General Impression
Overall Rating: / 10
I definitely enjoyed my time here in Costa Rica. We had a much more luxurious time than I was anticipating. I would definitely recommend this trip to a friend who was looking for an amazing experience helping others!Country
Costa Rica is a beautiful but very hot country. Having previously experienced the conditions in rural Zambia, CR's tarmacked roads, AC, running water, uninterrupted electricity, wifi, and lack of mosquitoes gave me the impression of luxurious conditions. However, my compatriots may provide a different view, having not been to the same places that I have. Overall, I would say that things were a lot better than I expected: this is definitely an excellent destination for first-timers (even if it doesn't seem like it at the time!). The heat definitely killed one or two members of the group who weren't used to it. I, myself, was uncomfortably hot more than a few times, and was thankful for the AC and nearby ocean! I would like to see a project running to remove some of the litter lying about; although Costa Rica has protected vast areas of land and has seemingly highly sophisticated recycling systems, this was the issue that stuck out to me the most.
Project & Staff
Marco was a wonderful local partner. He fetched more paint, scrapers, and brushes for us many times, helped to organise Hailey's birthday at the school, and was instrumental in relaying the wishes of the staff. The school was equally amazing: all the staff were very welcoming and accommodating (especially Rosita, who is now immortalised on the wall!). The children were very receptive to our visit; it was wonderful seeing their reactions to the murals.
As to the project itself: I loved the painting we did, especially on the bathroom doors and in the dining room. However, I am doubtful as to how long the paint in the classroom will last, as we were told not to scrape the previous layers of paint off, nor to apply a primer. I know that this is not how the local culture works, but I would have preferred to have taken these steps in order to know that our work was worthwhile and will last a long time. I also felt that the working days could have been longer - the only hurdles to this were the late (8 am) breakfast and the fact that we had to return to the hostel to eat lunch. If we could have eaten at the school, we could have worked for longer. I was definitely pleased that we were painting and not clearing the yard in the hot sun!
As to the project itself: I loved the painting we did, especially on the bathroom doors and in the dining room. However, I am doubtful as to how long the paint in the classroom will last, as we were told not to scrape the previous layers of paint off, nor to apply a primer. I know that this is not how the local culture works, but I would have preferred to have taken these steps in order to know that our work was worthwhile and will last a long time. I also felt that the working days could have been longer - the only hurdles to this were the late (8 am) breakfast and the fact that we had to return to the hostel to eat lunch. If we could have eaten at the school, we could have worked for longer. I was definitely pleased that we were painting and not clearing the yard in the hot sun!