From the moment I walked into our rainforest base two years ago, I knew that I would love working at OBCR. I was SO excited about this job because I had always loved the outdoors and that’s why I studied Ecological Tourism at Universidad de Costa Rica. Being able to work at a place where I could teach through my experience in the field and life in general and share my passion for sustainability and social work was just…WOW!
My main course is Scuba, Sea Turtles, Service and Sloths and, for an ocean and sea turtle lover like me, it is just perfect. We spend a couple of days taking care of the baby sea turtles, help lead them to the ocean, and night walks along the beach to watch mama turtles. They are giant and perfect, and I cry every time I see one! Even though I have seen a lot of them nesting, watching one of the world’s most ancient species is just breathtaking. I mean, it is like a dinosaur!!!
Then, we go to Bocas del Toro for the students to earn their scuba diving certification. Yeeeeyyy!!! This is one of my favorite parts, first of all because watching the students learning new skills and experiencing an awesome sport is very exciting, and second, because being down there is like being in space. It is another world that not too many people have the opportunity to see.
After the scuba diving sessions and with all of you as official divers (claps), we do a lot of fun and different activities, such as wakeboarding, kneeboarding, snorkeling, we visit some caves, and so on…I don’t want to tell you everything because I want you to live the experience and I hate spoilers!
Now, let me tell you a little more about me! I have to be honest, at the start of my first course I felt unsure for a moment about what I was going to teach to the students (Girl Scouts). Was my passion enough to convey all the knowledge I have about nature, life, environmental education, leadership, team building? Was I ready for this? It took me just a couple of hours on the first ride with the students to Panama to realize that I was ready to gain new experiences, get out of my comfort zone, and jump into this crazy but beautiful instructor’s life.
As soon as we arrived at San San Pond Sak Wetland, I was nervous but confident and excited to embrace the challenge and new adventure. Once I started to know the students better, their fears, their strengths, their personality, their eagerness to learn, I realized how brave they were. They were also getting out of their comfort zone and pushing themselves and were motivated to jump into the adventure. Ufffff…that just made me feel so grateful and full of happiness that I just can’t explain in words.
From that moment until now, I give it my all on every course. I make sure that all of the students have an experience of a lifetime while becoming a better and stronger through the adventure and the course experience. And do you know the best part? That I learn something different on every course. It can be general culture, a new English word, a new game, or something new about myself. We are all growing together during course and we are all learning from each other, and that is so magical!
So, I am still learning and I love that! Being an instructor is always different even if I do the same course over and over again. Watching young people grow in confidence, learning new skills, becoming more independent every day, having more self-esteem, more patience, more leadership skills, and embracing new experiences will always be the most rewarding part of being an OBCR instructor.
Feeling inspired to start your own adventure? Check out our Summer Courses Ages 14-18, Summer Courses Ages 19+,
& our Gap Year & Semester Courses.