And just like that we're home. Here are some final comments from the kids about the trip.
1) What was your most memorable part of the trip?
Huy - One of the most memorable parts of the entire trip would be the first time our guide for the Corcovado park used their telescope and that made the experience very different from other places with wildlife. Another part would be spending time with the Boruca scouts and it really changed how I thought about scouts groups in other places and how similar and how different scouts groups can be. It also showed me that even scouts can reach many places, even in small communities like the Boruca one.
Hunter - The most memorable part of the trip for me has to be all the animals. I have always wanted to see animals like tapirs and macaws in the wild, and now I have. This experience was something I have never done before and may never do again, but I will never forget it.
Yumi - The most memorable part for me was the food and the weather. I really liked the food there— it was different from the food I had in Canada or other countries I've been to, but it was really good. I especially liked the fried rice we ate in Corcovado. The weather was also very different from Canada, but somewhat similar to Taiwan's. It was so hot that I sweated a lot and had to change my clothes every day (I didn’t bring many clothes). The rainy day was fun and I enjoyed running around the beach and getting wet.
Rika - Everything that I have experienced on this trip was memorable, but the most memorable part was hanging out with the Boruca scouts. I loved the two days we spent with them because unlike some of the other places we went to where there were a lot of tourism services, what I saw was their real life in the village. I visited one of their houses, the local museum, and a waterfall where their lifestyle and tradition was shown. I played some games and talked a bit with the kids, and even by that, I learned a lot about how they see themselves as Boruca people, which I couldn't learn from the museums. This visit to Boruca was very special for me because I also celebrated my birthday with both their scouts and our scouts, which was an unforgettable experience.
Stephen - The most memorable part for me was our time at Boruca. I love seeing the other scouts do things similar to us, and also how they do their own unique things around there. I loved the waterfall that they took us to, and how they welcomed us with their oath and some delicious food and drinks. The boruca masks were my favourite souveneir on this trip. They are beautiful and intricate and will remind me of the great times I had there in the future.
Devon - I loved the trip as a whole. Every part of it had something special, whether it was seeing wildlife up close, learning about conservation, or just spending time with everyone. If I had to pick one thing, I’d say visiting Reserva Playa Tortuga really stood out. It was amazing to see the work being done to protect the environment, and it made me think a lot more about how even small actions can make a difference. Plus, just being surrounded by nature and seeing so many animals in their natural habitat was incredible. This is why I love traveling. Each step or thing we do is like one puzzle peice. Each part is meaningful, but you only truly appriciate it when everything is snapped together.
2) What was the most challenging part of the trip and why?
Huy - I think the most challenging part would be the planning of the activities in Costa Rica. They are difficult to plan especially since we can't plan a lot of big activities while we are there so we have to book a lot of things, got refunds if something happens, and in our case with the San Jose volcano, it's also hard to get information about what's happening while you're getting to Costa Rica. There were also problems and Boruca where we had to improvise giving our gifts because some of our gifts required teaching, so some of us had to come up with something and It all worked out in the end. ╰(*°▽°*)╯
Hunter - I think managing the heat was the most challenging part of the trip. Although it was only 25-30 degrees the whole time, because of the humidity it felt way hotter. even though it was really hot, we enjoyed the trip and made the most of everything. No matter if it was going to the pool, beach, or even swimming in a waterfall, we always enjoyed swimming in the refreshing water when it was especially hot.
Yumi - The most challenging part was hiking in the hot weather. I think we hiked for almost six hours that day in Corcovado. We were either eating or hiking all day, and I was so tired. But we saw lots of animals, and it was fun, so it wasn’t too bad. It was fun.
Rika - The most challenging part of this trip was to make decisions on where or how to spend my individual money. Before this trip, I didn't have a lot of chances to make my own decision on spending money because my parents did it for me most of the time. Making decisions is not my strength, especially on this trip where there was a lot of the time we had to think about it, I struggled with it at the beginning. I decided to save money on things so I could buy something I really want at the end. So, I started to think about my priorities, like food wasn't the most important thing for me, so I didn't buy any snacks. But after saving the best I could for several times, I realized that the price of things is not the most important thing to consider. I realized what really matters is to make the best memories for myself. A lot of the time I was feeling challenged because I was thinking about the price, timing, and is there any replacement, and I seemed to forget the most basic thing, do I want it or not.
Stephen - The most challenging part of the trip for me was not getting enough sleep. This made performing tasks well more difficult and the days more tiring, especially during reserva. It made it a little harder to stay concentrated and focused, but I managed to get all of the tasks done during our trip.
Devon - The hardest part for me was adjusting to the heat and humidity. It was a lot to handle at first, and I felt drained at times. But once I got used to it, I realized it was just part of the experience. Another challenge was making quick decisions, whether it was about money, food, or what to do during free time. I tend to overthink things, so I had moments where I wasn’t sure if I was making the right choice. In the end, I learned to just go with it and enjoy the moment instead of stressing too much.
