Day 2: Rafting on the Rio Balsa

Greetings! Today was a very exciting day. In the morning we ate a delicious breakfast. I am a very picky eater and I found myself scarfing down many of the Costa Rican foods. Pineapple is one of the fresh fruits that are grown here. Costa Rica has the best pineapple I've ever had in my life. After breakfast we were picked up by a bus to go white water rafting. I have to admit, I was pretty scared. Although I've been before, I still was scared of the thought of getting knocked off the raft. Once we arrived at the water we put on our life preservers and helmets and learned the safety procedures. That only made me more nervous. I decided to sit in the very back with Madison smith. It was her first time riding so I guess we both were a little scared. When we began rafting, the nervousness started to fade. I found myself screaming and having a great time. Our raft instructor was a little bit crazier than the rest and he allowed one of us to ride on the very front of the raft or as we called it "the bull". Our raft was all girls and one guy. Since we were scared to ride on the bull, Mr.Cofer stepped up and went first. He got slammed and pelted with waves which scared all of us. Then Mrs.Hayes went and she had a crazy experience as well. Cate stepped up next and her experience wasn't as rough so more of us began to step up. I was last to go and I was petrified of going. Cate told me," we're in Costa Rica, you're going to regret not going". That made me realize that I should take advantage of the opportunities that are given to me here. I road the bull and ended up loving it. I got hit with a huge wave but I was laughing so hard I wasn't even scared. After rafting, we enjoyed a nice lunch at the oldest house in Costa Rica. We were given a formal Costa Rican lunch and it was probably the best meal I've had since I've been here. I loved the rice and chicken sauce. I went for seconds. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel where we did a little bit of souvenir shopping and swimming. It was a successful day, and I'm looking forward to all of the activities we'll be doing the rest of the week.  -Anna Longacher