When did you join OBCR?
It seems like yesterday! I joined the organization on October 26, 1999. So, I am actually about to reach my 23rd year with OBCR.
Can you tell us about how you first started with the organization?
Before OBCR, I was working on my family farm. OBCR needed a driver for an expedition on Rio General, so they hired me for three days. Three days turned in five, then a week, a month, and, 23 years later, I’m still here!
Back when I was a driver, I moved to base camp and started to learn more about the logistical side of the organization while helping to prepare gear and things like that. Then, there was an opportunity to join the staff training, after which I started practicing on whitewater and had a chance to go to Panama to learn how to scuba dive. Because I would frequently drive groups to the coast, I was able to spend time there and learn how to surf too. I experienced some of the hiking expeditions and became certified in first aid which allowed me to become an instructor for OBCR. I did not speak much English when I first started and, through these experiences, I was also able to practice with students and become confident with that.
What do you like most about working here?
The best part of the job is meeting new people and sharing my country with students who come on our programs. We get to show them the real Costa Rica by taking them to locations that regular tourists don’t usually get to see. I’ve had the opportunity to witness students becoming more active leaders and changing their view on life during their time with us.
How have you seen OBCR evolve over time?
When I first started, most of the field staff were from Canada and the US. Little by little, we started having more Costa Rican instructors as we provided more opportunities for locals to gain experience with us. Now, 85% of OBCR staff are Costa Ricans.
What things have remained the same?
The Outward Bound feeling, the feeling you get when you arrive at base camp and it is like coming home. I’ve had the opportunity to go to many different Outward Bound schools around the world and, every time you get to their base camps, you get that same feeling.
When you’ve traveled all over the world with OB, where has been your favorite place?
My favorite place is our base camp, of course! Apart from that, I really enjoyed my visit to Outward Bound Mexico in 2020. Staff from across the Americas came together for the first Regional Staff Symposium to share experiences and best practices. We also completed a backpacking trip to summit the Nevado de Toluca, the fourth tallest mountain in Mexico. It was an amazing place, it was a different kind of adventure for me, and the staff there are also very charismatic and professional.
Can you share with us a fun fact or story from your time with OBCR?
I have had many memorable moments. One of my favorite ones was when we had a student on course with us that would sleepwalk. One night, he slept walked over to one of the instructor’s tents, grabbed a guitar and started playing and singing. Everyone woke up and didn’t know what to do. Should we wake him up? We eventually decide to wake him and he was very confused. When we explained what he was doing, he told us that he’d never played guitar before! He played really well.
You’ve seen many students come and go over the years, what is one piece of advice you would give future students attending an OBCR course?
My advice would be to prepare, both physically and mentally, and to be open to learning new things. I have always said that, whether you are here for 15 days or three months, you can have best time ever with Outward Bound or the worst, either way you will learn something. The difference is your attitude and how you would like to go through that experience. Something that is also really important is teamwork. How you decide to work with the other people on your program can make a great impact on your team spirit
Can you give us an example of the positive impact that OBCR has made during your time with the organization?
The impact of Outward Bound can be seen in a small community in Piedras Blancas. This community was a remote village of three families and it was where groups would pass through during their hiking expeditions. Year after year, you could see how the little village thrived because of the work that students would do when they stayed there. Students would help work on one of the families’ farms and helped build a school there. The children living in the community would learn about Outward Bound by interacting with the groups and, later down the line, they have become instructors with us.
Can you imagine what OBCR will be like in another 25 years?
In the future, I believe Outward Bound is going to be needed more than ever. Newer generations need more support and more opportunities to be in the outdoors to reflect and disconnect from technology. In 25 years, I hope to see Outward Bound Costa Rica playing an even greater role in conservation and environmental awareness. I hope to be part of that.
My first students when I was an instructor are now grown and are parents. I’ve since had the opportunity to teach their kids. They have told me; I want my children to have the same experience that I had with Outward Bound because it really changed me. That is what has made my time here so worthwhile.
