Today marks our final update for our summer Girl Scouts Destinations programs! It has been a fun-filled season of exciting activities, newly developed friendships, and creating lifetime memories with Outward Bound Costa Rica. We would like to thank all of our Girl Scouts participants for an awesome experience and helping us to have another successful summer with our Destinations program! Girl Scouts rock!
Scuba & Sea Turtle Adventure #3
This week the girls stayed busy Thursday and Friday zip lining through the Panama jungle and touring Bocas del Toro before they began their scuba diving training. While in the city of Bocas del Toro they learned about the the indigenous Afro-Caribbean culture and their distinct mesh of languages. The next day the Girl Scouts teamed together participating in one more service project on the island of Solarte giving a helping hand to the local community. Sunday they began training for their National Association of Underwater Instructors (NAUI) certification taught by Executive director of Outward Bound Costa Rica Jim Rowe. Throughout their training process, the girls were taught how to correctly assemble all parts of their gear, proper breathing techniques, and safety regulation procedures. Each day they were assigned a few chapters to read in their workbooks learning about the science and physics of scuba fiving along with study sheets to prepare them for their final examination. In order to obtain their beginners certification students must pass both an in-water portion that tests their skills in emergency situations and a practical theory test. The following days they continued diving to depths up to 60 feet exploring the magnificent marine life of Panama and practicing their dive techniques. The girls also have the chance to do a night dive experiencing the bioluminescence of the underwater creatures and see the remains of an ancient ship wreck! Today they will complete their workbooks and take their exam in hopes of receiving their certification! The girls will pack up their bags and tents and head back across the border Thursday as they prepare for their final rafting expedition on the river Friday!
Rainforest, River & Reef #2
Over the past week the girls have continued to bond together through the challenging and thrilling hike making their way to the Lopez homestay. At the Lopez homestay the girls learned how to harvest homemade sugarcane using the traditional trapiche tool along with practicing their Spanish skills with host parents Don Hormidas and Doña Flor. At the Lopez homestay, often a favorite of students lies a view overlooking the beautiful landscape of fruit trees and plantations right next to the heart of Piedras Blancas. Before packing up for their next journey, the girls had the chance to cool off and rappel the rushing waterfall just a short hike from the Lopez house. Their next trek through the rainforest was to the house of Don Hernan, known for the founding of the the remarkable Piedras Blancas. Here students spent time interviewing Don Hernan about his discovery of the area and his continuous efforts in preserving the land from being commercially developed and utilizing natural resources throughout the property. Before the girls headed to Manuel Antonio National Park they spent the day at the eco-lodge Rancho Tinamu learning from local rangers about the process of mimicking the habitat of the red-eyed tree frog and attracting other frogs throughout the community. Monday the girls were ready to trade in their boots for boards as they traveled Manuel Antonio beach base to catch some waves and a look at the white-face and howler monkeys swinging from branch to branch throughout the park. Today the group will return to our rainforest base in preparation for a local canopy tour and a trip to the capital city of San Jose to practice their bargaining skills at the Artisan market and a final of activity of river rafting on Friday!
Catching Waves #2
The Girl Scouts of Catching waves continued their adventures in Avellanas serving the local community and learning surf skills from local Tico instructors Carlos and Laura. During their service projects the girls were able to develop their Spanish and soccer skills simultaneously through interaction with the local students in the village. The girls also were taught lessons on the dangers of overfishing throughout the area and information about the professional Surfrider association. On Saturday they packed up their surfboards and bags making the transition from the beach to our rainforest base in preparation for Sunday. On Sunday they arose early and spent the day rafting down the the class III rapids through the Sarapiqui river stopping for lunch at a small quaint beach along the way. After a few hours of rafting the girls unloaded their gear arriving at a local raft instructor’s house learning about his practice of local organic farming used to provide for his family. On Monday the girls headed into the capital city for a tour around San Jose and later on a canopy adventure zip lining through the Costa Rican rainforest!
Stay in touch with fellow Girl Scouts and Outward Bound Costa Rica through Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest! Have a great and safe rest of the summer! Pura Vida!