Helping out at the orphanage is an experience which I will never forget and the children will stay in my heart always... 
Program Volunteer Costa Rica
Project: Volunteer in the Daycare Center in Costa Rica
I was a volunteer in San Ramon, Costa Rica for seven weeks. While I was there I worked at an Orphanage and I also taught community English classes.
I have learned so much about myself and others through the experiences I have had here. You are challenged to adopt new perceptions of how things should be done, of how to act and of course what is important in life. In the orphanage I experienced a range of emotions from enthusiasm to lethargy, acceptance and reception and sadness to intense joy. Helping out at the orphanage is an experience which I will never forget and the children will stay in my heart always.
The English classes gave me the opportunity to learn more about English and how to teach, how to really communicate and idea or a phrase in a different way perhaps, or to think about why we say things the way we do.
I also had the chance to meet great Ticos who I will remain in contact with. The English classes wee also helpful for acquiring more Spanish, something I never forget expected! I would definitely recommend volunteering, but first you must be ready to be challenged. You must be ready to embrace and give as much of yourself as you can to the people you work with and meet. But do not expect to be the Good Samaritan in this story. I gave much but I gained mountains. This experience has awakened sides of me which I never knew existed.
Jessica Dowden
