Bittersweet Goodbyes!
July 7, 2023
As all the kids are boarding their planes to leave for their next adventures, we’re sitting in the airport thinking back on how much of a blast we had with this group. From the start, this group got close and never stopped having positive attitudes. We have had the best time getting to know them, laugh with them, and explore with them over the past two weeks. We will miss them so much!
Our banquet night took place at a mini golf course, which was the perfect way to round out our trip. We ate a delicious meal and laughed about all the fun we have had together. We then played a competitive game of putt putt on a sea-life themed course! After, we returned to the Royal Rat to finish packing and had our final moonup. We had superlatives with glow stick prizes and gave our highlights of the whole trip.
We are going to miss this group so much; they have always brought awesome attitudes and adventurous energy to everything we’ve done. Thank you so much for sending them on this trip, we feel so lucky to have been able to get to know them! We can’t summarize just how much we love each of our students, so below we’re going to shout out each one!
We are going to miss…
Andrew’s genuine and inspiring conversations
Stock’s ability to make everyone feel special
JW’s enthusiasm and excitement for everything
Thomas’s ability to brighten the mood in any situation
Tee’s friendly nature and ability to connect with anyone
Lulu’s easy-going and upbeat personality
Lilly’s genuineness and compassion
McCall’s down-to-earth and playful spirit
Maggie’s incredible storytelling and joyful nature
Ari’s passion and love for all things Moondance
Liddy’s humor and how she’s able to make anyone laugh
A poem to summarize our trip:
2B or not 2B, that is the question
Whatever it is, we’re the best, quest nextion
Two weeks ago our energies first intertwined
At our very first activity, the zipline!
Monkeys and bananas were surely abound
And close friendships were quickly found
Surfing it up was a blast in Uvita
To the cat at El Tecal we say ‘see ya!’
Buenaventura and Harlow were mellow
And then suddenly, it was all yellow
Toads and soccer and teach me how to dougie
And the plane game and pupusas made us feel so lucky
Rafting next! Let’s rip the Pacuare
That night was a fever dream, a blessing, and definitely a party
Lest we forget Betty and that beautiful show
It tied off our time in Costa Rica with a nice bow
Diving with splash was crazy insane
Luckily no one had gas narcosis on the brain
We saw rays, sharks, turtles, and more cacao
Our last day boat ride had us saying ‘wow!’
So here we’ve arrived at our last Moonup
If you see us out on the street, please say what’s up!
We’re sad to see you go and hate to watch you leave
We’ll love you forever BCR 2B!
Scuba Diving in Placencia!
July 6, 2023
Hello from Placencia!
We’ve spent the last five days scuba diving and are having a ball here in Belize, every day has been better than the last. We all got scuba certified and were rewarded with seeing so many cool underwater creatures while diving. We saw rays, turtles, and so many nurse sharks! Andrew was our professional diver, having already been certified and he saw a spotted Eagle ray, the goal of his trip! Ari made friends with a fish that wouldn’t stop following her around. Lilly and Tee loved swimming with the sharks while Stock became best friends with our dive guides Moses and Nedia. Diving was like nothing any of us have done before, it felt like being underwater astronauts!
We spent our afternoons hanging out and swimming at our hostel, the Royal Rat, and trying out new spots for dinner in town. To celebrate the Fourth of July we played a friendly game of beach volleyball in town! Although it did get pretty competitive- JW and Thomas got really into the game and perfected their sets and spikes. We even had a local volunteer to referee our game in full scuba gear!
One of the best surprises of the trip was on our last day in Belize. Liddy and Lulu were so excited when they saw our last day activity, which was a catamaran cruise to Moho Caye! It was the perfect way to celebrate the end of an amazing trip. At the island, we played more beach volleyball and had one of the best meals of our lives. Maggie and McCall perfected their Parent Trap handshake accompanied with the hummed version of the theme song. The boat ride back was filled with reminiscing on memories made together and gratitude for all we’ve been able to do. We’ve had the best time together and are so sad to have the trip come to a close!
Sinclair, EC, and Charlie
Living it Up in Costa Rica!!
July 2, 2023
Costa Rica has been an absolute blast and we are so excited to update y’all on our last days there! Having a talent show, a pizza eating contest, and jumping off of waterfalls are only a few of the highlights. All the students were amazed at the gorgeous views and beautiful waterfalls we saw during our time rafting, and Andrew took the lead as captain of his boat. Rafting was an adventure to say the least, this crew conquered many classes 4 rapids with grace and style. Liddy especially crushed it while rafting by keeping her boat safe and under control. It was amazing to see the Costa Rican landscape from the Pacuare river as we rafted down. Everybody got to slide down and jump off waterfalls together in between rapids!
Everyone came together to put on an amazing talent show during our night on the river, and the judges were astounded with incredible performances all around. Maggie, McCall, and Lulu totally rocked their performance of the dougie! Magic was found in Stock, Tee, and JW’s dramatic interpretation of three of Taylor Swift’s most popular songs. All of us could not hold it together during the intense, emotional performances given by the boys before they took home the win. Continuing the Taylor Swift theme, Lilly, Ari, and Liddy performed their rendition of Our Song.
Saying goodbye to our riverside retreat was bittersweet as we loved the people we met, food we ate, and memories we made at the Rios Lodge. In the Adventure Inn later the next night Thomas was the recipient of a cake celebrating our time in Costa Rica and we sang to him like it was his birthday. Next, we departed for Belize on a day that has become an unexpected highlight of the trip. Cancun’s airport was a fun layover spot before boarding our flights to Belize, on which we were the only passengers! Lilly kept the vibes high on the plane with her calming presence, and Ari kept everyone excited and looking around as she videoed the experience on her GoPro. All the kids loved looking around at their sky-high view and seeing Belize from above as we landed. In Belize, we drove to our next home, the Royal Rat hostel. Resting and recharging at the Royal Rat has set us up wonderfully for our next few days of scuba diving here in Placencia, and we just can’t wait to explore all there is to see underwater!
