GSES- in- Costa Rica

Today is our third day on the Guanacaste coast, and our first day in Playa Tamarindo. This cool surf town is known for one of the best surfing beaches, especially for beginner surfers. The waves are normally consistent and predictable. After classes and lunch, we headed to the beach where our four surf instructors met us with our boards all ready to go! We learned about safety and how to position our bodies on the surf boards. We practiced the moves on the beach for a little while. Then, we entered the ocean, our classroom for the afternoon! Before no time, almost everyone was up on their boards and surfing! Our instructors were so patient and stayed in the water the entire time with the kids. It was a gorgeous day, just slightly cloudy, but the water was perfect! After spending several hours surfing, the kids decided it was time for a smoothie and shopping break. They really enjoyed haggling with the beach vendors and checking out the many Tamarindo trinkets. Needless to say, we were ...

After a hearty breakfast with their Flamingo families, students arrived for their first day of classes in Flamingo! We do classes in the morning in Flamingo so that we have all afternoon for beach fun. Students love their new teachers, and were able to pick right off where they left off in Monteverde. The feedback from students is that they played a lot of games, did scavenger hunts, and other interactive activities to apply the grammar and vocabulary they have learned. Isn't that how language learning should be? After lunch, we walked to Playa Flamingo to enjoy a free afternoon at this gorgeous white sand beach. The waves were higher than normal today due to a tropical depression lingering over Costa Rica, so students were great at staying within a certain area we had marked off. They loved jumping waves and diving under before the breaks! Don't worry parents - we had students reapply sunscreen and rehydrate often! Of course, after the ocean fun, we needed to make a pit stop f...

This morning we were able to sleep in a little and enjoy a leisurely buffet breakfast before packing up and heading out.  Many students reflected on the tubing and declared it one of their favorite activities!  We boarded the bus and headed to the Flamingo area, of the most beautiful areas of the Nicoya Peninsula and part of the "Gold Coast" of Costa Rican beaches. We stopped for a delicious lunch where everyone loved their aguas naturales, which contained flor de jamaica (hibiscus flower), pineapple, mango, mint, and guanabana. We arrived to Playa Conchal, aptly named for the millions of seashells (conchas in Spanish) that form the coastline. Most students had never experienced a beach as unique as this one! They couldn't wait to frolic and splash one another in the ocean! The temperature was perfect and everyone laughed and thoroughly enjoyed themselves! Afterward, we stopped by a well-known gelatería (not heladería) to enjoy a gelato! That's right - gelato! Many It...

Today we had to say "adios" to Monteverde and our wonderful tica families in this charming mountain town. We boarded the bus and headed to Rincón de la Vieja, a national park known for its biodiversity and wide availability of outdoor adventures. After we descended the mountain, we arrived to the park, checked in to our rooms, and enjoyed a nice buffet lunch. Then, it was time for horseback riding and tubing down the Rio Negro! What an adventure! Our guides took good care of us, and only a few students fell out of their tubes. They said it wasn't too scary! To add to our adrenaline rush, we battled some heavy rains which just made it that much more adventurous! After our horseback and tubing adventure, we needed some relaxation. We went and rested our tired bodies in the thermal waters and some of us even painted on a detoxifying mud mask! Each of the different thermal "pools" had varying temperatures of natural spring water. Some liked their water toastier than...