First thoughts of Costa Rica during my two-month volunteer experience at a surf camp. 

After ten days of living and working at Dreamsea Surf Camp in Tamarindo, Costa Rica, I’m in a very interesting place in life.

On one hand, I’m relaxing in between jobs, napping on beautiful beaches and living completely immersed in nature.

On the other hand, I’m learning new things, meeting countless new people, and trying to enhance my writing experience by crafting articles for the Dreamsea website.

I am at peace with where I am in life.

Yet I am still eager to grow and change as a writer, as a traveler, and as a human being.

The pace of life here in Tamarindo is slow, yet full of adventure.

We live by “Tico Time”. That means when dinner is served at 7:30 pm, it will probably be closer to 8 pm.

Everyone is happy to live in the moment, enjoying life without rushing or planning too far ahead.

Despite this constant calmness I feel, every day is still packed with excitement.

Between salsa dancing, surfing lessons, and daily beach adventures, I’ve already had countless wonderful experiences and I’m not even close to done with my trip.

I’ve found it’s often the little things that really enhance an average day.

So here are a few specific moments that have made my time memorable so far.

Memorable moments from my first few days in Costa Rica

• Hula-hooping during downtime and attempting to learn cool tricks from my fellow volunteers
• Getting caught in the rain at the beach and loving every second of it
• Constantly hearing infectious Latin and reggae music everywhere
• Witnessing the most incredible sunsets night after night at Playa Tamarindo

• Finding my backpack and bed frame to be infested with ants, cleaning them out nonchalantly, and somehow still feeling comfortable living in a tent
• Collecting beautiful shells and sand dollars at the beach
• Wearing the same clothes over and over without hesitation
• Successfully fitting a huge group of people and lots of surfboards into one truck

• Playing with Mango and Tito, the camp dogs
• Feeling hypnotized by some amazing fire dancers at a night club
• Eating the most delicious homemade meals and having nightly group meetings after dinner
• Playing ping pong and drinking games using the homemade wooden table

• Lounging in one of the many comfy hammocks draped around trees in the camp
• Trudging through giant sticky mud puddles and somehow still having my flip flops afterward
• Feeling elated when I finally stood up on a surfboard for a full wave
• Enjoying the most refreshing cold showers after a long day at the beach

• Watching in awe as professional surfers slice through giant waves with ease
• Noticing the darkness sparkle with fireflies at night
• Brushing my teeth in the middle of the common space, at a small sink looking out into the jungle

• Participating in peaceful morning yoga and other interesting practices like Chakra Cleansing and Dynamic Meditation
• Hearing about the interesting lives and travels of other volunteers at Dreamsea