Week 5: Goodbyes

I cannot believe that my study abroad is over. As I write this on the plane back to San Diego, I plan to reflect on everything I have experienced and learned. 

Costa Rica is such a beautiful place with incredible people. I feel so incredibly privileged and lucky to have visited it. Our last week was largely spent living in the Santa Rosa National Park. We lived in the biology station there, which was a great way to end our study abroad, as our whole class got to be close to one another, bunking in cabin rooms with 6-8 people each. Minus a scorpion in our room the first night, these cabins were great for spending time together. We finished our class assignments here as well and gave our final presentations on our independent research projects. 

One of my favorite parts of Santa Rosa had to be the hikes. We got to hike up to a monument with an incredible lookout point. We were lucky enough to even see a rainbow up there one day. The walk there is also spectacular. I saw three different species of monkeys: capuchin, spider monkeys, and howler monkeys, as well as deer, frogs, and many insects. 

Capuchin Monkey in Santa Rosa National Park

Wednesday, we traveled down to the beach connected to Santa Rosa National Park, where turtles and jaguars frequent. We had to ride in specialized jeeps made for the off-roading required for the trip. This drive was both beautiful and extremely bumpy. We drove through rivers, rocks, and down windy roads on the mountain, and had so much fun. Our professor joked before we left that it would feel like riding the Indiana Jones ride at Disneyland for the entire hour's drive, which was definitely true.

The jeeps we got to ride in down the mountain

Once we arrived, we saw jaguar tracks, a turtle carapace left behind after jaguar predation, and jaguars caught on the camera traps in the forest. We learned a lot about the predation habits of jaguars, specifically on sea turtles.

The rest of our time in Santa Rosa was spent talking, watching movies, taking walks, and enjoying our time together. Friday morning, we were driven to Rincon de la Vieja National Park, where we hiked to and swam in a waterfall. We also enjoyed some hot springs heated by the volcano. After all of this, we enjoyed our last dinner together before we all departed the next morning.

My friend and I walking over a suspension bridge to a waterfall

Saying goodbye to Costa Rica and all of the friends I made there was so incredibly hard. I have made some lifelong friends on this trip and some unforgettable memories. I will definitely make my way back to Costa Rica in the future.