Sea Turtles in Guanacaste, Costa Rica: Week 3

 ¡Hola tortuga aficionados! With week 3 officially over, it is time for some new updates. This week we’ve been completing more course work in regards to the turtles. We have lectures and discussions just like a class on campus but the amount of school work is definitely less with maybe 5 or 6 assignments throughout the whole trip. If one thing that worries you about studying abroad is not getting to properly explore the town you are staying in then you have nothing to worry about with this program. We have been able to do so many things in regards to learning about the culture of those who live in Guanacaste, CR. This week we were able to go hiking to a waterfall which felt like a nice reward to swim in because the weather is so warm here. 

We also were able to meet a rancher here in Ostional who talked to us about sustainable farm practices and one of the biggest challenges to the locals here, which is that they are getting displaced by tourism. Many parts of Guanacaste are considered to be blue zones which are regions of the world where people generally tend to be happier and healthier, oftentimes living to be above 100 years of age. This blue zone attraction invites many tourists here and with tourists comes developers buying land and making hotels ruining the true feel and culture of the town you stay in. 

We did get a chance to go into some of these more touristy towns to learn how to surf and find little souvenirs for our family members and we really understood what the rancher was talking about because almost no one who lived in those towns were locals, it was like one big market. We continue to do patrols late and early in the day which I don’t think will ever get old.