I was born in San Jose and lived there for the first seven years of my life. When I was around six years old, my mother started working at the Costa Rican consult part-time in the United States, and we would spend six months in the US, and six months here in Costa Rica. Around a year later, she was offered a full-time position at the Costa Rican consult in Milwaukee Wisconsin, and my entire family (my older brother, my stepdad and I) moved to the United States. 

My name is Maria Soto Carrillo, I am 36 years old, and I have worked here at Crocodile Bay Resort since October 2002. I have lived my entire life on the Osa Peninsula in the small village of Gallardo, which is 10 km’s from Puerto Jimenez. When I was only six years old, my father worked as a gold miner in Corcovado National Park. Gold mining was prevalent at that time. But in the late 1980s, the government took action during a resurging gold rush and prohibited gold mining in the park.

My name is Yaisa Loria Vega, and I am 22 years old. I was born and raised in Gallardo, a small village close to Puerto Jimenez. I went to elementary school in Gallardo, and later on to the Technical High School in Puerto Jimenez with a focus on tourism, the hotel industry and special events. During my last year in high school (2015), I had to do practical work experience at a local business, and I got accepted at Crocodile Bay Resort.