We started our time at gorgeous Playa Sámara with a beautiful dinner on the beach as a group, and after our in-country orientation and a welcome night’s rest, we enjoyed a tremendously full day today. Our group had great successes with surf lessons — everyone got to stand up on their boards, which was wonderful, as was the support everyone showed for the rest of their group in the water and on the beach. The dynamic of our group is already lovely and we’re getting to know each other better with every activity. After some time to explore Sámara in small groups and a full-group stop for delicious homemade ice cream we dove right into salsa dancing with our excellent local instructor and enjoyed one more delicious beachside dinner. We’re feeling prepared to dig into the service portion of our project after settling into our accommodations and meeting community members in Bonanza Norte tomorrow. We couldn’t have asked for a better start to our trip! Stay tuned!

– Cailey & Tim