University of Colorado, B.A. Sociology & Peace and Conflict Studies
Meghan is a 4th grade teacher in Denver, Colorado. Currently, Meghan is also working on her Masters in Educational Psychology and her certification in linguistically Diverse Education. She graduated from the University of Colorado with a B.A. in Sociology and Peace & Conflict Studies.
Clark has trained and volunteered at Tom Brown Jr.’s Tracker School in New Jersey, The Wilderness Awareness School in Washington, and the PAST Skills Wilderness School in Montana. Clark received his B.A. in Environmental Studies through Prescott College. 
Daren has worked as an outdoor educator in Alaska, California, New York, and Mexico. He has also been a high school English and ESL teacher for 4 years. After spending a year living in Costa Rica he found himself drawn to the Latin American culture language and lifestyle. 
Braden currently teaches Spanish to middle school students in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. He possesses an undergraduate degree in Anthropology and a Masters degree in Public Health. 
Crisley first met our students when he was working on his dissertation at the Poco Sol research station in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Since then, he has traveled all over Costa Rica teaching students about the ecology of Costa Rica. Welcome Global Works travelers, parents and friends. We are excited to share with you trip updates from around the world. As our main office receives updates from the trips we will update the page as we receive news from the field.
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Welcome from your Global Works Leaders!
Its right around this time of year when the transitions between seasons make us all expectantly waiting for change to come. In Portland (Daren’s home), the late spring rains give way to glorious sun breaks that feel very much like the afternoon rain in Costa Rica. In Colorado, (Meghan and Clarks’ home) the sky is burning with the change that fills the Rocky mountain rivers to the point of flood-like swelling.
All of us are waiting to join in the tropical summer of Costa Rica, waiting to join hands with the community of Santa Cruz de Leon Cortez, anticipating the soul-full swing through the forest canopy above the Valle Central, and dreaming wistfully of pacific coast waves to sweep us into their green barreled Zen.
We look forward to seeing the bulging coffee-cherries getting ready for the fall harvest and tasting the Gallo Pinto made lovingly by our host families. I look forward to indoor soccer games in the community “Concha” with Americans sharing their soccer skills with fellow “Ticos”. We look forward to meeting all of the students in the airport and the small community that forms between us all during our time in Costa Rica, we hope you are too! See you in July!
Your leaders,
Daren, Meghan, and Clark
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Photo Update:
Update #1:
July 9: Today was the first day of the trip and it was already exciting. We arrived a full three hours early, but were plenty busy meeting all of the new faces. We introduced ourselves and tried to remember all the new names. As the group got bigger and bigger, the knots in our stomachs grew tighter and tighter, yet we knew that pretty soon, these people were to become close friends. After a game of cards and some chatting, we really started to get to know each other. On the airplane, we met our first Costa Rican amigo, Javier. He moved to the USA a year ago and is going back to visit his family and friends, who he hasn’t seen in seven months. He told us what to look out for in Costa Rica, both good and bad. Javier was kind enough to give us a list of slang words to use with local teens. We have to be careful though, not to use them with our host parents…
We are extremely excited for the rest of our trip and our leaders seem very warm and welcoming. We can already tell they are going to be great.
July 10: We started out our day to the sounds of Warbling birdies and the smell of fresh fruit. Together we carefully crafted a group contract, affirming our goals as a familial unit. Next, we trooped on to the bus, and chugged our way to San Jose. There, the historical ambiances and colorful culture greeted us, as we toured its vibrant roads. Lunch consisted of wonderfully salty pizza and refreshingly pulpy juices. Finally we headed back toward the Costa Verde hotel to await the arrival of our dance instructor, Randall.
When we walked into the room, we were all trembling with the awkwardness of a middle school dance. Randall’s passionate energy was palpable in the thick Costa Rican air. His determined eyes made us realize we had to throw our nerves out the window, and reveal our vulnerability. The second the music blasted, feet stomped and squished one another, hips swayed, with excitement. As we whirled through the salsa, the meringue, the cha cha cha, sweat glistened on our foreheads. Our bodies began to move to the rhythm we had transformed from a gaggle of awkward teens to confident bailadores. Pura Vida!
July 11: Day 3 started early, our cabin made the mistake of staying up late and sleeping in until the last minute, until a hard knock woke us up. We rushed out the door to the already waiting van just to travel another hour or so. We all attempted to catch some sleep on the bus. After a nice breakfast, we headed off to the Rio Pacuare in the Limon Provence to begin our rafting adventure. Some were experienced, some not, some nervous and some excited. But our group knew they could handle anything. The rapids were incredible and the scenery was amazing. And only two kids fell out! We all took a short break to swim by a waterfall. After that we enjoyed fresh tropical fruit by the river.
When we arrived at our camp we were amazed at how incredible the scenery was, we felt like we were in Jurassic park, but there were no dinosaurs only howler monkeys, purple grasshoppers, and crazy looking spiders. Our afternoon walk to a waterfall was surreal as the rain started lightly falling and we stuck our heads under the mystical cascading water. Suddenly, a thick rain started pouring over us and sounds of thunder radiated through the cliffs. Each of us stayed in cabins with two beds and screen walls. Rain came down hard all around us, but we remained dry.
July 12: Tuesday we awoke to the sound of birds chirping and insects buzzing. The sound of the rainforest made us feel more energetic and alive. We rushed out of the cabin and everyone including the guides clapped forcefully and sang happy birthday to Mia for her sweet 16 and truly nothing is better than celebrating ones birthday in Costa Rica with friendly people. After the celebration everyone walked timidly with sore muscles down to the river where our rafts were waiting. Stoked and confidant, we were all ready for a second day of rafting glory on the class III and IV rapids. Exhilaration filled our bodies and minds as we swam in the refreshing cold water of the Rio Pacuare.
