Written by Kate Willoughby, 2022-23 Latitudes Student
This semester I volunteered and worked at Kids Saving the Rainforest for 3 months in Costa Rica. Here, I worked in the animal sanctuary with their lovely animals and people that work here. I got the privilege to learn so much about wildlife and all of the animals in Costa Rica. I stayed on the property of Kids Saving the Rainforest in their volunteer center with other amazing volunteers. We stayed about 20 minutes from Quepos and Manuel Antonio which are beautiful towns that I was able to explore outside of work.
Everyday, I worked – I would start my day by waking up and meeting other volunteers and staff to prepare food and animal enclosures for the day. Afterwards, I went to eat breakfast with everyone and came back to work. Throughout the day I would do all sorts of tasks and activities that ranged from painting decorations for the sanctuary, to helping build new and maintain enclosures. It is very hot in Costa Rica’s rainforest which could make you feel a bit tired, but nonetheless, the work was so fun and so rewarding.
I got to work with all sorts of animals I have never seen before coming here, like sloths, squirrel monkeys, and kinkajous. The animals here were in captivity because they have complications that make it not possible for them to be released into the wild. I got to care for them by making sure their enclosures were safe, and providing enrichment, food, and medicine. Seeing these animals happy was honestly so rewarding. The people here care so deeply for the animals and you can feel the love from everyone.
To work here is to be a part of a team. Everyone here is connected with one another in some way and everyone has the same interests in helping these animals. I got to make so many friends from all over the world and also got to really immerse myself in another country. I have so much appreciation and love for this place and had an awesome experience at KSTR.
What was challenging about this semester?
What I would say has challenged me this semester would be the language barrier. Prior to my gap year, I did not speak any Spanish, but after my immersion program in the first semester, I was more prepared to practice in my second semester. I stayed in a Spanish speaking country, while there were people on property who could speak English and help me out, there were still many people I worked with who only really spoke Spanish. It was a bit of a struggle at first as I only really had basic knowledge of the language and sentence structures, but as time went on it is truly amazing how much it improved. I learned so much work-related Spanish and also just how people talk in conversation. Immersion is 100% the easiest way to acquire a new language, when you have to speak the language it improves exponentially. Now I can tell stories and speak very casually in Spanish, I also feel really comfortable speaking the language in public and in transportation. I am not fluent but this challenge was a blessing in disguise.
What were the highlights of your experience?
My highlights of my experience have definitely been being able to see what a difference this organization makes and how helpful this place is. I got to experience a rescue and release for a couple of animals here, and seeing the process from rescue to release is truly amazing. I got to learn so much about this job, what they do here, and how amazing wildlife is. An independent highlight would be that I was able to travel in a foreign country by myself. I found public transportation and got to go to the beach here in Manuel Antonio with friends outside of work. I got to experience work and travel from an independent perspective and it helped me to get to know myself better and grow as a person.
A little gratitude:
What I am most grateful for is the connections I made. I got to know and work with amazing people and have challenges and successes with them. I made really good friends and got to be apart of a community down there. Making lifelong friends with people from all over the globe is such an amazing opportunity that I wouldn’t trade for the world.
Inspired by Kate’s gap year? Learn more about the Latitudes Year and carve ou,t your own journey!
