Today we planted mangroves. It was a very special experience because in Florida the mangroves are endangered and we are not allowed to touch them without risk of a fine. We started at the mangrove nursery and then went on to find the mangrove pods on the trees. We had to find the pods that … Continue reading Mangroves and their impact on the bottom of the food chain by Emma Varney
This trip to Costa Rica has been amazing so far! I have been here for two days. We are staying in the Osa Peninsula, which is on the southern border of the country. This is where two endangered sea turtle species live, the green sea turtle and the hawksbill. We have spent the past two … Continue reading SPC Veterinary Technicians in Costa Rica by Jillian Festa
Today was day two in the water. We woke up to a wonderful breakfast with fresh fruit and a hot plate of eggs, rice, beans, and plantains. After a wonderful breakfast we headed off on our bikes to the turtle rescue and research center to begin our day catching, measuring, and tagging sea turtles. We … Continue reading My favorite turtle. by Jessica Dibling
Day one was finally complete. It was longest day I have had in awhile. Waking up at 3am to pick up Katie and Jillian on the way to airport was struggle. Our plane from Tampa to Miami was leaving thirty minutes earlier then we expected, but everyone was on time and got on the plane … Continue reading The First Days of our Study Abroad experience in Costa Rica by Kaylee Lannigan
Today we reported for our first day as volunteers for Widecast. We didn’t know what to expect, but we were very excited to work with the turtles. Pictured is the sheet we filled out for each turtle. It seemed very overwhelming because it was written in both English and Spanish, but after the first few … Continue reading The Turtle Information Sheet by Emma Varney
On our first day we rode bikes to the white cast compound. It was about in 2 1/2 mile bike ride that was scary. Because people drove so crazy. The weather wasn’t too bad because it was cloudy. Which made good bike riding weather that morning. We had orientation when we arrived. During orientation they … Continue reading The First Day with Tortugas on our Study Abroad program by Brittany Daniels
After an entire day of traveling, we woke to an early breakfast at 5:45 am (the earliest I have ever gotten up for breakfast). Marie, our host, whipped up a tasty variety of fresh fruit, eggs and Costa Rica’s famous rice and beans. After breakfast we loaded up and took a 2.5 mile bike ride … Continue reading Buenos Dias from Costa Rica! by Kristina Cascone
Day one here in Alejula has been great. Our villa overlooks the valley and when it is all lit up it is simply breathtaking. Tomorrow we are off to San Jose to visit the Chamber of Commerce and do a little sightseeing.
We caught four turtles on our first day. The staff at Widecast would bring the boat into shore and depending how big the turtle is several of us would get the turtle out of the boat and to the shore on tires so we could preform our procedure. With every turtle we would check for … Continue reading First Turtle Day! by Tonya Cowgill
I arrive at the airport before the sun has come to a rise. The lady took back my suitcase and I slid my passport to receive my flight ticket. I met up with my group and kissed my family goodbye. I imagined security being much worse than it was. All the talk on the news … Continue reading My First Flight by Tonya Cowgill