This year, I was offered on a trip of a lifetime. I was able to take a trip to Costa Rica, and it was an experience I will never forget. A teacher at Elder High School offered to take a bunch of seniors down to Costa Rica for our Christmas break. At the airport I wondered why out of all places, why did Mr. Kreimer choose Costa Rica. As the day went on, I kept hearing everyone say how beautiful, exciting, and fun it’s going to be. Another great perk was that it was warm, which is awesome since we live in Cincinnati. After thinking about it, Costa Rica felt like the perfect choice.

One thing that made this trip special was going with my friends. The memories that we made were so great because we all made them together. Mr. Kreimer said, “I could have gone on a commercial tour with mostly senior citizens, but I decided to go with our senior students instead. I felt that students would be more fun to travel with. Young people bring positive energy and a great attitude wherever they go. They are spontaneous, full of life, and always ready to try new things. Being around that kind of energy made the trip more exciting and enjoyable.” He could not have picked a better group of guys.

When we finally landed, I had never been more excited for a trip in my life. We took a bus to the hotel, and it was not only the nicest hotel I had ever been in, but the views were unreal.

The next day we took a boat ride through the rainforest and got to see several different animals, but my favorite were the giant crocodiles. We then went to the beach where we were able to play games, eat, and best of all get in the water. After a couple hours we headed back to the hotel to get some rest because we had a huge day ahead.

The next day we were going on a hike through the rainforest to get to cabins where we will be staying. We were told that the hike was six miles but ended up being about nine. It was a hot brutal hike, but the views were amazing.

When we got to the cabins, we were all exhausted and dehydrated. I’m glad we were all able to accomplish it together. The next morning was the worst morning of the trip. Everyone woke up sick, and the worst part was that we were whitewater rafting that day. I was looking forward to that more than anything, but because I was sick, I didn’t go. They told us that later in the week we would be able to go again which made me feel a lot better. For two days, a lot of us were out of commission.

After two days of feeling horrible everyone started to feel a lot better. The trip was coming to a close, but we had two more exciting days ahead of us. We got to the zipline, and did a Tarzan swing which was one of the scariest/greatest things of my life. On the final day we got to whitewater raft one last time, but this one was 14 miles long.

The water was colder than ever, and I started not to like it. We then got in the raft and started going. Once we started paddling the thought of being cold went away. The waterfalls, animals, views were unlike anything. My favorite part was making stops during the whitewater rafting to get in the waterfalls and hangout.

We all had an early morning, so when we got back to the hotel we ate and went to bed. We had to be at the airport at 3:30.

Every day felt like a new adventure. This trip to Costa Rica was an unforgettable experience. I learned a lot, made great memories, and had a great time with my friends. Even though getting sick and the long hike were difficult, it was well worth it. Costa Rica was one of the greatest experiences of my life, and I am beyond grateful I was given the opportunity to go.