Pics from Top left - 1) View of Cloud Forests from the road in C.R. 2) View of Panama City from the plane 3) Tommy, Ethan, Sophia and Peter Friedman ('01) enjoy the ride from San Jose to Samara. 4) View from the airport! 5) This was the view as we landed in Costa Rica after breaking through dense white clouds.

So everyone arrived in San Jose at around noon. The flight was okay. It was long, but I don't think anyone let it distract them from where we were about to be. Everyone became conscious of the tremendous heat from outside, and everyone was very excited to be in the sun. After passing through customs, we met up with Peter & Jesse. They were really welcoming. I knew this week would be that much better with both of them. The entire group split into two buses, and we headed for Samara. After about an hour, both buses stopped at this exquisite restaurant called 'Caballo Blanco' (White Horse). Everyone had various Costa Rican dishes and it was a great first meal. We then reloaded the buses and drove for about 2 hours until we reached Samara. Everyone forgot how tired we were as soon as we got to the entrance. We then got our rooms, and went straight to the beach. The waves were so awesome, and everyone had a lot of fun in the water. Afterwards, we had a great dinner in the beach house. A few people swam in the beach house pool, relaxed by the pool and just talked. We all shared some good laughs tonight. Today was a great start to spring break, and I can't wait for what this week is going to bring.

-Nyia Njamfa

The last two days were the longest two days of my life in a good way. I have never experienced such a journey like this one before and it was the coolest thing. What I liked the most is that we are all together and getting closer with each other and I know that by the end of the trip we will be like a family. In the airport, everyone was talking to one another, sharing stories and always laughing. What I like about the trip is that it gives you an even bigger sense of responsibility, in terms of maintaining yourself and getting where you need to be when we travel. When we got to Costa Rica and we decided to go into the water, it was then when it hit me that it was time to relax and start to live by the motto, "Pura Vida"(not in an extreme way of course). As we took the drive from the airport to Samara, I was paying attention to the little details of what makes this third-world country so extraordinary. I looked at the people walking on the streets, little kids playing soccer and having fun and I realized everything they have we take for granted. On another note, Triskallian Tours, and the people who run it, welcomed us like we were family. They made us feel so comfortable and I know that they are going to make this an impactful experience for us all.

-Anthony Scali