I just finished my degree before I decided to go to Costa Rica and volunteer. With the summer off, I began calling and looking into different programs within the country. uVolunteer replied promptly to the initial questions and concerns I had about becoming a part of their program.
Applying to the program was a simple step-by-step process. I planned my month long trip to Costa Rica only two weeks before I boarded the plane. Ligia and Alicia made it simple for me to get organized and told me exactly what I needed to bring. I decided to spend three of my weeks in Costa Rica volunteering and spend the last week exploring the country on my own.
When I arrived at the airport Ligia and some other volunteers that had come in the same day greeted me. After a long day of travelling it was nice to get in the car and not have to worry about finding the volunteer house on my own at night. Ligia is an incredibly patient, organized and helpful coordinator. On the hour ride to San Ramon, she made me feel welcomed and at home in Costa Rica. Her help was priceless during the time that we were volunteering and even after we had finished with the organization.
Upon arriving at the house I met the other people I would be staying with for the duration of our time there. The dorm was at max capacity filled with people from around the world. They were all really nice and I made some great friends that I ended up travelling with on weekends and spare time. The way the dorm runs, you are very likely to begin your stay with people who have already been there for at least two weeks. This allows you to gain an immense knowledge about the country and the program in a very short period of time.
I had signed up to work as a physical education teacher, however the kids were on holiday during my first week there so I was assigned to the community center. Joining the program there, I felt immediately useful. Without any Spanish I was still able to connect with kids through sports and games. For an hour during the day I helped as a supplementary English teacher where I helped kids work on conversational English. The kids are highly motivated to learn and it is a blast talking to them. In addition to this you can volunteer to work with local adults at night, which I highly recommend. They are incredibly nice and their English is quite impressive. It is mostly just conversing with them, which allows you to really get into the culture and meet locals from the area.
It is worth noting that a Christian mission sponsors the community center. While the program is based on this idea, there is no pressure to conform and everyone working there is very nice.
Overlooking everything there is a man named Henry, who is amazing to work with. He is great with the kids and makes you feel very appreciated for the work you are doing. After three weeks I was sad to leave both the kids and staff who I formed great relationships with.
Costa Rica is a great place to travel. Since you are only working four days a week, your weekends are wide open to see and experience the rest of the country.
San Ramon is a wonderful and quaint little town. Using it as a base we were able to use our time off to go surfing, white water rafting, bungee jumping, scuba diving, zip lining and more.
My time with uVolunteer was invaluable. I plan to come back to Costa Rica soon to visit and volunteer. Until then I will be thinking about San Ramon often and practicing my Spanish.
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