We travelled from San Jose to Gandoca via a 6-hour bus ride with 2 stops to enjoy local cuisine and get some snacks. Once we arrived we went through presentations on the overview of our trip and the expectations of us when it comes to following the rules. We watched some children do two different traditional dances, then we finished the day with a nice dinner. P.S. We will not have our phones for almost the rest of the trip. 

• Coleson and Anderson

The C-Squad woke up early this morning at 6:00 AM like the beauties they are, they know that the early bird gets the worm. After having some breakfast at 6:30 AM the yutes got up-and-at em hiking to the lagoon starting at 7:30 AM. Some beauties took the boats while some hiked up and endured the environment.

After some tough work they took a well-deserved break for some fun at the lagoon. The C-Squad split up a bit during this time with some of them playing football, getting ready for the rug season. And some decided to play around and chill, with some inflatables to relax on. They also had some snacks along the way such as pineapples and cantaloupes.

Finally, the boys went back to the house; they started the cocoa-making activity, grinding, peeling and roasting the cocoa beans. Which was, of course, light work for the C-Squad, due to how nailed they are. Afterwards, they enjoyed dinner and went to help the turtles hatch at night. Another beauty day. 

• Joel & Jayden

Today the boys woke up at a sharp 7:30 am for an 8 am beans and rice breakfast. We then dipped our toes in some Spanish and learned about the Spanish names of local fruits and some slang. After the presentation, we got to work on some juicy tamales. We ground paste, folded leaves, and packed it all together to cook for an amazing dinner later in the day. Following the morning shenanigans, we started work on our hammocks. We split up into teams of 3, desperately trying to conjure our hammocks which required an insane amount of manual labour and string. In the end, we barely managed to create a quarter of one hammock, but we have high hopes of completing them in the coming days. 

Proceeding with these fun activities, we were then graciously given homemade chocolates to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Next, the boys prepared for our adventure to the beach. With morale at a daily high, we once again split off into 3 teams for beach cleanup. The three teams were assigned to cleaning vines, collecting garbage, and moving logs. After lugging thousands of pounds of logs on the beach, we ventured back to Casa Tucan for well-deserved tamales! 

Tomorrow, the boys are heading out to Sepecue (Indigenous community) for days 5 and 6. We are unsure about the wifi availability in the community for these next 2 days, but we'll try to update the blog if possible! 

-Ethan and Malcolm

Mishkena (hello) families, today the boys started their day with a 7:30 breakfast in Gandoca, before departing on an interesting and new adventure for everyone. After the beautiful scenery on our first bus ride, the c-squad enjoyed a unique experience riding upriver on a motorized canoe. Around half an hour later, the boys hopped on another quick bus ride to our home for the next two nights. As the boys settled into Sepecue, we enjoyed our first meal in our new home. Soon after, we were able to learn about the common phrases and cultural differences between us. Next, the boys ventured off to learn and explore the community and their way of living. During this adventure, we were educated on important and historical areas in their community. We learned that this community recently introduced cellphone towers only two weeks prior to our arrival. As seen in the photo, c-squad had the unique opportunity to explore the newly built high school in this community. The boys were famished after our great journey and stopped by the local community store to grab some snacks. We then headed back to explore ancient artifacts in their culture, such as remains of ancient statues, decorated bowls, and useful tools back in the day that we now consider an Iron and a grinder. We then decorated our own bowls, made of coconut shells to bring home and donate to the local schools. After a nice meal, the boys had some free time to relax, continue decorating and learn new card games. Our GVI leaders taught us Cambia, in which, Taite and Ali won repeatedly, beating our more experienced peers. Ending off the day, we wrote this wonderful text for the c-squad parents.

It's a good day to be green, 

Taite and Ali

A Day of Dreams For The Ticos. 

Nightmares didn't haunt us this beautiful morning. It was the first full day at Sepecue; we started our morning off with a nice breakfast that included rice and beans. After we enjoyed our scrumptious and filling meal, we headed to the local school to volunteer. There, we split into 3 groups and performed strenuous tasks, including; sanding thirty-one desks as well as painting rocks and walls. Después (After), the boys gathered the skills they learned from Mr. Camacho to teach the younger students how to play frisbee and volleyball. When we finished enlightening the kids, we moved on to something frisky and dangerous. The village elder taught us the ways of hunting using a bow and arrow.  Rigorously, we all shot, and above all others, Alexander Jacob Lechem ’ 27 shot and graciously hit the banana flower like an angel in his first turn  (Aryan '27 was close enough). After we took over the shooting range, we were embraced with a cultural message from the village elder. We then surprised the Josic twins with early birthday wishes and a wild pinata whack-a-thon. The boys absolutely devoured the delicious cake. After writing this we will go to a bonfire with everyone to roast bananas. Overall, it was a great day with lots of hard work, and we are so excited to head back to the wonderful Gandoca!

