Pura Vida
By: Selena Alvarado
The second day of sunburn is the worst. It is bad when you
start to feel it in the shower after a day in the sun but once it’s all settled
and gets comfortable it hurts. I have only been sunburned two times in my life
prior to Costa Rica. The Costa Rican sun did me well. People warned me but I
thought I was immune. Definitely a lesson to be learned for the future. I
reapplied sunblock every other hour today and will continue this until I am
back in the States.
Before I left for Costa Rica my uncle told me to make sure I
say “Pura Vida” while I was here. I was not sure what he was talking about
until I heard people saying it like a greeting. I asked one of the sea turtle
teachers what it meant but she was not sure. I also asked our host family if
they knew where it came from, but no one seems to know where it comes from. It
is a mystery that I am going to try to solve once I get back to the city and
have internet access.
Today we measured and planted mangrove trees. They are the only tree that lives in salt water. It is very crucial for
these trees to be planted because the turtles feed off them. There are also lots
of other creatures that live in the trees that are vital to nature like snakes
and birds.
The planting was nothing too exciting. It was just a lot of
hard work and digging. I definitely hope that I will be able to get a good
night’s rest. Tomorrow is our last day volunteering and we get to spend it out
on the boat again. Hopefully we will actually see a few turtles this time!
Ciao!
