Three weeks have never gone so fast. I have done other animal conservation programs and my expectations were far surpassed. I made amazing friends and learned an incredible amount about sea turtle conservation in the short time I stayed. Drake Bay is beautiful and everyone treats you like family. Rio Oro was a very unique experience with lots of turtle interaction and takes the trip to the next level. My homestay was fantastic and humbling, you really get a chance to experience the day to day life of the locals and I think it is really cool how they have offered new ways of making a living by infusing the volounteer accomodations with the families of El Progresso. The turtle program is a community wide effort and involves many locals(my homestay mother included). I have made friends from all over the world and if you dont come with a sense of duty to protect the turtles it will surely rub off from the coordinators and volunteers who live for it. The only thing on my mind right now is how I can return to Costa Rica and offer even more for the turtle program. I hope programs like this become more popular than they already have until the turtles are no longer threatened.
Come and stay for a while, it was unforgettable.

Joe Hejna