Summer Volunteers in Costa Rica

Miles, Ashley and their children just returned from six weeks in beautiful Costa Rica. They volunteered with Proyecto San Gerardo to teach English and computer classes. They found this opportunity on idealist.org and it fit with their vacation time and skill set perfectly. Knowing Spanish was a plus, but is not required to volunteer.

There was plenty of free time to take beach trips and hikes. The family was able to visit Manuel Antonio National Park and see sloths, monkeys and other animals. Homestays are the usual choice for accommodations, but the family chose to rent a house for more privacy. The house was in Canaan, just down the mountain from the offices of the Project in San Gerardo. Canaan had a school with about 15 students, a soccer field, a chocolate factory, a cheese factory, a bakery, and a bar. The people were warm and welcoming. Anna, daughter of Miles and Ashley, found the experience to be a good one, even though her Spanish was limited. “I think all my friends should do a trip like this. You get to see how other people in the  world live.”