It’s almost surreal to already be back in Ann Arbor–the 2 weeks that we spent in Costa Rica definitely flew by! I am insurmountably grateful to have had the opportunity to volunteer at the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, to experience Costa Rica’s beautiful and vibrant culture in the short time that we had, and to bond with some fellow members of my EGL (formerly) new-admit class on the VA trip.
One part of volunteering at Ostional that I had not anticipated was getting the chance to bond with a diverse camaraderie of non-EGL volunteers: there were university students from Spain and Germany, a 30-something-year-old man from Canada, a girl who had just graduated from high school in New York, and a marine biology student from Florida. It was a great experience getting to know them during our shifts and our free time at the station, and it goes without saying that we are envious of the volunteers who will be spending 4 months in Ostional!
Regarding the work that we did at the refuge, I am so thankful to have been able to contribute to sea turtle research through our night shifts and transectos, and to have worked so up-close with Olive Ridley turtles during the arribada. It was such an amazing experience! We will miss the beautiful country that is Costa Rica, everybody at the station, surfing in the afternoon, salsa lizano and gallo pinto, our kind and welcoming host families…among so many other things that we can’t possibly list in one blog post. We are immensely grateful, and we cannot thank EGL, Maximo Nivel, the Ostional Wildlife Refuge, and our incredible Costa Rican host families enough for helping make this once-in-a-lifetime experience possible for us!
Already looking forward to next summer’s VA trip!
-Monica
EGL Family Abroad 