I felt very welcomed

I stayed at Cerro Seco for about 2 weeks at the beginning of August, 2014. I was quite nervous as I went alone, and berely knew any Spanish. However immediately upon my arrival I felt very welcomed. I had the pleasure of sharing my stay with another volunteer who was from Germany, and she and I got along very well.

Every morning started with a walk into the forest to take care of the donkey. After that we would eat breakfast, witch was always delicious. My absolute favourite were the banana pancakes that Michaela would make... soo good! I then would spend some time working around the reserve, usually in the greenhouse, watering plants, and whatever else needed to be done around Cerro Seco. 

I got to spend some time painting signs, which I really enjoyed because of my somewhat artistic background. 

After work we would head down to the school and teach some of the older kids (ages around 10-14) english. This was always entertaining, the kids were just lovely, and it was unexpectedly one of my favourite parts of the whole experience. I too had lessons of my own, in Spanish, from one of the girls who lived in Bellavista. She was so sweet and I learned quite a bit. 

The rest of the time I had plenty of time to explore and relaz, and visit neighbouring towns to sightsee and party. All in all I had a fantastic time. Both Bahía and Cerro Seco were beautiful, and everyone was so easygoing and friendly. If I could do anything differently, I would have learned more Spanish beforehand, and I definitely would have stayed a little longer. 

Lindsay Sackett

23, Canadian