Costa Rica is a small green country located in Central America, only 51,100 square kilometers. It has immense beautiful tropical forests, all types of flowers and plants like hydrangeas, orchids, jade trees, lantanas, monstera deliciosa, and even more!

Costa Rica has 5,300,000 inhabitants of which approximately 1,000,000 are foreigners. The national flower is the Guaria Morada, a type of purple epiphyte orchid. It represents the natural beauty of Costa Rica, and it brings fortune and good luck.

This summer I went on a two-week vacation to Florida, Philadelphia and New Jersey with my family. We flew there on an airplane. We stayed with other family members in a nice house. I felt joyful being with my family and having nice dinners.

While in Florida, I went to the beach. I only put my feet in the water because the waves were too strong. My mom and I built a sandcastle with a moat around it. I saw so many sand crabs coming out of the water.

When I went on my Italy, Greece, Montenegro and Croatia trip I got to see and learn about the world! Myself and other Girl Scouts earned this trip by selling over 6,000 boxes of cookies.

In Venice, Italy it was super cool to be able to ride in a gondola and see water all around. I’m from Arizona so it was such a different environment that I’m use to and it’s crazy to think that Venice is slowly sinking.

On Christmas 2023, my family went to Sedona, for the first time. When I arrived, I saw enormous, red mountains that looked completely different from the ones in Tucson. My favorite part was visiting a church in a mountain, called the Chapel of the Holy Cross. The church had huge windows and looked like a combination of triangular and rectangular shapes. Inside the church, it felt very peaceful. I noticed a six-foot tall crucifix, some holy water, and biblical paintings.

One of my favorite places I’ve ever been to in Arizona is the Petrified Forest National Park, which is just off of historic Route 66. In 1857, the United States government hired E. F. Veale to build a wagon road from Fort Defiance, New Mexico to the Colorado River. Beale experimented with using a Camel Corps to build the road.

The Petrified Forest is part of a natural travel corridor that has been used for over 10,000 years, and modern humans travel a similar path.

Over the summer myself and 14 other Girl Scouts went on a nine-day trip to Tokyo, Japan and it was amazing! We earned this trip by each of us selling over 5,500 boxes of Girl Scout cookies.

I absolutely loved Japan, the people were super nice, the culture was interesting and the food was delicious! I also felt very safe in Japan. My favorite highlights were: Mt Fuji, Tokyo Sky Tower, Shrines and Temples, dressing in a Kimono, and also going to Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea!

Can you imagine, one single battle changing the course of a war? It sounds pretty unbelievable, but, the Battle of Midway was one of those rare battles that would change the course of one of the most terrible wars in history: World War II.

My family and my grandma were getting ready for a trip to Disneyland. We packed shirts, jackets, good walking shoes, pants and shorts. We also packed snacks, not just a couple snacks, but enough to last four days.

Recently, my family traveled to England with my Tizzy and Grandad! I had a wonderful time. London is very different from Arizona. I loved the architecture of all the bridges and buildings. London is very old, so quite a few of the buildings look old fashioned and ornate, like the famous clock tower Big Ben and Buckingham Palace. Buildings and shops decorated with flowers around the windows and doors were especially pretty.

When you are in the Flagstaff area, take a quick day trip to Lake Mary.

Although the water is murky, it is still a great place to go boating or fishing. The water is usually calm, so it is good for kids and pets. Bring a blanket and pick a spot to have a gorgeous picnic surrounded by pine trees and wildlife.