Volunteer Vacation Testimonials

“We got to do a significant amount of cultural immersion and exchange with the local community: understand their way of life and values, participate in their traditions (tamales on Christmas, for example), eat in family members' homes every day, and share our perspectives with them. We could see where our program fees would improve the local community (construction materials, families hosting us for meals, etc). We worked on a project that was right-sized for our small group of 2 people (building tables at a local community center) and were able to see the results at the end.

We had enough personal downtime to process our experiences within the community, especially with a small group of 2. Accommodations were good. There was enough space, and we enjoyed having coffee and snacks in the kitchen and trying local Costa Rican cooking. Some of the things we liked best were the cultural exchange and project work, a leisure trip to local hot springs, and our coordinator, Federico!

Federico was great. He spent a lot of time with us, communicating what to expect and soliciting our feedback on how to get the most out of our time in Orosi Valley. He did lots of translation. We also tried using our limited Spanish to interact and apps like Google Translate to carry on direct conversations.”

Keith Torluemke
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica.
November, 2024

“It was very rewarding to work with the community center and have an amazing time with the local families. It was an amazing experience for our family and sharing new experiences with my 4-year-old daughter. She already wants to do India next!

There was a great balance between seeing things and helping with projects. It was nice that Federico gave us late afternoons to rest and shower before dinner. Travelling with a 4-year-old made those rest times very important.

The best part of the week was Federico and the families! Federico was an amazing host, making us feel at home and so knowledgeable about local plants, wildlife, and customs. It was so great to have him as a translator with the families, and you can tell he has strong relationships with them. The families were so welcoming and authentic, and it was a highlight to get to know them. The food was SO GOOD, and it was really sweet of them to make vegetarian food for us. 

Thank you so much for building this program. You can see the good it has done in the community, and it was so educational for my family! The families were so welcoming, and it was amazing to cultivate such authentic connections after so short of a time (even with a language barrier). We will treasure the memories forever and hope to be lifelong friends with our coordinator.”

Amy Corp
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica.
November, 2024

“I was very lucky to have a great group of women working with me. You will be working on tasks you don't know how to do yet, but you pick things up very quickly. I can now say I can use a sander, drill into steel, and stain wood!
On our last day, several of the women who live in La Flor came together to give us coffee and pastries. I would've felt proud of our work either way, but seeing their smiles and recognizing the time they took out of their day to thank us for our work connected the work I did to the people it would affect. Sitting with them and feeling their gratitude was among my favorite moments of the program because I didn't need to understand each word they were saying to know how thankful they were. I truly feel I can say I know the culture and interacted with it.”

Eleanor Faems
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica.
August, 2024