3) Thinking about all the preparation ahead of time, is there anything that you would like to be more involved with in a future group trip? Is there anything more we, or you, could have done to prepare better?
Huy - I feel as though we got through how to pay for the trip well, but I think we also would have benefited from doing more research on what to expect on the trip and to have more assignments that would help us understand what we should expect, since Julie did mention and talk about how the shuttle drivers didn't really know that much english, despite having transported many tourist. I think we weren't as prepared as we could've been because we had watched a few videos, but I think we should've asked some people who have done similar things to what we were about to do.
Hunter - I think we did good at helping with everything we knew how to help with for our trip, but now with our experiences from this trip we could do more. We still definitely need assistance, but I think the more we do things like this, not specifically to foreign countries, even just with camps, we will get better at being more independent in our planning.
Yumi - On this trip, I think I should have learned more Spanish because I didn’t use it much. Also, we should have made some time for lunch. Other than that, everything was good.
Rika - I think we were well prepared as a group, but I would like to work on my own preparation before trips. To be more involved in this trip, I shouldn't have set a limit to myself. For example, even if I can't book a flight, I could go through the process with my parents. For this trip, I have done the basic research of Costa Rica and Boruca village in general, but I could have done more about the current situation of Costa Rica. Because when they were talking about how global warming and human garbage are impacting the animals in Costa Rica, I realized my unwarness. I thought I could be a more responsible volunteer if I have done that research, and clearly know the purpose of volunteering.
Stephen - I could have done a little more research on the places we were going to. Before I left, I knew the names of the places we were going to, but I did not check maps to see where they were, what things there were to do around, how far apart they were, and what the landscapes and climate were like.
Devon - I think we were really well-prepared as a group, and I appreciate all the work that went into making the trip happen. If anything, I think I could have done more research beforehand to understand more about Costa Rica and the places we visited, despite the constant effort we put in. Learning about things as we went was great, but I feel like I would have connected even more if I had known more going in. We could have also practiced just enjoying the trip. Thats something I forget. Live. The. Moment.
4) If you had the power to go back to the past, would you change or redo anything during the trip? Why or why not?
Huy - I wouldn't really change anything about what activities we did in Costa Rica. I found all of the activities that we did and planned were something that I liked to do, but also something that everyone else felt like they wanted to participate in as well which I also find important, since it's hard to enjoy things when someone is also not enjoying things. The only thing I would do differently would be to not put my stuff inside a trailer and get it locked up until the next morning. (at least I got my stuff back).
Hunter - Everything we had control over went perfectly. We can’t control hikes being closed, trees falling, turtles hatching an hour after we leave (although that one hurt a bit), drivers being late, or anything else of that nature. There is nothing I would change if I were to redo it.
Yumi - I would bring my headlamp because it was very dark without one. I had to walk in between people who had headlamps, which wasn’t very convenient.
Rika - I would not change anything on this trip. Even though there were some unexpected problems, and were challenging for us, especially the scouters, we tried our best on everything we could. I loved this trip and every moment is important for me. I believe we could come back with a big smile on our face all because of the experiences including those challenging moments we had. And I believe this is the best version of this trip we could get.
Stephen - I have learned some things from this trip I would do differently next time. Leaving most of my money in one bag was a bad idea because when the situation came when I could not access it, I had to take a loan to buy food. I also think I could go by bringing less clothes and just washing them more. Having a bit less weight on the bags would help.
Devon - I wouldn’t change anything. Even the tough moments made the trip what it was, and I learned a lot from them. One funny thing I noticed after visiting Playa Tortuga was how much more aware I became about little things, like turning off lights and fans. I kept going back to my room just to make sure everything was off, which is something I never really thought much about before, or made the extra effort of tripple checking to the point where I started to get paranoid. It just showed me how much of an impact the trip had on my habits and mindset.
5) Please add any additional comments you have about the trip.
Huy - I really liked doing a trip like this, since I had never travelled with friends before, this was a very different experience and I enjoyed it. It was super fun to participate in these activities and planning of the trip. I also got to experience a lot of "Pura Vidas" first hand which taught a lot about improvising on the spot and helped me prepare myself for events like these.
(～￣▽￣)～
(o゜▽゜)o☆
Rika - The only thing I have is that I loved this trip and appreciate the scouts, my teammates, and the parents who supported us. I know this was challenging, but I would like to do a trip like this again in the near future.
Devon - Overall, I’m really grateful for the experience and for everyone who helped make it happen. I learned a lot—not just about Costa Rica, but about myself and everyone else too, despite knowing everyone for years. The friendships, the experiences, and even the challenges made it unforgettable, and I’d love to do something like this again in the near future. The friendships, the experiences, and even the challenges made it unforgettable. I’d do it all again in a heartbeat. Thanks a million times over.
