Busy busy!

Hi everyone! I have some good news: We are having SO MUCH FUN!!!! Where do I even start??

We spent the first two nights at the an amazing hotel overlooking San Jose. Every morning so far, the singers ate breakfast at the hotel restaurant on the first floor. The breakfast buffet included Gallo Pinto (Which means rice and beans mixed together), scrambled eggs, some kind of meat (sausage or chicken), potatoes, and plantains. Then there was a whole fruit and yogurt section with pineapple, watermelon, papaya, melon, bananas, and oranges. There were different kind of cereals, and bread for toasting, as well as little morning pastries. Best. Breakfast. EVER! -Okay sorry I just love talking about food!

Our first full day in Costa Rica was on August 9th, where we all got on the bus at 9am for a full day of tours, a concert, rehearsals and evening group activities at the hotel. Every few days, a singer will write about their experiences for you all to read. Our first blog writer volunteer was Will! YAY WILL!

Here is what Will has to say about our experiences so far:

Arriving in Costa Rica this week was an experience like no other. The excitement from the entire group was apparent as we landed in Alajuela, a small, colourful city towards the North of Costa Rica. The immediate thrill of coming to a significantly different place with new sights, cuisines, landscapes, and cultures was incredible. Little did we know that the next 48 hours would go above and beyond any expectations we had landing in Alajuela. Our first full day in Costa Rica was amazing, we traveled to the old capital of Costa Rica, Cartago, and almost immediately came across some of the unique sounds and sights of the country. Wild dogs, parrots, and many, many different types of bugs blended in with the people and places like a completely normal part of everyday life, which to us is a little bit out of the ordinary, but to Costa Ricans is something that makes Costa Rica the wonderful place it is. In the afternoon we performed in the Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles, a large, visually stunning church in central Cartago. Our unique BCS sound carried through and out of the Basilica into Costa Rica, leaving a lasting impression on the people and even some of the wildlife (special thanks to the dog that came and watched us perform in the Basilica). Tired, hot and little worse for wear from traveling, the group choir headed back to the hotel for some much needed pool-time and relaxation.

Today (August 10th), after some much needed rest, the group headed out to San Rafael De Peñas Blancas, a small village home to Freddo Leche farms, a small farm offering up fresh strawberries, a unique cow-milking experience, and incredible mountain scenery.  After a short performance and heartfelt goodbyes, we left for a local restaurant: Freddo Fresas. The fresh Costa Rican Coffee, delicious carnitas, and strawberry smoothies are unparalleled by any American cuisine. In fact during the past couple of days when asked "What has been your highlight of the trip so far?" , there has been a resounding group answer of "The food!". After just a few, nearly perfect days, we can only speculate as to how much fun what lies ahead will be. Led by our trusty tour guide Juan Carlos, we look forward to the next two weeks, filled with new experiences like ziplining, a visit to a coffee farm, and much, much more. 

Adíos!

Will

Something special about this trip that is different from the other recent tours, is that we have David Price with us. If you haven't heard from your kids about him already, I can tell you that everyone LOVES HIM! He has been working with us in growing closer together as a family. He runs activities with the singers where we are getting to know each other and just having fun. Yesterday we split up into groups and played BCS/ Costa Rica Trivia- winners got gummy bears, and then everyone else got a chocolate bar for effort ;). Aside from the fun games, he is helping us all (chaperones included) grow stronger as a team. In the day prior to leaving for the tour, we all spent time writing up our group agreements for the choir. Included in the group agreement are things like: make an effort to branch out and make new friends; respect the culture, people and language of the country that is hosting us; try to keep a positive attitude; always remember to ask for help, and the list goes on. We try to go over this group agreement as the trip goes on to remind everyone of the rules that we created together as a team. For the singers who have been on tour before, we can feel the huge different in the choir dynamic this year, and a lot of it has to do with David and the amazing work he is doing with us and we are so grateful for that!

My goal is to post something everyday, even if it is just pictures. Wifi isn't always accessible so I need to work around that. Our days on tour are busy and filled with fun activities, music and crazy fun adventures. We are now in Peñas Blancas- first night in host families! You will hear more about the awesome host families from the singers themselves later on. 

Okay, I have to go to bed now. Tomorrow we go zip-lining through the cloud forest! WOO-HOO!!!!

Love,

Carmen

Pictures from August 9th:

YUMMY FOOD!

BCS trivia night! The pressure is on!

The lovely Simone!

San Jose at night from singers windows! I can't get over this view.

Standing in front of Basilica de Nuestra Señora de Los Ángeles. Can you believe that we sang here?!

First concert: Success! 

Bring Me Little Water Silvy

Isaiah was helping out with our lunch entertainment!