California State University Northridge Athletics
Matadors in Costa Rica Blog - Entry #6
6/20/2018 10:56:00 AM | General
On Friday, June 8, 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.
This post shares the perspective from women's soccer student-athlete Gabriella Hinojosa.
Our next journey landed us in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, a city not shy of tourism and adventure. On our first full day in the city, we had the opportunity to surf on Tamarindo's pristine beaches. For many of us it was our first time surfing but the surf instructors made sure we had the proper technique and guidance in order to ride some waves. These surf instructors were extremely genuine and cared deeply about our safety while we were out in the water.
What is great about Costa Rica is that the natives do not care solely about money, they thrive to get to know you on a deeper level in the short amount of time of being there which separates this country from others. They made me feel supported which ultimately helped me succeed in surfing. Our next excursion led us to the hills near Tamarindowhere we ziplined through the trees of Costa Rica. This was such a wonderful opportunity to connect with nature while overcoming the fear of height for some people. The instructors would have us hang upside down while ziplining, something I never thought I would do considering we were 100 feet in the air!
This trip to me has been all about not being afraid to try something new. I tell myself, when will I be able to ever do something like this again?
On our last day in Tamarindo, we were required to find 20 locals and tourists to fill out surveys for our research on tourism in Costa Rica. As we scurried the streets, we met people from all over the world. One of the questions we asked locals was: what are the positive and negative impacts of tourism in Costa Rica?
There was an obvious theme relating to the profound effect tourism has on the economy of Costa Rica. All locals that we interviewed mentioned that tourism gives the people of Costa Rica jobs which ultimately helps local businesses grow. It was rare to come across a local who had anything negative to say about tourism in the city. We found tourists who also say that tourism affects the economy in a positive way and that the Costa Rican people are very accepting of travelers from near and far because of what it does for the country. It was an amazing experience talking with the Costa Rican locals; it also gave us the opportunity to practice our Spanish!
That night we said our many gracious thanks to our tour guide, Eduardo, and our driver, Olman. These two genuine souls characterized what Costa Rica thrives on: happiness and humility.Â
Olman made sure we arrived to every destination safely whether rain or shine. Eduardo always greeted us with the warmest smile, making us feel like we've known him longer than this short amount of time. His extensive amount of knowledge about Costa Rica was eye opening and made me have a more profound appreciation for nature's beauty. His humble, down to earth character made me reevaluate my own materialistic ways. I do not think we can thank these two enough for making this trip one of the most memorable ones many of us can say we have been on.
#GoMatadors
