Friday was our last day in Bonanza Norte. We accomplished a great number of projects during our time in the village: Maddy painted a beautiful mural on the side of the bus stop we helped build;

Emily and Morgan set up decorated trash cans to help reduce litter;

David and Taylor interviewed locals;

Ellie filmed moments of our work for a video project; Alex, Freddie, and Thomas built nets for soccer goals;

Filip and Zach taught kids English; Sofia, Olivia, and Logan ran a summer camp; Dana taught dance; and Myles and Ned taught music. Our group is happy to have accomplished so much for the community of Bonanza Norte, and everyone was sad to leave.

As a farewell, we had a Despedida party and many of the community members came to say goodbye and thanks. We saw how much closer we grew both as a Putney group and as a larger community of Bonanza Norte since our arrival, even though we only were there for a few weeks.

Tears were shed as we said goodbye in the form of heartfelt letters to all the kids we played with over the duration of our stay. We danced and took many photos together to remember each other by.

A highlight of the evening was the song ¨Riptide,” performed by Myles, Taylor, Emma (our leader), and Ned.

We thanked the community and the adults who had worked closely with us for the last 3 weeks, especially Carlos our foreman, Mary Elsie and Yesenia for cooking delicious Costa Rican food, and Omar, the only English speaker in the town and our friend. We are so grateful for the delicious meals and the guidance and support we received.

We are sad that our amazing trip in Costa Rica is coming to an end, but we can’t wait to see you all! Next stop: Playa Sámara for surfing lessons and fun on the beach!