Soaring Through the Clouds (Featuring Three Guest Student Writers)

To best sum up our adventurous weekend, we have three guest writers today. Check out what they thought below!

Ella Buerkele gives us a beautiful overview of Saturday:  

On Saturday we were brought to the El Tigre Waterfalls and went on a beautiful and adventurous hike filled with laughter and fun. When we arrived we went to the trail almost right away and were able to get started. The trail was not as hard as I expected, just a bit slippery but a lot of downhill. Some girls were playing music and having a good time and others were just enjoying each other's company and striking conversation. It was much more enjoyable that we were able to all hike together as a group. The waterfalls were unbelievably stunning, it was unreal. We had the opportunity to swim in one of the rivers and it was cold but it was fun being able to float down the river and talk on the rocks.

The best part in my opinion was definitely being able to ride horses on the way up after the hike. That part was so exciting and funny because we had no idea when the horses were going to speed up so it was almost like a spontaneous race. The horses were beautiful and so was the view while riding them, a truly amazing experience overall. 

At the end of the night we did a team bonding activity which was karaoke which was so much fun and a great way to end the night. We screamed, we sweat, we sang, and we all had fun. It is an amazing once in a lifetime adventure and I’m so fortunate to be able to share with this lovely group of ladies.

Mary Cimino shares how she overcame her fear: 

This Sunday was an absolute blast because we got to zip line! I had so much fun soaring through the cloud forest and seeing the rainforest canopy below.  I was really nervous about it at first because of my fear of heights, but all the girls, whom I have come to love and trust on this trip, were so supportive, and I ended up having a great time.  We then got to finish up the day with a stop at the mega super, the nearby grocery store, for snacks and essentials, then we had a nice break to rest and work on our projects.

To close us out with a summary of both days, let’s here from Annabel Lin:

This weekend was one of the best I’ve had in a long time! On Saturday, I hiked the trail at El Tigre Waterfalls, which was probably my favorite hike I’ve ever been on. The jungle was so surreal, and it was amazing to see the countless beautiful, refreshing waterfalls along the way. We ended off the hike on horseback. On Sunday, we all woke up early and made our way to the Salvatore adventure park. There, I ziplined through the cloud forest- it was soo cool!!!! It felt like I was going straight through a cloud because everything around me was completely white. The highlight of the trip, though, was the Tarzan swing! I was really scared at first because it was basically a free fall and because everyone was screaming; however, when I went, it wasn’t bad AT ALL and instead super fun.

The girls are having a wonderful time and are sad that the program is on its last week. They will take home with them memories of a lifetime! I have truly enjoyed working with this great group of girls and I will take home cherished memories with each of them. To the Legal Guardians, thank you for sharing your wonderful girls with us for three weeks! To my girls, thank you for being so great and encouraging throughout these weeks together. I hope you will always remember your time here and the bonds we all made. To the CIEE Monteverde team, thank you for EVERYTHING. This experience that you worked hard for us to have has been nothing short of spectacular. I don’t think any of us could every thank you enough for all of the effort that was put into make all the logistics flow. We are beyond grateful. 

This is Jess Nave signing off for now! Until the next adventure!