California State University Northridge Athletics
BLOG: Matadors Arrive in Costa Rica
6/5/2017 12:24:00 PM | Men's Track & Field, Women's Soccer
On Thursday, June 1, 14 CSUN student-athletes arrived in Costa Rica for a two-week service trip. A diverse group of student-athletes representing different teams and class years will spend 14 days volunteering, learning about Costa Rica's economy, culture and environment and growing their camaraderie as Matadors. Â
During its journey, the group will visit a cloud forest, volunteer with a community water association, spend time at a tropical research station, learn about reforestation and much more. Student-athletes will be blogging about the trip for GoMatadors.com.
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This post shares perspectives from sophomore track & field student-athlete Brenden Scott and women's soccer senior Ariana Tran.
Brenden:
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If I had to sum up these first four days using only three words, those words would be "RICE AND BEANS," the native traditional meal here in Costa Rica used for breakfast, lunch and dinner as both a side and main dish.
This highly-enriched protein gave us the energy we needed to perform tasks at Proyecto Asis, a wild animal rescue center located in San Carlos where we learned about different species of animals, how they ended up being rescued from the the dangers caused by humans and what their role would be if placed back into their natural habitats. After a brief tour of the institute, we prepped meals for these animals, cutting up fruits and vegetables into bite-sized pieces edible by monkeys, wild pigs and birds alike.
Souvenirs? Snacks? Why not. Turning U.S. dollars into native "Colones"Â has been a difficult yet interesting task for all. Brushing up on our español to make sure we give and get exact change is a pretty awesome experience which I personally have been bragging to loved ones back home about.
If you've ever turned up your radio you might've heard T.L.C.'s song entitled "Waterfalls." "Don't go chasing waterfalls" they say, but here in Costa Rica you do just that. Locals as well as tourists hike about 600 meters down 500 stairs to see the most beautiful waterfall up close and personal. Enjoying unforgettable views while getting a great leg workout in, I'd say makes a trip to Costa Rica worthwhile.Â
You might have heard of hot springs before, but here in Costa Rica at the Los Lagos resort, we enjoyed learning about how the hot
water is taken underground from the nearby volcano and mixed in with other natural waters to make suitably controlled temperatures for all to enjoy. And boy did we enjoy them.
Taking a break from the glorious hot springs I got to witness live alligators and furthermore explore what it's like to be a leaf cutter ant.
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And there you have it folks. Four days down, a lifetime's worth of memories to go.
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Ariana:
The first few days in Costa Rica have been rich with beautiful scenery and information on the country. Our tour guide Eduardo and our bus driver are genuine and awesome people. Eduardo is filled with all the information in Costa Rica that we need.Â
Our first full day in the country we went white water rafting, which I have never done before! It was a super adventurous and fun experience. We used teamwork to paddle past rapids and dodged rocks and broken trees. This was a good opportunity to be immersed in the biodiversity covering the country. Our tour guide and river guide in the raft with us made sure to point out different birds and wildlife along the way. We also got to hop
out into the river and swim around. La Ra Piqui was the name of the river and we also stopped along the way to see La Paz Waterfall, which is amazing and beautiful. Seeing this waterfall was almost shocking because I had never seen anything so lush and green. I came to a realization that it's kind of disappointing that it's more rare to find such rich diversity around Los Angeles.Â
Exploring Costa Rica so far has been such a blessing and I've really gotten in touch with nature, which I've been itching to do. The way the Costa Ricans think about preserving the biodiversity in their country is inspiring and I wish more Americans thought the same way. I guess they're just different types of economies and societies. Costa Rica thrives off of tourism and ecotourism, it also has a strong pride in its land and preserving that diversity. In America there is more of an individualist perspective which drives the destruction of precious nature and wildlife. I will definitely be more environmentally conscious when I return home. The country motto, "pura vida," helps explain the Costa Rican way of live, enjoying the land and the people.Â
The second day, we went in a cave, which was very interesting. I'm happy it was on our itinerary though because it's probably a
once-in-a-lifetime event for me. We all had tall rain boots and helmets with head lights. We had to squeeze through tight tunnels and crawl underneath rocks and cave ceilings. Our cave guide was also very knowledgeable and we learned about different bugs and bats found in the cave. I may have had my hands covered in mud and vampire poop at one point... Although this was one messy adventure, I'm glad I got the experience and I overcame one of my fears to explore a cave. This is what life is about, getting outside of your comfort zone. You'll realize you can handle so much more than you think!
So far these first three days have been filled with active excursions and I've already come to love this group so much that I'm excited for the amount of time we have left. Although there have been a few casualties from food poisoning, including myself, I am optimistic about our next move to Monte Verde in the cloud forest. Getting to know the other student-athletes makes me wish I had ventured out of my comfort zone within my soccer team for the past four years at Northridge. I think a good lesson to come from this trip is to not be afraid to get to know other athletes because you may have more in common than you think and form great friendships! I'm thankful for this trip and the opportunity to bond with other athletes and learn about this beautiful country! Off to Monte Verde tomorrow morning for a four and a half hour ride. Hasta luego y pura vida!Â
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First post: Student-Athletes Prepare for Costa Rica Service Trip
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