Just another beautiful day in Costa Rica

Day four started out equally as early as the past with a breakfast of beans and rice, fresh fruit, and a treat, fresh corn tortillas. Along with a side of fresh squeezed cantaloupe juice we were ready to start our busy day.
The half of us that were at the school yesterday stuck around here today, sending about 9 into the rain forest and leaving 5 to explore the center. We were looking for ferns and mosses, and were instructed to collect 3 samples of each, and write down where we found each plant as well as a detailed description for future identification. Those of us that stuck around the center found 19 different species, including the red fern after climbing down into a ravine to capture the sample. I guess we found out where the red fern grows-Costa Rica! While searching for the plants we also found a camouflaged bug (we thought it was a leaf at first). We appropriately named him Harold. Those who went into the rain forest brought back some of the largest fern specimen we had ever seen, and were even lucky enough to stumble upon two waterfalls! We're going back later tonight for a night hike. Don't worry parents, we've got flashlights! After collecting the samples we all met up in the lab and like our peers did yesterday, pressed the plants and identified them using our notes and pictures. Hopefully our work today will help future researches and make their jobs a little bit easier.

The group that went to the school found out quick that the students were still excited and eager to learn. Starting off, the group and the students circled up and introduced themselves. Then they split up into several small groups playing learning games with Twister, a beach ball, and flashcards. After about thirty minutes of the games it was lunch time for the students. After a quick meal, a game of soccer was played. Not just any game of soccer though, the students had to say the correct answer to a flashcard and if correct they got a chance to take a penalty kick. After the penalty kick game the younger students were able to make custom t-shirts. This was very exciting and the students were very thankful. For the older students, a few were selected to learn a few basic programs on the computer which was very successful. The rest of the older students reviewed flashcards and played a competitive game of soccer.

After lunch all the ladies got dressed up for what officially became known as "cute outfit day", and got ready to go to the local town, La Fortuna. As we were heading down to the buses, a group of girls found a beetle the size of a rhinoceros outside of their door. Needless to say, the rain forest experienced a new kind of sound today- the screams of about 10 disgusted girls. While in La Fortuna we were given the chance to shop around and buy some souveniers to not only remind ourselves of our time in Costa Rica, but also bring back gifts to help our friends and family better understand our experiences. On the way there we really lucked out, when the bus driver spotted a three-toed sloth. He pulled over and allowed all of us to get a good look at it as well as take some pictures. In La Fortuna we got to experience Costa Rican culture first hand as we bartered for items, tried local cuisine, and just enjoyed the beautiful scenery. We all left with many new treasures to show our friends and family.
When we arrived back from La Fortuna we were greeted with a pleasant surprise. The high school aged students that we had been helping at the school came to perform a traditional Costa Rican dance. There were 3 male and 4 female students, all in full costume proudly displaying their culture for us. After the performance, our own students were invited to dance with the performers, a real treat for everyone. It was great for us to have the chance to partake in their culture in such an intimate way. After the final dance, we all headed down for a meal together of hamburgers and french fries, quite the change from the typical beans and rice. After we finished eating, we surprised two of our peers who were celebrating birthdays, Alex and Dustin, the celebration included cake and singing.
The night ended with a night hike. We found all kinds of frogs including the red-eyed tree frog (the "symbol" of the rain forest-or Rainforest Cafe) which is not an animal people typically find, so we were very lucky. Along with the tree frog we found a leopard frog, according to Alberth, our guide, the first recorded one in the area. Although it got away before he could get it to bring back to the lab, we got pictures and have proof we found it. We hiked all the way to the top of a hill where we were able to look out upon the Soltis Center and really appreciate it for all that it was. We stopped on the way up and back multiple times to observe numerous frogs, insects, and even a snake. On the way back we stopped and turned off all of our flashlights and just listened to the rain forest, taking in the sounds of everything we had the chance to see-and everything we hadn't been able to see. With this chance we got to see the lightning bugs, stars, and just take in everything the rain forest had to offer.
We had a busy day today, and have a busy day ahead of us tomorrow complete with zip-lining and heading down to the school again, so its time for us to get some shut eye!

Until tomorrow,
xoxo
Amanda, Chris, Dustin and the whole gang.