Catherine and Garrett

The past week has been one of the most exciting and challenging weeks I've ever had. From zip lining through the rain forest and exploring caves on the first day, it was pretty obvious this week was going to be full of adventures. Seeing all the animals (like sloths and monkeys) and the plants were amazing, but the views we've seen are my favorite. Waking up to the volcano outside our window and seeing the beautiful lake while we zip lined was amazing! I was way out of my comfort zone many times this week too, but it was so worth the challenge. Snorkeling and repelling really pushed me out of that little zone, but being able to see the fish and the reef or say that I have jumped off of a cliff into a waterfall is far more rewarding than sitting out because I was kind of scared. Today we start our trip to Tres Equis for our home stay portion of the trip, and this is the part I am most excited for. I can't wait to join a family and live like they do because it will be a different but really good experience. I can't believe this week is more than halfway over, but the lessons and memories made here will last forever.
--Catherine

This past week has been full of laughter. In particular, it's come from our bus driver, Carlos. You can find Carlos one most days rocking the Ray-Ban aviators with a white tank. He is the definition of looking cool. Carlos speaks no English but that hasn't really stopped any communications. For example, to refer to Cannon, he just looks at him and flexes his arms and gives out a guttural roar ("ruuuuuuuuuuhhh"). Seems applicable. Our conversations with Carlos have put me at ease about the upcoming home stays. I've been a little but nervous about how the experience will go lately. I've been anxious about feeling entirely lost, trying to communicate with an entire family in a language that is not my first by any means of the word. My biggest fear, as a guy who loves to make friends, is that my relationship with the host family will be less than surface, because of the language barrier. I'm sure that there will be times that I try to say something in Spanish and it comes out completely wrong and they change their opinion of my character, but I hope that I can actually get to know this family. I think, through all of this apprehension, that it will be ok. I think we will be able to communicate well enough to really get to know each other. The next three days will be a sharp, sharp change from what we have been experiencing, but I'm extremely excited to see what will become of it.

--Garrett Ayers