Matt Kowalewski '19 shares about the experience as he and fellow student-athletes visit Costa Rica during spring break.
Junior members of the Elon University football team are spending Spring Break in Costa Rica as a part of the Elon Commitment to its students achieving a global experience. Check in to elonphoenix.com to view updates of the program from its athletes on the overall experience.
Today’s update is provided by Matt Kowalewski.
After a great night of sleep, when my alarm went off at 6:15 a.m. I was reluctant to get out of bed. Little did I know that we were about to complete some of the most gratifying work of the week-long trip on this “mildly” (as some locals said, it was actually scorching) hot Costa Rican day. The day truly helped us realize how great of an opportunity we have being student-athletes at Elon University.
Finally out of bed and ready to attack the day, we gathered in the hotel restaurant for a quick traditional Costa Rican breakfast and we were all ready to go to the Tortuga Reserve. A 20-minute bus ride and the unknown aspect of the day left us anxious. As we arrived at the reserve we walked down a rock-filled dirt road to the main building. Workers were eager for us to help out and greeted us at the door with bright smiles.
Once everyone had filed in the main building, a member of the reserve staff gave us a presentation about the reserve. She gave us the history of the reserve and discussed the mission about saving and promoting wildlife, specifically sea turtles. The reserve takes the eggs the turtles lay on the beach and moves them to the reserve to ensure a safe birth. This is why our work to clean the beach was necessary, so the turtles have a safe way to come on the beach.
As we worked our way down to the beach to search for trash we could instantly see the beauty of the beach and the ocean. Although the sun was scorching down on us, we knew we had an important job to do. The search for trash was also filled with great fun. As we had to work our way across fallen trees that acted as bridges over the water, a few of us learned quickly we were not as athletic as the others and fell in (Copeland Spell and myself)! Sea turtles and other wildlife are greatly affected by the trash that ends up on the Costa Rican beaches. We feel honored as a group to play a small part in helping to keep these animals’ homes clean so they can stay healthy.
After a short ride back to the hotel, everyone was starving and in need of a change of clothes from all of the sweat and work we completed. Some of us took naps while others went into town, Dominical, to grab a bite to eat before we headed back out.
Our next stop was arguably the most meaningful of the trip. After a short 15-minute bus ride we arrived at Escuela la Flor de Bahia. Here we were greeted with big stares, wide smiles and friendly waves from the young schoolchildren. When we entered the classroom, which is outside and covered by a roof with no air-conditioning and only fans, the students picked an “amigo” for the day. Unsurprisingly, I was picked last and this is where I met Yarlina, an 11-year-old native to Costa Rica who loves school and being with her best friend Daniela.
As I got to know Yarlina and the other students, I looked around the schoolyard and was hit with a sense of selfishness because of how nice we have it back in the U.S. After meeting Yarlina, we toured the school and played soccer ( tried to bring out his inner goalie). We also attempted to teach the students American football, although some of the students preferred sticking to soccer, something we all enjoyed learning more about from them.
I feel truly blessed to have the opportunity to come here to Costa Rica and meet all of these wonderful people and take in the sights with my best friends. As our week is nearing its end, we have enjoyed getting to call Costa Rica our home and look forward to what the rest of this spectacular week has in store.