The End – Costa Rica Final Day Before Departure

Today will surely be one to remember. It will definitely stick out as a very interesting day. We started off with an omelet and toast breakfast and then went off to enjoy our days. I went right to the beach and spent time floating with the waves with a few other people. The sun shined across the water and terns and pelicans flew by snapping up little fish. There were points in time where we could see little fish jumping out of the water as waves came and terns snatching them up. There was a point in time when I could feel fish hitting my legs and when I saw a tern grab one literally one foot in front of me as waves crashed down in the area around us. After lounging around for a bit, some of us headed to the town of Tamarindo to check out the shops and get lunch. To get to Tamarindo we had to walk across the beach and pay 500 colones to ride across a small channel to another side of the beach. I actually forgot my flip flops so I had to walk through the hot pavement and gravel roads of Tamarindo barefoot; it was fine though because I had been going barefoot often in the last week. So I survived the trip to Tamardino to then enjoy more time at the beach flowing with the waves while watching surfers. I constantly appreciated the beautiful view of the beach and the warmth of the water and sun. After relaxing on the beach of Tamarindo, we headed back to our hotel. On the way to the hotel two things were relevant: the low tide and the high-speed wind. The low tide enabled Brian, my new-found friend and roommate during the throughout the trip, to walk through the current and pass the channel to get back to hotel. As we approached the channel, the wind picked up and shot sand grans into our skin. We made it through the channel and headed back to the hotel (the rest of the group took a boat to get through the channel back to the other side). After getting back to the hotel I had some time to check my emails and get up to date. We then headed back to the beach to relax. The second time we went to the beach is when we saw all of the terns and pelicans. The scene around the beach at this time was amazing: there were birds filling the skies, the sun was midway through the sky, the sky was clear and the beach was open. After enjoying this beach time we had to a nearby beach town to experience a more local beach. This beach was very beautiful and had a lot of locals enjoying their time on it; it was much less of a tourist spot than the beach we were staying by. We walked to a section of this beach where the sand became shells. As we walked to this section of the beach we noticed locals throwing back beached fish. Brian and I walked over to check the scene and saw a black cloud of fish going in and out of the shore with the tide. We threw a few of these fish back ourselves. This all happened as the sun set. After it set, we walked back to where we entered the beach and had a great dinner. During dinner we gave our tributes and appreciation for the GREEN Program, going around telling everyone what we liked best about the program. This portion of the night really hit us; our trip was about to end and we had gained a lot from it. I have loved everything about the trip and appreciate everyone who has made the experience possible. Never have I learned so much while having so much fun. So after dinner we headed back and stopped at the food market to pick up snacks for the airport venture tomorrow. When we got home, everyone became settled down and started to check their computers. We had a relaxing night and before it ended I walked out to the beach and walked into the ocean alone. I felt very comfortable with my surroundings; the moon shining above me and the waves crashing below me (it was sort of a scary scene but it was really nice and tranquil). After taking some time to reflect and be alone I walked back up to my room, talked to a few people and started today’s blog, so here I am. This trip has truly been wonderful and I have been blessed for the opportunity to go on it. I have gained a lot of perspective and will never forget the people I’ve met here. Pura Vida!