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Days 7 and 8 - Cañon de la Vieja and Travel Home

Sunday morning we got picked up around 7 AM to make our way to Cañon de la Vieja, an adventure resort in the National Park Rincón de la Vieja. When we got there, we geared up for ziplining. We rode 8 cables high above the river. What great views! We even saw some people tubing down the river - a preview of our next activity ;)  We had a buffet lunch after ziplining and then got into our rooms. Our rooms were like little cabins and had air conditioning and hot water - what luxuries! We changed into our suits and were taken up river to go tubing. It was a little more adventurous than some of us thought! We went down some rapids, got stuck on hidden, underwater rocks or slow current, flipped a few people, but had fun! Right after we dropped off our tubes, helmets, and life jackets, we walked a little ways to the hot springs. It started raining but it didn't bother us since we were already soaked, but, for the first time in Costa Rica, many of us were cold. Most of us got slathered in ...
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Day 6 - Last Day in Sámara

Today was our last day in Sámara :(  We didn't have to meet for kayaking until 9:45, so many of us just had an easy morning, though some went for smoothies or coffee. We were again blessed with a beautiful day to go kayaking! We kayaked out to Isla Chora which was designated a national park in 2012 so we couldn't pick up any shells from there to bring back. After we got there, we did a little exploring and had some juice and water before snorkeling or swimming. It was really rocky so getting in and out was tough. The water was a little muddy and rough from the rains, but we still saw some fish and starfish. After a snack or fresh pineapple, watermelon, and...chips...we headed back. The profes' kayak flipped on our way in - the waves had it out for us! - but everyone else did well. It started raining not long after the first group left, so the second group got a free rinse off shower as we waited for our ride. We then split off for lunch and free time. It was our last day to...
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Day 5 - Graduation and Ziplining

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Day 4 - ¡Baile!

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Day 3 - Surfing!

This morning school started at 8 and was a fairly typical morning of classes. We are learning lots of grammar and vocabulary! We split off for lunch again and some of us tried a typical Costa Rican lunch provided by a lady from the school. It was delicious and cheap! The menu of the day was rice, egg tortilla, salad, sweet plantains and pineapple juice. Then we got to surf! We were given rash guards and then a safety and technique lesson on land before hauling the surfboards down the beach to our surf spot. The guides really helped us pick our waves, push us, and tell us when to get up. We got poured on, but that was ok since we were already or about to get wet anyway :)  After swimming we had free time so some swam and some went shopping for souvenirs. We had one visit to the pharmacy which was really interesting! The pharmacist took a picture of a bug bite, sent it off to a doctor, and then we got some pills to take. It's a bit different than in the States, but very convenient! W...
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Day 2 - All About Fútbol

Day 2 We got to sleep in a bit today before our 9 AM beach cleanup. We met at school and then walked down the beach wearing gloves and holding garbage bags, picking up random pieces of garbage. Among our amazing finds were 2 sets of keys, hermit crabs, and a strange wax figure of a frog. It didn't take us long to finish and then we got to go swimming in the ocean. It was the perfect temperature and felt so good after picking up garbage in the sun.  For lunch, we tried going to various places, but some were closed and some required reservations because of the qualification game for the World Cup. We eventually found places to eat, but service was slow and some of us didn't get our food until the time classes were supposed to start. It turned out that it didn't really matter because we got to watch the game instead of having classes! We all huddled around a projector and watched the second half of the game against New Zealand. We got to see a goal, a red card, several yellows...
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Travel Day and Day 1

 After a 4:00 AM meetup at the airport, a quick picture, a forgotten bag, a hit deer, confusion about seat assignments, and a vomit cleanup before takeoff (thankfully none of us!), we were FINALLY on our way and our pilot was able to make up the lost time and then some in the air. We got to Miami and had a little over a half hour to grab food before we boarded. Thankfully no seat confusion or cleanup this time but extra time sweating on the tarmac had us (well, me) grateful when we finally took off.   We made it through customs and immigration quickly and waited a bit for our bus, but eventually we squished in and were off, driving through the countryside of Costa Rica, seeing the many, many shades of green, and learning how people drive down here. A 4 hour drive brought us to Sámara, where we met our host families, and headed off to eat, unpack, and sleep.  This morning, we had to be at school by 7 so we had an earlier than normal wakeup time in order to eat breakfa...
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