Days 5 & 6

During Sunday's lunch at the Cabinas, the team was joined by special guest Colline Emmanuele. Colline is a team member at The Ara Project, a non-profit organization that breeds endangered Great Green Macaws and eventually releases them into the wild.

Colline gave a history of the organization, emphasized the importance of the conservation project, and outlined some of the goals and objectives of the project.


A colorful tailfeather.


A Great Green Macaw egg.

In addition to the objectives and details of the organization, Colline also discussed the need for funding. The Ara Project relies heavily on the sponsorship of a few donors, and many team members go months at a time without receiving a paycheck. FDU is hoping to create a relationship with The Ara Project, not only offering supplies, but also sending students to the aviary for volunteer work, internships and classes.

Want more information regarding The Ara Project? Head over to www.thearaproject.org to learn about team members, the breeding center and how you can get involved.

At 6:30am on Monday morning, the group departed for a hike through the jungle to get up close and personal with the animals and plants native to Costa Rica. The group has been led by Omar for the past three years, and he is not only knowledgeable and passionate about the wilderness here, but also has an incredibly keen eye, often spotting elusive sloths, birds and snakes that would have been otherwise passed by.





A toucan watches over as the group leaves the Cabinas.




Touching the "sensitive plant", a fern-like plant that closes its leaves when touched.


Braver group members hold a spider.


Omar explains the noni fruit - a medicinal fruit that happens to smell like bleu cheese.






Omar opens a coconut at Monkey Point.

On the way back from the hike, the group participated in an impromptu team-building exercise: a car had gotten stuck in the wet sand near the inlet. After a little discussion and a few failed attempts, the entire group actually lifted the vehicle up to more solid sand so that it could escape the rising tide.

Day Four

On Saturday, former FDU professors Dan and Rose Twomey invited the team to their home for lunch and conversation. It was a very special opportunity for the group to be able to spend time with the two people who were largely responsible for connecting the FDU and Manzanillo communities.


Melissa, Aubrie and Mrs. Twomey on a walk through the grounds.

The Twomeys suggested Manzanillo as the site for these service learning trips after bringing students down for a class on sustainable business and management. Aside from being such an influential part of the experience here, the Twomeys have truly opened their hearts and home to the team, giving advice and sharing their experiences.

Over pizza and punch, the Twomeys opened a discussion about the group's thoughts and experiences over the first half of the trip. The group members each shared how the visit to Manzanillo had affected them so far, and no two people had the same response. Leslie noted how the experience made her more proud to be bilingual, while Megan discussed how the trip made her see the importance of seizing opportunities rather than letting them pass by. A common sentiment throughout the group, however, was the quick closeness of the group - many of the locals in Manzanillo are surprised to learn that few members of the group knew one another before coming to Costa Rica. Frankly with how close we have gotten in just a few days, it's surprising to us sometimes, too.

On the mile-or-so walk home from the Twomey's, the group picked up trash along the beach and collected green beach almonds to give to the Great Green Macaw preservation center in town. The center breeds, raises and releases these beautiful birds, but does need all the help it can get, as it is mostly run by volunteers and relies heavily on donations - but more on that to come in tomorrow's post. The team picked the green almonds up from the sand, and also from one of the trees that grows along the shoreline. The macaws eat the bitter green almonds, but when they get dark brown and ripe, they are enjoyed by people too. By the end of the afternoon, we were well on our way to our goal of 1,000 almonds.










Mrs. Twomey instructs some of the team where to cut in order to take one of the large logs off the beach.








Joe, Levar, Mike and Nick get creative to find a way to pick up and move the waterlogged wood.


Transporting beach almonds back to the Cabinas.

Day Three

For many group members, the most rewarding aspect of the service trips to Manzanillo is the close interaction with members of the community. On Friday afternoon, the team was joined by three young boys from the community, who were all excited to add some finishing touches to the paint on the bus stop and volleyball court. Their enthusiasm was nothing short of contagious.




Victoria paints Akil's hand to make handprints on the bus stop bench.






Megan and Akil stencil the posts of the volleyball net.


Clockwise from left: Victoria, Pablo, Katie and Neftali.






Victoria guides Joshua in the next painting project.

A common greeting in Manzanillo is "Pura Vida" - literally "the good life". It's considered an appropriate greeting or answer to the question "how are you", and is a true embodiment of the attitude here on the Caribbean coast. Several group members have embraced the "Pura Vida" mentality, and are sure to showcase it around the town.

Day Two

The group's focus for the first few days of the trip has been renovating the town's bus stop, using fresh paint and a new roof. With a little help from locals Alejandro and Luis, the bus stop nearly transforms over the course of a single day.


Thursday morning brings another day of gorgeous weather - a little uncharacteristic for the "rainy season" in Manzanillo.




Megan scrubs down the posts in preparation for a new coat of paint.




Work continues on the concrete posts that serve to keep cars off the beach.


The roof, in transition.


Out with the old.










Leslie and Neftali scrub one of the concrete benches in preparation for paint. Neftali is the daughter of the Cabinas' proprietors, and spent most of the day assisting us with painting projects.








Nick and Joe get creative with some makeshift "steps".








Manzanillo charm.



So far, the group has received and overwhelmingly positive response from the community, who recognize the university students from previous visits. In addition to renovating the bus stop, students will also do some clean-up work at the school, and there is talk of maintaining the hiking trails that wind through the jungle.

In addition to the service projects, several students have taken advantage of the outdoor adventures that Manzanillo has to offer. The group members take "shifts", spending a few hours here and there fishing, hiking or cooking in the Cabinas before returning to work. The opportunities to work and interact with the local people are practically endless, and have allowed the students to broaden their cultural horizons.