Dec. 18, 2014
On Wednesday, the group headed about 45 minutes away to go zip lining  a trip that had been anticipated all week. It was the first time for many as the zip lining site was on the top of Volcan Barva in a cloud forest  just one of seven in Costa Rica. After experiencing breathtaking views, the group headed back down the hill and into the community of Bajo Los Molinos for a shoe distribution at a community center/gymnasium. More than 215 shoes were given out. After another satisifying day, the group headed back for another incredible dinner  with some pickup soccer beforehand at a nearby park with some local children. After dinner, our guide, Chello, who has a master’s degree in environmental management and does consulting work for the government, gave a superb presentation on sustainable development and climate change and how our actions this week have really made a difference.
“You are the perfect demonstration of doing something that is the heart of sustainability,” he said. “Can you recover time? No. That’s precious. And you have given it to Costa Ricans. Tattoo values on people. You can’t tattoo information. People forget information but you can tattoo values.”
Today, soccer teammates  and goalies  Christiana Ogunsami and Shannon Morrish  combined to write the daily blog. They share their experiences of zip lining, playing soccer with the children at the community center and delivering shoes to little ones at a daycare.
Today we began the day with zip lining at Canopy Adventures. Before we were able to zip line through the cloud forest and see the beautiful scenery, we had to hike up Volcan Barva. The hike was approximately ¾ of a mile, however, we were all breathing a bit heavy once we reached the top. We zip lined through the cloud forest and experienced eight lines at different speeds. We were even able to go upside down on one of them! On the last and fastest zip line, we saw a beautiful waterfall. Throughout our excursion through the forest, it was raining off and on, however, it did not put a damper on the fun. While some mishaps and falls took place, we all made it back safe and sound, thanks to our wonderful tour guides. The Canopy Adventures staff made the trip unforgettable.
On our way to our third distribution at Bajo Los Molinos, we enjoyed some ham and cheese sandwiches and Costa Rican style chips. As we pulled into the parking lot, we saw a long line of eager young children, who had been waiting for a while to receive their new shoes. We quickly set up and started sizing and distributing the shoes. At first, it was very chaotic with many children running around and the constant flow of people getting fitted. As everyone finally received their shoes, some of us were able to join and play an indoor soccer game with the kids. During the game, we discovered a few soccer stars. One of the boys who was sporting a Messi jersey showed off his skills by doing a bicycle kick. The game was very fast paced and I (Christiana) had to make several saves while diving on the concrete floor. Taylor and Jake showed off their soccer skills as well by scoring many goals.
While the game was going on, Skyler, Jerome, Chello, and I (Shannon) went to a nursery down the street and delivered shoes to them as they were unable to come to the distribution location. As soon as we arrived, the kids were immediately overjoyed with happiness and could not stop smiling. One little boy named Kevin gave me (Shannon) a huge hug and told me how much he loved his new shoes. He could not stop posing for the many pictures that Jerome and I (Shannon) took of him with his newly decorated shoes. These children, as well as all the children at the different distributions, have been so grateful and appreciative of gifts that we were able to give them. In three distributions, we managed to give out about 900 shoes. Just seeing how happy they are with a new pair of shoes has been very heartwarming and a humbling experience. Even if the shoes were a little too big or little too small, it did not matter; their faces lit up with joy and happiness and they wanted to immediately show off their new shoes to everyone around them.
After the distribution, we headed back to CEDCAS. A bunch of us headed to the local park to play a pickup soccer game with some of the locals. During the game, a young boy named Sebastian recognized us from the CEDCAS distribution and wanted to play with us. According to Christiana, he was a goalkeeper prodigy, making multiple game-changing saves. After, we took a group picture in front of the sunset with Sebastian’s dog Lulu. As we were walking back to CEDCAS we decided to stop a local supermarket. Passing through the neighborhood, we saw children in the streets who recognized us from a distribution and came running up. They gave us big hugs and thanked us again. This was a touching moment as we were able to see how much we impacted their lives and gave them hope for a better tomorrow.
Marlem made us a delicious and traditional Costa Rican dinner of chicken, rice, beans, potatoes, plantains, and a lemon dessert. After the delicious meal, Chello gave us a talk about sustainable development. His speech was educational, eye-opening, and very inspirational. He spoke about how time is invaluable and is worth more than money or coverage. He also gave us a tear-jerking moment when he told us that we were a part of the change and he was grateful for our endless efforts to make Costa Rica and the world a better place.
As we near the final stretch of zip lining, the group stops for a photo inside of a massive tree in the middle of the path. (Photo by Shannon Morrish)
There were several beautiful waterfalls along the way, including one at the end that we zip lined over. (Photo by Shannon Morrish)
The thick cloud forest is one of just seven in Costa Rica. (Photo by Shannon Morrish)
A lengthy line outside of the gymnasium greeted us when we hopped off the bus in Bajo Los Molinas. (Photo by Shannon Morrish)
Baker gets the day started off by handing this young boy a pair of new shoes. Since there was no running water on site, we could not wash the children’s feet as we had at the previous two shoe distribution sites.
Stephen turned six years old on Wednesday and got wonderful birthday presents  new zappatos (shoes) and a coloring book.
Hannah gives a young girl a new pair of shoes.
These young ladies wait in line to decorate their brand new shoes.
One of the many puppies we’ve seen our trip who have decided to come check out the shoe distribution. Somewhere behind the huge crowd are Megan, Jill, Gabby and Allison decorating shoes.
And there they are! With a line already awaiting us when we pulled up, many people swarmed into the gym and to the fitting and drawing stations  an overwhelming but moving sight.
A field of coffee plants sits behind the community center.
Skyler, Shannon and our guide, Chello, headed down the street to deliver a dozen or so shoes to kids at a daycare.
Shannon takes off the shoes of a little girl to give her a pair of new shoes.
Skyler draws on the shoes for little girls at the daycare.
Skyler draws a butterfly on Valentina’s shoes.
Kevin, far left, was super excited about receiving a new pair of shoes, jumping up and down after he got them and yelling that he loved them.
Some of the sweet kids who received shoes at the daycare.
A little boy sits on the bench of a soccer field next to the gymnasium. As you can tell he really likes Mickey Mouse as he is wearing the Disney icon on his shirt, shorts and, now, shoes.
Great job by Megan on the design!
Jill, Gabby and Vanessa pose with a young girl and their buddy Sebastian after decorating their shoes.
This goalie did a lot of sitting as his team attacked the other end.
This young boy is a Lionel Messi in the making. His foot skills were incredible. He also had the play of the day when he struck a bicycle kick over his head and into the goal past Jake.
Jake and his buddy Roberto.
A mother and her children were excited to receive their new shoes.
The view from behind the goal at the line for the drawing station.
The Vanderbilt student-athletes continue to do a great job with decorating the shoes and helping ensure the kids get the picture or design they want on their shoes.
Matt receives a handshake from a new friend as the group heads back to the clinic.
