A Day in The Life of a Volunteer
My day on an i-to-i building project in Costa Rica started very early! I would roll out of bed about 5.30AM, take a quick shower and then get ready for my day’s work. My homestay “mum” would prepare a beautiful breakfast for me and then send me off with the biggest pack lunch of rice, beans and chicken imaginable!
Walking into the centre of San Ramon as the sun rose and the shops opened was when I really started to wake up and get myself prepared for the day ahead. The buzz of daily life in Latin America is something special. I felt like I was a part of it as I was working with the locals rather than just passing through as a tourist.
Getting the bus to the building site was good fun, as it wound its way out of San Ramon and into the green hills above. The other i-to-i volunteers and I would chat about our lives back home, teach each other slang from our own countries and generally just have a laugh together.
When we arrived at the building site we would find the Ticos (locals) there already, preparing for the day ahead. Once our gloves and sunblock were on, it was time to get going, usually about 8AM. On our first day the cement mixer broke down so from then on we had to mix everything by hand, which, as you can imagine, was incredibly hard work! We would also paint girders, dig trenches, lay bricks, whatever was necessary to help with the construction of the homes. The banter with the locals was great fun, and we would teach each other Spanish and English, sing songs (very badly), and just have a good time whilst we were working. They were very happy days- I felt like I was doing a good day’s work but it never felt too tough as we had such a good time!
Lunches would be traditional Latin American lunches. We would sit peacefully eating our arroz y frijoles whilst buzzards would circle lazily over the hills in the distance. It just felt so relaxed, a world away from the stresses of everyday life in the UK.
Normally we would finish up about 3 or 4 in the afternoon and head off to the nearest bar which, handily for us, was just down the road. A beer has never tasted so good, before or since!
After getting back to my homestay I would be treated to a gorgeous meal by my family, as per usual. Sometimes I would just sit and practice my Spanish with the homestay dad, who was very keen for me to improve! I learnt more Spanish in 2 weeks in Costa Rica than I did in about 2 months in the UK! Other times we would all crowd around the TV and watch football, as it’s a national passion in Costa Rica.
All in all I was very happy that I travelled to Costa Rica and especially with i-to-i!
More Volunteering Articles
<<Volunteering and Sightseeing Volunteering Abroad for Grown Ups>>
