History and Culture at TurRialba

Hola padres, me llamo Dylan! Our trip has been very fun and everyone has started to open up to one another. Everybody has found a level of community, and safety knowing that those around are kind and supportive. Laughter and happiness fills the air every second! Today we woke up around 7:30 and had a very traditional Costa Rican breakfast. The food tasted amazing! After breakfast we played a group game and got to know one another. After the game we got to explore the neighborhood of San Rafael in Turialba. During our walk we went to a local business and enjoyed ice cream, the ice cream was so rich and melted peacefully in our mouths.

Saludos! Me llamo Tyler! Today I made a new friend during the neighborhood tour in San Rafael, Turrialba, a wonderful, (clean) dog whom I named Kotaro. He very quickly bonded with the group and I.

Kotaro took to many of our customs, such as crossing the street with us on the way back from the tour. After the tour we were granted a free period, which we spent as a collective, playing a game called “Mafia”- a social deduction game which involves the entire group. Kotaro sat between us all… that was until I rudely awoke him by mistakenly sitting next to him and bumping his paw. I will forever remember Kotaro, and hope to see him again on our trip.

Our evening highlight was a shared dance party , wherein some more than others were able to show off their impressive dancing skills. I was not one of these lucky few. That being said though, I found it helped to compare it to the traditonal basketball defensive slide.

Overall, both me and Dylan found the experience to be not only memorable, but life changing. We will not only remember, but gather from this experience for many, many years. Pura Vida!