The trip is about done, and WOW have we seen a lot of really neat things! I suppose I will save the final critter-count until the post-trip blog, so instead I shall fill you, whoever chooses to read this, in on what I personally found most useful on this trip.<\/p>\n
First and foremost, your hiking boots are your best friends. Break them in BEFORE the trip, and break them in well. I got some good quality boots from a hiking store and I worked on breaking them in for a month or two before I left. I wore them to class, to grocery shop, I went hiking around Athens, I walked my dog in them, it doesn’t matter what you do just make sure you break them in! I haven’t had any problems with blisters, not one, but people who have nothing but sneakers are having a rough time in the foot department. Also, get some nice socks, I choose wool (like smart wool) and they help keep your feet dry and happy. Like I said, no foot issues; a dry foot is a happy foot.<\/p>\n
Secondly, bring long hiking pants. If you don’t like bug bites and scratches on your legs, wear long pants. They make some incredibly lightweight pants, I personally like the ones with the un-zippable legs, and the quick-dry for sure because you WILL get rained on. That brings us to a rain jacket. Carry one with you always. You’ll need it. Costa Rica is a rainy place.<\/p>\n
For my high school graduation, my family bought me a lovely pair of Eagle Optics 8×42 binoculars, they’re fantastic although they are a bit pricey. I highly recommend bringing a pair of binoculars; this is a birdwatching course and a lot of times not everyone will get to see a bird through a spotting scope before it flies away, so having binoculars as a backup is fantastic. This was told to us before we left for the trip, but a lot of people didn’t listen but GET THE BIRDS OF COSTA RICA BOOK. Seriously, get it. You’ll want it and it’s only like $15 on Amazon. It’s like $45 in Costa Rica and I promise you’ll use it.<\/p>\n
On a personal note, I decided to keep a journal, not for me though. So, if any of you have parents like mine that are incredibly difficult to shop for because they “don’t need anything,” keep a journal for them. I wrote to my parents every day, telling them about what we did, what we saw and ate and the jokes we made. I took pictures on my phone and printed them out and put them in the journal with a short caption saying what each one was and why it meant something to me. I also kept track of where we were in Costa Rica, wrote the dates for each place in the front of my bird book and marked down each day we saw a bird by its picture in the book so my parents can see every place we saw a bird and how many pretty birds we spotted. When I get home I’m going to give it to my mom as my gift, so that way she can see how the trip she helped fund impacted me and all the cool experiences I had because of it. I’m positive that will mean more to any loved one than a t-shirt or necklace.<\/p>\n
I have to say, it is very hot, humid, and rainy here, there are bugs (although thankfully I’m not the “chosen one”), but everyone has quickly become friends, and very good ones at that. I’ve made more friends in the past 18 days here in Costa Rica than I have during my entire year in Athens.<\/p>\n
Although I’ve had a lot of fun, I am ready to go home. I hope my advice helps someone in the future!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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