Costa Rica Orosi Testimonials
“This was the single most meaningful trip we’ve been on as a family. The cultural immersion was incredible; spending time with Federico, Paco, Mama Luz and their beautiful and kind family was one of the highlights of our lives. Everyone was so warm and inviting. Federico is a gem. We truly felt like this was an authentic intro to how people in Costa Rica live. You never get this kind of experience as a tourist! And the service project was sized appropriately for our family’s time and (limited!) skills. Gustavo was a wonderful guide for how to complete our work, and we felt proud of our completed project. It was great to learn how the people of La Flor are using the community center that Globe Aware built for meaningful uses. I sincerely hope we can return and keep the momentum going in this community.
We had a good amount of leisure time to explore the town, zip line, rock climb, and go to the hot springs. The balance was great!
The food in the restaurants was good, but the food in people’s homes was PHENOMENAL! Delicious, prepared with skilled hands and love. Mama Luz gave us a masterclass in making empanadas. I want them to make a cookbook. Eating in people’s homes made us feel like part of their family. We were able to talk with them and learn so much about how they live. Our kids loved learning about how different the school system is in Costa Rica compared to the US. Our kids as well, especially our high schooler, Ishaan. He was so moved by the trip and is thinking about how and when he could do a similar one with a few of his school friends on their own. That was truly a unique part of the trip. Unforgettable and meaningful time with the kindest people.”
Prabha Kannan
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica.
April, 2024
“I really enjoyed helping out a local family and also worked on a project to sand and paint benches for the community center. I felt like these projects were meaningful and helpful to the community. There was plenty of free time, so I got to explore some of the community.
I definitely enjoyed the food and always got seconds if I wanted them, and the accommodations were amazing. I really enjoyed the setup of the lodge. I really enjoyed Federico and how he interacted with our group and got to know us.”
Tessa Omer
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica. March, 2024
“I know we really helped this family. In addition, we worked on a community project as well. I liked the location, the people, Federico, and the work. We so love our experiences with Globe Aware. They are meaningful, fun, and mind expanding!”
Sandy Reilly
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica. November, 2023
“This was my 5th time volunteering with Globe Aware (Cuba, Cambodia, Vietnam, the Philippines, and now Costa Rica). Federico was our Costa Rica coordinator and he was EXCELLENT. He was very friendly and knowledgeable, accommodated our schedule needs, and made us feel very welcome. I would recommend the Costa Rica Orosi Valley to my friends and family. The project was a good mixture of hard work (mixing cement to make concrete) and "easy" work (helping decorate a community center for an event).”
Kyle Rowley
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica. November, 2023
Without Globe Aware, we would never have visited Orosi Valley and had this experience. This is such an exclusive experience but also so rewarding at the same time. The balance was perfect. The first half of the trip focused on working, then the second half was on leisure activities. Before beginning work at the community center, we had the chance to meet the local families that would use the community center. Having this understanding beforehand made our work project meaningful.
Sarah Park
Orosi Valley, Costa Rica. July 2022
Alex,
Everything went really well! Federico and I had no issues meeting up at the airport, and from there everything was great. He was a blast to spend time with, and helped provide a lot of perspective on the local culture, not to mention the wildlife and vegetation. He's practically a walking encyclopedia. He also set up transportation for me to visit the LaPaz waterfall park on the morning of my departure, which turned out to be really cool and something I'm very glad I did. I wasn't aware of it until the night before I left when Federico suggested it. But getting to see toucans so close up was cool, and the area where they let you hold test tubes of nectar while hummingbirds whiz around you was probably a once in a lifetime experience. The waterfalls were really dramatic too. And I got to really experience the true meaning of cloud forest after getting rained on while there.
“We had a wonderful experience and are so grateful that we were able to go on this trip as a family and with our friends. Many companies discouraged us from bringing young children along on a volunteer trip, but Globe Aware has encouraged us to bring our children and made it possible for us to do so. Thank you so much! I have already recommended Globe Aware to several of my friends.”
- AmyDear Staff at Globe Aware,
I wrote a long thank you to Frederico for our wonderful trip to the Orosi Valley last Dec., '15 when we painted their church for Christmas, but I don't think he received the email. I has been awhile but this trip is a forever memory experience. It was the most amazing time, and we (with family) enjoyed both work and play on this trip.
The wonderful other families (both on the trip and our hosts), food and futbol, card games after working a full day made the event more like "camp" since we made new friends while helping and having fun. Please send this Thanks to Frederico who may not even remember me (Sue, Scott and Mark) by this point with all his visitors, but possibly and I hope so. When I say "amazing" trip, I truly mean it and know Frederico was working hard behind the scenes every day to make this happen while appearing relaxed and easy going when he was with us, but always helping us keep on schedule.
The local people were so appreciative and welcoming. There was plenty of free time to unwind. The food was great and they even made vegetarian meals for my daughter. It was amazing to see another culture and how they live. My children were amazed at how small the houses were but everyone seemed happy. More is not always better. We were able to communicate even though there was a language barrier. It was a wonderful experience. Our guide, Federico, was amazing. He knows so much about the local culture and community. He was a travel guide, interpreter, chef, driver and friend all wrapped up into one. He is an incredible person. - Jennifer Hilger July 2014
New testimonial: Having just returned from our service trip to Orosi Valley I wanted to reach out and thank your organization for putting on a first class trip. It was truly an enlightening experience for my son and me. The accommodations were perfect, Federico did an amazing job in coordinating everything for our week’s stay, and the local work projects which we assigned were were both educational and fulfilling. My son is still talking about all that he saw and learned while in Costa Rica. - Alexander Allen, March 2015
Federico was super accommodating and tried to respond to every request that someone in our group made -- whether it was about food, free time or something else. From my perspective, everything went very smoothly. I thought the food was delicious. I especially liked the lentil patties at Gustavo's house. Going to try and make those at home one day! - Emilia Askari February 2015
I felt like our group had a positive impact on the community and was able to learn about Costa Rican culture.
The food was outstanding and was very accommodating to our groups dietary needs. - Rebekah Dunstan, March 2015