bambu if you have the chance! Tropical Adventures established a firm foundation for the English classes that we helped with and it would be great if they could continue so that the children and adults can form a solid understanding of the language that is so important for advancement in this country.
This would help them communicate with the tourists who are eager to hear about their way of life. Other activities that we participated in during our stay include maintaining trails around the village, nature hikes through the forest to waterfalls and other natural sights. It was an experience of a life time for me, it has changed the way that I look at the world. I hope you decided to go and experience it for yourself!
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