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Testimonial Janina
Baden-Wuerttemberg, Deutschland
Sechs Wochen verbrachte ich hier in Ostional, die ich unheimlich genossen habe.
Zwar verpasste ich die Arribada, aber es hat sich trotzdem gelohnt. Vermutlich habe ich nicht wirklich viel ueber Schildkroeten an sich gelernt, dafuer habe ich einen Eindruck ueber die Lebensweise der Ticos gewonnen, mein Spanisch verbessert und hatte sehr viel Zeit um mir Gedanken ueber Gott und die Welt und vor Allem meine Zukunft zu machen.
Die Arbeit beschraenkte sich normalerweise auf wenige Stunden im Morgengrauen oder nachts, sodas wir sehr viel Freizeit zur Verfuegung hatten, die wir meist am Strand verbrachten.
Manches ist gewoehnungsbeduerftig, aber darauf muss man gefasst sein, wenn man in Laender wie dieses reist. So teilten wir uns beispielsweise die Dusche mit bis zu vier grossen Krebsen, im Zucker sind meist Ameisen zu finden und dreimal am Tag gibt es Reis mit Bohnen…
Trotzdem kann ich einen Aufenthalt hier nur empfehlen!
Testimonial Shane Wilson
Connecticut (United States)
At first when I learned that I was going to Costa Rica with my mom to help rescue sea turtles I was excited since I had never seen a giant sea turtle before and I had only been out of the States once. When I arrived in Costa Rica I had mixed feelings about what to expect at the project. Once we pulled up in the car to the refuge house I became extremely excited the Pacific Ocean was right behind the house. I could feel the breeze and the breeze makes you feel amazing, the sight of the crashing waves relaxes you.
At night you walk the 3km beach there and back looking for turtle tracks to find their nests and dig them up. You dig them up to make sure that the poachers do not find them and sell them. The ocean at any shift is amazing. It looks white and the sound of the waves is peaceful.
At 3:00 PM you may work on the hatchery or something else to help the survival rate of the Olive Ridley turtles. There are a few stores and restaurants. One of the local restaurants has great fruit smoothies; I recommend the limonada!
Testimonial Ellen Wilson
Connecticut (United States)
My son and I had only one week to spend in Ostional as volunteers and I wish we had more time. It has been amazing seeing the turtles during our night patrols on the beach and knowing that each time we remove eggs and rebury them in a safe location, we are making a difference. This is really an incredible project and it means a lot to know that the whole Ostional community supports it and that your help is appreciated.
Although as volunteers we work, there is also a lot of free time to enjoy hanging out at the beach or spending time with the other volunteers. The beach here is so beautiful and you will see many buildings with palm fronds for a roof.
If you are thinking about coming to Ostional, come with the expectation that things will be very different than what you are probably used to. Expect the unexpected! I don´t say that to discourage you from coming, but rather to remind you that the adjustment to a different way of living is a major part of what you will take away from the experience.
In bringing my son to Ostional just as he is about to enter high school, I hoped that he would learn of the satisfaction one gains from volunteerism and benefit from seeing a culture that is quite different from our own. I think he has seen that less can be more and that in our culture we tend to make our lives more complicated and stressful than they need to be. I hope he will continue to learn from his experiences at Ostional long after we return to the United States.
Pura vida!
Testimonial Brittany W.
Minnesota, U.S.A.
My time in Ostional was great. It was really cool to get an opportunity to be immersed in the everyday life of another culture. The people in the village are friendly and helpful. The beach is extremely beautiful, and it was a cool experience to live near the ocean. Seeing the turtles was really amazing, and helping them was even more so (especially the babies!). The morning walks didn’t really even feel like work because the view was great and it was relaxing. The sunny days were nice, but I really could have chosen a better time to visit, I came September 2007 through November, which of course is the raining season. It poured at least 90% of my days here, though not for the whole day. But all the rain did cut into our already short work time, we usually only work for two hours or so, in the morning, I almost wish we had more work lined up for us. In the beginning it took a long time to figure out what I was supposed to be doing, and things felt very disorganized but once you get into the routine it isn’t really a problem anymore. This is a great chance to step back and think about your life, because you will have plenty of time to do just that, think. Come into this experience with a completely open mind and you will have a wonderful time. Good luck!
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