Photos:
Update #2
July 13: The joy he felt just being on the couch with us astounded us. It was if it was the best day of his life and all he needed was to watch soccer while playing with a few toys. As the smile spread wider and wider across his face, we could not help but feel pure joy of our own. That moment, and that good feeling that came to me as we pretended we were flying in an airplane with Rodrigo, the six year old orphan who is currently living with us in our host family’s house made the whole trip worthwhile.
July 14: This morning we walked to the group meeting and anxiously waited for our work schedule. Small groups were sent to different locations in the village. We are painting the gym, the library, and mixing cement to make a wheelchair ramp for the health clinic. After a while the rain got in the way of our cement mixing, but most of us were relieved to be dealing with a more artistic job of painting. Although we struggled with bugs and plants, we managed to complete the gym in less than four hours. Our leaders motivated us with salsa music and bad jokes. We achieved our goal of working hard and helping the community and left early for lunch feeling satisfied with our work. Despite our struggles, we knew that the importance of our work would be appreciated for years to come. Knowing that the community would soon have their very first library and access to knowledge kept us smiling through the cold weather and sore muscles.
July 15: Today was one of those days when it was just hard to get out of bed. It was rainy and cold and even the Costa Rican coffee didn’t smell sweet enough. Nevertheless, we all made it to work on time. We all worked hard on our projects all day despite the rain. Because we are the best group ever, we were granted the privilege of playing in our own indoor soccer tournament. We played right after work at four and some members of our families joined us. It was great to relax after work with some friendly competition. After we cleared the field, a few of stayed back to watch the Ticos play futbol, which was very humbling compared to our version of soccer. It was very impressive and we felt fortunate to share the field with such skilled players. After soccer we met up in the salon communal for some modern Latin dance lessons, and once again, we were humbled by the Tico’s natural rhythms.
Photo Update:
Update #3:
July 16th
It was finally Saturday and although working was fun, we needed a break to tour Santa Cruz and hang out with friends and family. First we went on a coffee tour. It was fun great to see how the delicious coffee our families gave us is made. Because workers in Costa Rica get very little money for the coffee they make, a group of families organized a coffee Co-op. together that would make more money for the workers. It was great to see our tour guide talking so passionately about the organization. For lunch we caught our own fish and ate them! Some people were grossed out, but it was fun and everyone was laughing as people lost fish or caught fish. That night we hung out and played another fun game of soccer. This time some Ticos joined us. It was another interesting and amazing day in Santa Cruz!
July 17th
It was a day that the line dissecting gringo and tico became one. Although it began to rain the second we wanted to play, the weather did not damper the excitement in everyone´s eyes. As we made our way down to the indoor gymnasium, two very different cultures united as one. It was truly amazing to see the bond between friends we have formed this week. Games varying from competitive relay races to the crazy fun of the balloon toss, there was fun for everyone. Cultures continue to immerse as we experienced a true “Tico” Sunday filled with joyful church music and day spent with family. The best part of the day was to feel like we had become part of their families ourselves. As my family began a game of the Tico version of Monopoly, a true feeling of fun and family filled me. We laughed, and we smiled entire time and that I believe, is when I realized it never matters where you’re from, there are things like friendship that can connect people and make them feel like they belong.
July 18th
My four o’clock, 5 o’clock, and 6 o’clock rooster wake up calls, which are now somehow comforting woke me up, and brought me to my last full day in Santa Cruz. We all arrived at the worksite to find stolen materials, which left us with time to sing and dance in the rain. We were still able to work that day, and then we went back to our homes for our last deliciously home cooked meal from our madre. We returned to work and finished the projects we had started, which gave us a feeling of happiness and completion. Later that day, we went to the despidida, which was a celebration of our time in Santa Cruz. As a way of giving back to the community for their generosity, we made them an American style dinner of hot dogs, pasta, and salad. As we hovered over the hot coals of the grill, it felt good to thank our families, who had been housing and feeding us for the past week. The festivities came to an end and our barrier to Tico and gringos was fully abolished.
July 19th
When we first came into this homestay, everyone was nervous as we thought to ourselves how hard it was going to be sleeping in a different bed and taking cold showers. We didn’t realize that the hard part was actually saying goodbye. Tears were shed as we received cute gifts and cards from our homestay families and friends. Many pictures were taken as we hugged and said goodbye to our loving Costa Rican families. One particularly hard goodbye was to eleven year old Jacob who I loved as if he were my own brother. We truly connected as we played soccer and salsa danced together. We will never forget the friendships we made as we promised to stay in touch. Pura Vida!
July 20th
I felt the power of the wave catch my surfboard. As I tried to stand, I fell into the refreshing water in a flipping motion, getting water up my nose. This continued for my first few tries. I felt frustration start to set in. The Tico instructor, obviously an amazing surfer, settled me down and got me confident for my next wave. I again felt the now familiar sensation of the wave pushing me forward, and this time I stood up and rode the wave until it lost its power. In this instant, all the previous frustration washed away. Later in the afternoon, we went to a presentation about the leatherback turtles that lay their eggs on the beaches where we are swimming. These turtles are in grave danger of extinction as a result of human actions. The turtles are amazing creatures that have roamed the earth since the dinosaurs. I became instantly ashamed and somehow felt responsible personally. As a result, I added my name to the email list, to learn more about what I could do in the future to help the incredible leatherback turtles.