When we were asked as part of our volunteer service in Costa Rica to help with a surfing lesson for blind and deaf individuals, we really looked forward to this new challenge. But, we were also at the same time anxious about how that would work. We stood on a surfboard for the first time a few weeks before ourselves and knew how hard surfing is with all human senses on hand. And so we were all the more fascinated with how well it ended up working with some of the participants

So there I was, alone at the airport in San José, with my suitcase, hand luggage, and a little basic Spanish. My goal was to reach my accommodation in Heredia, where my fellow volunteers were waiting for me. And so I got into the first taxi outside the airport and greeted the driver with “¿Habla inglés?” As it happened, he did speak a little English, so I gave him my destination and we set off right away. The lights of San José were breathtaking. For the first few minutes of