Blog Takeover: La Isla Chira

As we take on our first major adventure to La Isla Chira, Pacific Island located in the Gulf of Nicoya with a population of approximately 3,000 people, the students felt impassioned to share their narrative with you directly. Without further ado, I present two eager CIEE Building a Sustainable Planet Global Navigators ready to set the scene for this five-day immersion!

Blog Writers: Lauren Mullen of New Hampshire and Julia Kolinski of Connecticut

Photography: Lauren Mullen

"Our five days in Isla Chira were humbling. The most memorable experience that we took away from this beautiful island was surprisingly not the geckos falling from our cabin roof or the tarantulas on our doors, but instead our first group hike. After lunch on our first full day,  Jorge and Paola encouraged us to take the trail just behind our cabin complex that lead to a small lookout...

The first few minutes of the hike were extremely peaceful. We were surrounded by lush Costa Rican forest filled with elegant, colorful birds. Trees crowded each side of us with swooping vines hanging from each branch. The trail was cut by a few small streams. In one we saw a tiny turtle. Every once in a while we would see a large, poisonous spider off to the side of the trail. We did not think too intensely about their presence and deemed them as some “cool” biodiversity. We designated one person to lead the rest of the group with a large stick that could be used to move spider webs off to the side of the trail. I think now is a good time to clarify that these spiders were colored in vibrant yellows, blues, oranges, and greens; all colors we were taught at a young age to never touch since these bright colors deemed them poisonous. Most were also about the size of a golf ball and created webs large enough to spread across the entire length of the trail. Basically, these spiders were enough to make anyone anxious.

As we progressed along the trail, we started noticing the spiders more frequently. They became less cool and increasingly scary. Tensions rose in the group and we would stop frequently while the leader would remove a spider from the trail. The person in the front of the line would wave the stick around until a “too close” encounter with a spider would frighten them into joining the back and designating a new brave person for the front. By the time we got to an area of the trail where we found spiders almost at every other step, it seemed too late to turn back. We wanted to get to the lookout. At one point, I specifically remember squeezing myself between two tight bushes, with a spider both in front of me and directly behind me. This moment alone may have been the scariest of my life (I might be exaggerating but it was frightening).

After we designated Karime as our leader, her calmness and bravery got us to the summit of the hike. There were a few times when we almost became too overwhelmed and defeated to keep going. However, the breathtaking view at the top was worth the terrifying experience. Through a frame of trees and past the ocean, we saw the misty mainland mountains. The feeling at the top was honestly indescribable. The best way we know how to put it into words is: gratification. It was the first time we felt a strong bond between each and every one of us. Relying on and helping each other through the hike each had created a feeling of connection between us. Not to be cheesy, but after avoiding what seemed like imminent death (maybe exaggerating again), we had created a  family and memories that would last us a lifetime.

All in all, the hike up took us almost two hours. They way down only took about 25 minutes. We were more confident on the way down. in the words of Portia, we “looked in front of us and didn’t look extra”. If we did not see the spiders, they were not there. With these words (and since we had cleared the path and needed to get down in time for class), we were able to run back down the trail. This experience is one we will all remember for a long time, and we look forward to more (hopefully less frightening) memories to make along the rest of the trip!"

Teamwork, tenacity, grit, and moments of true resilience were exemplified by each of the students. Special thanks to Lauren and Julia for taking the initiative to collaborate and co-author this first blog takeover!