She warmly greeted me at the airport and whisked me back to the Volunteer dorms in San Ramon. I was only there for a few days before taking off to my project that was in La Marina at the Wildlife Conservation Center. I stayed here with a wonderful host family – it was here I really got a feeling of what it meant to be Costa Rican.
I loved living with the family, firstly for the friendly and kind demeanor and secondly for the wonderful food. I spent most of my time here with the family and at my project, and this for me, was a great experience.
The project site was right at the Conservation Center/Zoo, and I worked with and for the animals. Daily I was feeding, cleaning and playing with the animals. As an animal lover, this was a wonderful experience. The days were long and the work was not light, but it was more than worth it. Spending time doing this type of work helps you process in your mind what’s really important in life.
Living and traveling in Costa Rica was fantastic, and despite my short trip I was able to take off to the Arenal Volcano, see some waterfalls and horseback ride. Following my project with uVolunteer, I am heading to another area of Costa Rica before heading back to Canada where I will look at my life and my future plans a bit differently after having this experience.