GSES- in- Costa Rica

With such mixed emotions we spent our last day in paradise! After our hard work yesterday, we looked forward to relaxing, jumping, and swimming on our super fun catamaran snorkeling cruise! But, not before we attended our last Spanish class, said adios to our kind profesores, and received our certificates of completion. We also celebrated our many accomplishments with a pizza party! It has been a fun-filled, life-changing two weeks in Costa Rica! We've lived as Costa Ricans, improved our Spanish, taken in some amazing sights and activities, learned about biodiversity, and we've made a difference through our service projects. We have so many stories to share when we return home to our families tomorrow evening. Costa Rica - siempre en nuestro corazón! (forever in our heart!)

We've had so much fun learning and enjoying several famed beaches of the Guanacaste coast, but today was fulfilling in a different way. We were able to contribute to changing the lives of a single woman and her three children. Every time it rained, the water would rush in to the young mother's small home, flooding the floors. Since her floors are made of dirt, you can imagine the muddy mess this causes. So, our students descended upon her humble abode like little angels, ready and eager to get to work! And boy, was it hard, back breaking work! Their task was to build a cement border and front patio that would help seal the home and allow rain to run off rather than become trapped inside. Our intrepid travelers learned how to mix concrete, how to even the ground before the mixture can be poured, and then how to trowel it even before it sets. All students worked tirelessly to get the job done. Mrs. Rolke and I were beyond impressed and proud of how hard the kids worked, without m...