-Sinclair, EC, and Charlie
Pura Vida!!
June 30, 2023
Hola from Costa Rica! The past few days have been filled with fun activities, big laughs, and lots of adventure. Since arrival day we have been in constant motion and this group has seriously brought the energy. After everyone arrived at the airport we departed for the Adventure Inn for our first night. We swam in the pool and played our new favorite game: psychiatrist. Our stay at the Adventure Inn was short and sweet as we departed early the next morning for Uvita beach!
Costa Rica has had absolutely gorgeous views everywhere we turn. Our first chance to take in the amazing landscape was by ziplining through the lush canopy of our new home. Seeing Costa Rica from the treetops was something we won’t forget and was a great introduction to our adventure. The highlight of the zipline experience, though, may have been seeing monkeys at lunch! Andrew was our certified monkey whisperer, they loved him!
Right after ziplining we drove to Uvita beach where we took our first surf lesson. Initially we practiced on land but by the time the kids got in the water it looked like they didn’t even need the lesson. Cool shells, graceful stingrays, and ripping waves were abound on the beach as we spent an afternoon and the next morning surfing. Ari and Lilly went with our instructor way out into the ocean to catch some bigger waves and show off their super surfing skills.
After surfing, we drove through San Isidro and stopped at our favorite restaurant, Bazookas. Next, we finished our travel day at the beautiful oasis called Buenaventura, which means good adventure! Dinner consisted of traditional Costa Rican foods in addition to pupusas, an El Salvadorian dish (similar to a cheesy tortilla) that we helped make, and Tee provided the group with a lesson on the perfect cheese to flour ratio. Before dinner, we challenged each other with riddles and card tricks, both of which Maggie was a superstar at figuring out with zero hints. Even the hardest riddle (four is cosmic, given by Thomas) couldn’t stump these kids! Leaving Buenaventura for El Brujo the next day was a highlight of our trip so far as we have loved our community service experience. In El Brujo, we painted a church in the community, gathered stones and dug a trench for a new bathroom, and played lots of soccer. Zooming past everyone, Lulu dominated the field. Everyone got competitive during the game, and it got even more fun when it started raining.
Some of our favorite memories so far have been the small ones which have left us in absolute stitches. One special moment was when McCall surprised her leader with a new froggy friend around dinner time, we were all doubled over laughing. Most of the time spent in the kitchen at Buenaventura (when not eating) was spent dancing, more specifically, dougie-ing. Until the late hours of the night we all danced and sang together, and Liddy really got to show off her moves. Cacao has also been a big part of our week, as we learned how a cacao fruit becomes a chocolate bar, and during our lesson Stock got to help with roasting the cacao beans to perfection. Harlow showed us a beautiful waterfall on our last morning and we all painted ourselves blue with clay, JW being the bluest of us all!
From ziplining to surfing to service to waterfalls we have been having the time of our lives and can’t wait for the next part of our trip. Up next, we have whitewater rafting before departing for Belize. Never without an abundance of energy, this group has been so much fun to be with and we feel so grateful to have them on this adventure with us!
Pura Vida,
Sinclair, EC, and Charlie
Shoutouts:
Lulu-Hey mom, dad, and Webb!!! I have been having so much fun in Costa Rica and I can’t wait to tell yall about it. I love and miss you guys and can’t wait to see u!
Maggie – Helllooooo!!!!!!! I am having so so much fun and have met the best friends! Costa Rica is so beautiful and I can’t wait to tell you all about it!!! I love you so much!
Liddy- Hi guys! I miss you all so much but I love Costa Rica! It is so pretty and I can’t wait to tell y’all about all the things I’ve seen! I have the best group and leaders ever!! I love you guys!!!!
Ari – hi! Costa Rica is absolutely amazing and I’m having so much fun! My group and my leaders are beyond amazing. Have so much fun in Europe!!!
Lilly – Heyy mom and dad! I am having an awesome time here in Costa Rica! I hope that the move is going smoothly and I can’t wait to see you guys soon! Love y’all!!!!
Thomas- hey mom I’m having fun it’s super cool and can’t wait for mv
Andrew W-Hi mom and dad! I hope everything is going well back at home and I wanted to let you guys know that I am having so much fun in Costa Rica and we are going to Belize in a couple days. My counselors and my friends are really nice! Can’t wait to see you guys and until then Pura Vida! (btw dad I got you a souvenir)
McCall- Hiiiii!!! I’m having SOO much fun. Costa Rica is so cool and we have such a good group! Can’t wait to see y’all!
JW- Tell ADstrick happy birthday also tell taheim hey
Tee- hey mama i miss you so much and I can’t wait for li you would love it here and I can’t wait to tell u abt the memories
Stock- Hi mom and dad I miss you so much and I can’t wait to tell you all about my trip. My group is amazing and I can’t wait to see you, love you.
Arrived Safely in Costa Rica!
June 23, 2023
Hello Belize + Costa Rica Families!
We heard from our leaders and the group has landed safely in Costa Rica! The trip is off to a great start, and we cannot wait to hear more stories from their adventure.
Please remember our leaders and students will be unplugged during their trips but we will be posting up to three trip updates throughout the next couple of weeks! This will allow you to follow along with the trip and the students will also give a special shout out mid-way through! You can also follow us on Instagram, @moondanceadventures, to see more of what we are up to this summer!
-Moondance HQ