• Aryan & Alex 

"I was sleepy" said Alex Lechem after a rough night and almost sleeping through breakfast. Although we were tired, we were eager to start the day with lots of new, fun, and exciting activities. After a delicious breakfast, we said our farewells to Sepecue and began our voyage to Casa Tucan. We started our journey by boat to arrive at our first stop; an organic farm. We explored different varieties of fruits, aromatics, and more. Something that stood out to us was the different varieties of bananas they had (7). Then, we had a delicious meal of chicken tacos, with a side of potatoes and salad. After, we travelled to a waterfall with lots of beautiful views. We took a refreshing swim and started our final journey to Gandoca. We were greeted back to Casa Tucan with some refreshing fruits, coconuts, and rice pudding. After, we prepared for our soccer match with the locals. The soccer match was epic, with Jacob Pak scoring a crazy goal and winning player of the match (Anderson tried too). Finally, we had some delicious dinner and finished off the day with community time.

• John and Oliver

It was an early morning for the chicos (kids) as we had to wake up at 5:45 with a long hike ahead of us. We quickly finished a nice breakfast and were off for the road. Once we arrived at the beachfront, we were surprised to find turtle tracks near the entrance, meaning that the turtles had recently laid eggs on the shore the night before. The staff at Casa Tucan, along with the locals (including Andre's dog, Fiona), had to dig the eggs and move them further ashore to prevent the eggs from being washed away into the oceans. After encountering such a fascinating experience, we embarked on the long journey ahead. On our 12.3 km hike, we saw many creatures including poison dart frogs, toucans, and horses. Halfway through the trip, we stopped at a private farm above the ocean with a beautiful view along with coconuts awaiting when we arrived. Finally, after 4 hours and 47 minutes, we made it to the town of Manzanillo, where we stopped at a local restaurant and had a delicious lunch. After lunch, we made our way to the exquisite beachside of Manzanillo where we had some fun playing football and relaxing in the ocean. While some were swimming and enjoying the water, others took a walk down the beach to a nearby shipwreck. After our swim, we travelled back to Gandoca by boat, and we saw many dolphins swimming near our boat, which was a once-in-a-lifetime experience (unfortunately, we don't have any photos). When we arrived back at Gandoca, we had a hot and ready meal awaiting us after a long day of trekking. We then had a memorable final presentation from the Casa Tucan staff as a kind farewell and to give thanks for the work we have done during our time in Costa Rica. 

PS. Quick thing from yesterday, Taite and Ali started a movement by having their hair braided, which many people followed.

• Jacob and Julian

Today was a chill but interesting day for the boys. We started our day off with a 7:00 wake-up call to eat and say our farewells to Gandoca and everyone at Casa Tucan. We left for our (planned to be) 4-hour drive and prepared for many stops along the way back to San Jose. Our first stop was a trip to Cahuita National Park, where we saw many different animals, including 3 types of sloths, 2 yellow viper snakes, many raccoons and lizards, and even a sting ray! After the incredible sightings, the boys had time for a relaxing dip in the sea or to chill in the shade. Once we left the park, we had time to purchase some souvenirs as well as some snacks/items from markets as well as a grocery store. The next stop was at a local restaurant along the highway for a quick bite. After a big muck, the boys took off for the rest of the journey back to Casa Colon. Along the way, we encountered some bumper-to-bumper traffic, which added 2 hours to our journey. Far down the road, we were held up by a massive truck accident causing us to arrive in San Jose much later than anticipated. Finally, the C-Squad headed to our final destination - a restaurant for our last supper of the journey. 

We've all had such a great experience and have loved the journey along the way. We all got closer together through card games, long walks and conversations and created great friendships. Big shoutout to all of the teachers, GVI staff, and our hosts at every stop along the way (especially the food). 

See you all soon!!

Andreas and Jack