Kathleen – Volunteer at the Veterinary Clinic and the Local Private School in Puerto Jimenez
Age: 61 From: United States
Review written via personal email.
My time volunteering in Puerto Jimenez was fabulous. You could not have chosen a more wonderful family for me to stay with – Meidys and Pamela are amazing women. They completely welcomed me into their home. I felt welcome and comfortable and loved and even pampered, which I am not used to:-) They provided food that I loved, and it was so much fun to try new “typical” Costa Rican meals. That they made yucca pan for me with coconut milk, due to my allergy to dairy products, was a gesture of kindness that I will never forget.
The volunteer experience in the school was great. Such cute, fun kids! I enjoyed my time there and am working on ideas (just in my head now) about how to have a school in the U.S. be their “sister” school. (Do you have an email address for the school, by the way?). I think they would love to get letters and pictures from kids in the U.S.
As you know, being an animal lover, my volunteer time at the veterinary practice was exhausting and exhilarating. I think the veterinarian Ricardo is amazing and would take any of my animals to him for care. He let me help in any way I felt able, so assisting with surgery and dressing changes, walking and comforting animals, cleaning cages and sweeping floors filled my days there. He and his staff were willing to show me what to do, teach me new things, answer my questions and make me part of the team. We seemed to easily overcome the gap between my English and their Spanish. I felt very helpful and appreciated by the staff, patients and their owners.
I know that I will be returning to Puerto Jimenez when I move to Costa Rica, no matter what part of the country I decide to move to. Such wonderful memories of the quiet town and fantastic people I met are unforgettable, and definitely worth repeating. I am working on getting other members of my family to volunteer with Green Life, because I know their experiences would be as fantastic as mine.
So this is one of those times when “thank you” does not seem like enough! If there is any way that I can help you, please let me know. I so appreciate the experience you arranged for me, and I would love to do something to give back to you and Green Life Volunteers. I especially appreciated the personal touch of your small organization, and am very glad that I chose Green Life for my volunteer experience. It was wonderful!
