“School, church, and soccer field.” According to our host Andrey, these are the three things every town in Costa Rica has. The remark piqued my interest from the beginning—it was so simple, yet throughout the trip, it always held true. No matter how rural the town we passed, I could spot these three things (and often more than one soccer field). Coming into ACE, I was open-minded about what the experience would hold. I expected to see a lifestyle completely different from my own—and hoped, through service, to gain some perspective on my own life. So I brought two things with me: an empty journal to capture my thoughts, and a philosophy book written by a Holocaust survivor seeking to answer life’s deepest question of finding meaning. Over the course of our two-week trip, through volunteering, cultural immersion, and moments of reflection, I started to understand Gandoca’s secret. The Pura Vida Mindset was radically simple: surround yourself with loved ones and be grateful for what you have.
During our visit to Sepecue—an indigenous Bribri community only accessible by boat—our host shared a Bribri word that stuck with me: yamen. It’s an all-encompassing word for family, friends, and even strangers. The idea is to treat everyone with the same care you would your loved ones. And once I heard it, I saw it everywhere. I saw it in the way our driver in Gandoca would honk at every passerby—not the rude, “hurry up!” honk you hear in the US, but a friendly beep of recognition. I saw it during the weekly Sunday soccer game, where familiar faces packed the field. Andrey played goalie. Lepo, our driver, played defense. And the kids we had coached earlier that week were on offense. It felt like the entire town—and even neighboring communities—came to watch as if it were the World Cup. Spanish music blared. Fans cheered. Kids wore their parents’ jerseys. It all reinforced one idea: meaning begins with the people around you. It’s no surprise that Costa Rica ranks as one of the happiest countries in the Americas, especially when you see places like Gandoca, where everyone feels like one big family. The formula is clear: a strong community builds real relationships—the biggest predictors of happiness.
Pura Vida—meaning “pure life”—is more than a slogan in Costa Rica. It’s a philosophy, a greeting, a farewell, and a way of being. At its core, it’s about appreciating the present and not sweating the small stuff.
In Gandoca, this looks like a lifestyle deeply connected to nature and less focused on materialism. Until five years ago, the town didn’t even have Wi-Fi. People use natural medicine. They’re trying to revive a fully organic cacao farm. Environmental conservation isn’t a talking point—it’s how people live. And it shows. I saw more stars in the night sky than ever before, with zero light pollution to block the view. I walked a six-mile beach path untouched by industry or development. By focusing on what truly matters—community and the environment—and taking a relaxed approach to the rest (including time, thanks to “Tico Time”), it becomes surprisingly easy to squeeze the juice out of life.
After 28 pages of journaling, finishing my book, and spending two weeks volunteering, I’ve realized something. A lot of the stress we face—bad grades, missed internships, worrying about what others think—is fundamentally self-imposed. But if you boil life down to a few core priorities—community, connection, and whatever gives you purpose—and say pura vida to the rest, happiness becomes incredibly simple.