Day 1 and 2 of preparation! (3/20/23-3/21/23)

 Our days of preparation

Monday 20th

Today we all did research on an aspect of Ojochal, Costa Rica. For example, the marine animals of the area, the importance of mangroves for the ecosystem, the flora and fauna of the area, and the different climates of Costa Rica. We all took notes on the different presentations in our journals. 


Our journals are really important for this trip, that is where we will be taking notes on classes, reflecting on our experiences throughout the day, and highlights of the day. Everyone has taken a journal and we will dedicate 15 minutes every night to journaling. 

We went through the packing list one more time and made sure everyone was clear on what to bring. 

Then, Mr. Roddy led us through a group activity where we needed to pass objects around a circle but everyone had to touch the item once before going to the same person again, and once everyone touched the item we added another item to the circle to pass around. This was hard at first and we struggled to get into the rhythm, but after a couple minutes and some delibiration of how to do it best, we finally got the hang of it. 
And that was the end of our first day

Tuesday 21st 

Today we all came in with packed bags and excitation for our day of travel. We all came in and grouped our suitcases outside. We settled in the classroom and Maestra Novak collected our passports and visas while we all checked that we had all the necesary requirements for the flight. 

The students that didn't present their topic last class went today, we learned about the different fish of Ojochal, safety precautions while snorkeling and the pacific and carribean sides of Costa Rica. 

We watched some educational videos from Innoceana, our partner organization for the first 5 days. On their website we saw the people we will be working with at Innoceana and the details of our activities.

We also visited Rancho Mastatal's website and looked at some videos of the acitivties they offer. We saw where we would be staying: the bunk house. 

For our last activity before leaving we went outside and re-did our group activity from yesterday, and this time we did a lot better. 

We will be leaving at 1:30pm for the airport and our flight is at 5.15pm.     

See y'all next time
Pura vida
- Juliet               


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