On July 9, Girl Scout Troop 1657 of Pelham sojourned out to explore the vast culture and biodiversity of Costa Rica. The girls visited the Arenal Volcano Region of Monteverde and San Jose. With eight girls and six mothers, the group took an EF Tour (Education First) where they experienced Costa Rica’s culture and wildlife.

The visit consisted of volunteer time at an orphanage, planting trees for reforestation, day and night hikes, visiting a waterfall and a volcano, hot springs, and a coffee plantation, along with kayaking.

Laura Barge, one of the troop leaders, gave insight to the planning of the trip, “There was a 3 year payment plan, plus we sold cookies, chocolates, (and) nuts, and raised organic heirloom tomato plants to sell. Most of the funding came from our parents.” She also commented that the idea of the trip was to keep girls interested in being a Girl Scout. “There is a drop off in Girl Scouting at the same time that many girls grow up and can do really cool things,” she said.

Maelle Navarro, a member of troop 1657, expressed that her favorite aspect of the trip was her visit to the orphanage. “It was a really big impact [for me], seeing how they lived in an orphanage that probably didn’t have a lot of money,” she said. “There were little babies and the oldest was about 12.” According to Navarro, the children spoke almost exclusively Spanish.

In addition to visiting the orphanage, troop 1657 planted trees in a tree farm in an effort to learn about reforestation in Costa Rica.“We were in groups of four and we each planted two trees,” Navarro said. “I liked it because we were making an impact on the environment.”

On the EF tour bus, Pelham troop 1657 drove around Monteverde witnessing the exotic wildlife. “I loved seeing the wild birds, scarlet macaws, and roseate spoonbills,” said Barge. “But the monkeys, sloths and the olingos were also very cool.”

Lisa Koonce, co-leader of the troop, told more about their time in the Arenal Region. “We traveled several hours higher into the mountains to visit Monteverde and the cloud forests,” she said. “We did an extreme zip line course…then traveled several hours to the South to the tropical dry forests and pacific coast, including a fantastic day at the beautiful tropical beach in Manuel Antonio National Park.”

The girls also went on a night hike where members of the trip saw several tarantulas. The girls also visited a coffee plantation where they learned about the growing, harvesting, and shipping of coffee.

Another beneficial aspect of the trip was the cultural insight the girls experienced.  “On our way back to San Jose we explored Sarchi in the central mountainous region, which is a hub of traditional craft production,” said Koonce. “We tried to pick an itinerary that allowed the girls to see and experience the broad range of biodiversity in Costa Rica as well as learn a bit about Costa Rica’s history and culture.” The members of the trip attempted a traditional ox cart painting technique and attended a night of traditional Costa Rican music and dancing.

The troop also ate traditional dishes such as rice and beans and plantains and watched traditional dances in costumes at restaurants.

“Nature exists in a delicate balance, even in a place as diverse and healthy as Costa Rica,” said Barge about what she learned from the trip. “We did get to understand biodiversity and its desirability better.”