Chocolate, Culture and Cloud Forests

Aloha everyone! Let’s start with an introduction.

It’s crazy to imagine that we were strangers just a week ago. We thought to ourselves, we have lived, worked, eaten with, slept and pooped with these people. We have inspected each others bug bites, carried each other to safety during first aid training and every day is full of laughter. Everyone feels like family, but our journey is just beginning. 

Since orientation in San Miguel, Costa Rica, we have visited an all sustainable local chocolate farm near our first lodging and were introduced to its rich spiritual history. 

We are currently staying with six wonderful different families for an immersive home stay which have included fantastic meals, a taste of local life and a chance to practice our Spanish skills. 

This week we have also hiked Monteverde’s Cloud forest, having the opportunity to inspect wildlife closely with the staff of the reserve, zip line over the rainforest, and work on Life Coffee Farm while learning about sustainable agriculture and coffee farming.

We sit here, writing together, sharing the excitement for this experience ahead which is going to be like no other. A chance to travel without a carbon-footprint to such a biodiverse and culturally rich country is our generations experience of a life time. That is the most special part of Pacific Discovery’s six-week Mini Semester Program in Costa Rica. We are overexcited to continue the journey and discovery not only this beautiful country but ourselves as we go.

And as they say here in Costa Rica, Pura Vida!!