To Costa Rica and Beyond

To Costa Rica and Beyond

Words by Topsy Banksland, Photos by Shawn Johnston

This summer, I decided to apply for the Northern Youth Abroad International Program for a trip to Costa Rica.

It was filled with activities, immersing me into Costa Rican culture and allowing me to travel the country. I experienced it with four other Northern youth and two group leaders. We became close friends because of this trip.

The trip was split into three sections. First, we stayed at United World College campus in Santa Ana, close to San José, and volunteered with several organizations, such as Boy With A Ball and Lifting Hands. These volunteer activities included labour, like painting walls for the Lifting Hands building, and doing fun activities with the children.

In between volunteering, we toured the city and visited sites. One of my favourite parts was visiting the Irazú Volcano. It was a few hours’ drive and once you get up there, you’re up in the clouds and you finally escape the heat. The view was surreal; it feels like you’re inside of a scenic painting.

The second part of the journey was with an organization called Outward Bound. This was the most physically demanding, amazing and motivating part of not only the trip, but also my life. This is where we completed a five-day trek through the Costa Rican mountains and forests. We would wake up right before daylight hit and trek to our next homestay, each one a wonderful traditional Costa Rican home. Our hosts would prepare us the best food and they were the most welcoming people I’ve ever met.

One of our routines that I greatly miss is called “cafecito time,” when we would all hang out together and have a cup of traditionally made coffee and a quick bite. This was perfect after a full day of hiking. By the end of this trip we felt improvement in our physicality, refreshed after being away from technology and learned so much about Costa Rican culture.

Our last stop was Cirenas, a remarkable organization that focuses on turtle conservation and sustainable living. This was like staying at an ecolodge. It is a beautiful place and just a short walk to the beach, where we learned to surf and saw families of howler monkeys along the way. The most memorable part of the trip was that Kat and I decided to go looking for turtles one starry night. We ended up seeing justhatched baby turtles crawl their way into the ocean. It was honestly the most magical thing I’ve ever seen.

After this trip with incredible people, I went on to go study linguistics, a language and speech science degree at the University of Saskatchewan. I became inspired to keep travelling whenever possible and continue learning, as there is so much to appreciate and experience.