Costa Rica - July 18-24

Taking the Plunge- Rapelling

2010-08-02T18:07:00.000-07:00

Taking the Plunge- Rapelling

Hey guys just click on the link to see the video I created of the pics from our waterfall experience.
Hope you enjoy it.

Lisa

Waterfall Repelling

2010-07-26T14:35:00.000-07:00

More Photos

2010-07-26T11:02:00.001-07:00

Water Fall Rappelling

2010-07-24T21:14:00.001-07:00

THAT WAS THE MOST FUN I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!! I will bring my kids here in the future to let them have that much fun too! wow! it was awesome

One thing I learned

2010-07-24T21:13:00.003-07:00

One thing I have learned about myself is i can do anything i want within reason. From my favorite bible verse, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 1:14

Favorite part

2010-07-24T21:13:00.001-07:00

The best part was definitely the crystal clear morning when the volcano erupting. It was definitely a highlight.

Colton

Me

2010-07-24T21:12:00.003-07:00

I learned that I do not like snorkeling because the water was really salty and tasted bad. It also got in my eyes and burned them.

Alyssa

the one thing I learned about myself

2010-07-24T21:12:00.001-07:00

The one thing I learned about is I am really scared of swaying bridges. The very last zip lining platform was one thing I overcame. I am really proud of myself.

Thomas Elliott

What I Learned About Myself While I Was In Costa Rica.

2010-07-24T21:11:00.001-07:00

I learned that I over came my fear of zip lining It the highest and longest lines on the zip line. It was very fun after I did them. I did them with a tour guide but it was still very fun.

-Renan

What I learned about Myself

2010-07-24T21:10:00.001-07:00

I learned that I am lucky. After seeing Costa Rican houses and meeting people who weren’t as rich as me, I learned just how lucky I am to have a nice house and how lucky I am to be going on this trip. This was an awesome trip and I wish I could do it again. –cooper hess

What did I learn about myself?

2010-07-24T21:09:00.001-07:00

When I was getting ready to travel to Costa Rica, I only expected to have fun and meet new people. But as this trip comes to an end, and as I look back on all of the adventures of the week, I have actually learned things about me that I didn’t know. I learned that I am able to be more responsible for myself and others. I made the decision today not to go rappelling because I had a fever this morning even though I was really looking forward to it. I also tried to include and comfort those who needed it throughout the trip. I also made sure that my roommate and I got up on time. This may not sound like a big feat or epiphany, but it is an important realization for me in the future.

Katherine

What I learned about Myself

2010-07-24T21:08:00.001-07:00

What i learned about myself

2010-07-24T21:07:00.003-07:00

I learned that I can over come any of my fears of new stuff by just trying it and that the easiest way to over come a fear is to enjoy yourself while trying to overcome it.

Noah Burnett

What I have learned

2010-07-24T21:07:00.001-07:00

During this trip I learned that If I put my mind to something, I can do it. When we were zip lining, I was a little nervous. i told myself I was safe, and I wasn’t scared.

- Olivia Pieklo

Outlook on the trip: what I learned

2010-07-24T21:06:00.001-07:00

I learned a lot of things about myself this trip. One of them that stands out is my new skill to wait things out. Before this trip, I would be so scared to go on things like big rides and heights. Sometime, I would almost back out, only to be pushed in by my friends and family, coming out loving it. This week, I would have one small feeling in the bottom of my stomach, for things like zip lines, rappelling, and the bridge on the night walk, but I would not be feeling like I didn’t want to go on. I was feeling like it would be the adventure of a lifetime, which it turned out it was. I wasn’t about to turn around and go back, but zoom straight to it, eager for the experience.

Cate

Snorkeling

2010-07-24T21:05:00.001-07:00

I learned a lot of things about myself during this trip. But one thing that stands out is my newly found love for snorkeling. When my group went snorkeling, I thought it would be dull or boring at first but when we started to go out, I was really surprised. The coral reef was beautiful and the fish we so exotic and strange. It was amazing. That was one thing that stood out of what i learned about myself during this trip.

Alexa

Learning

2010-07-24T21:04:00.003-07:00

Something I learned on the Costa Rica trip is that if I really want to I can conquer my fears. I can control it and have a fun time anyway. So I ended up having an awesome time at Costa Rica.

Makena Zimmerman

fear is not an option

2010-07-24T21:04:00.001-07:00

I learned over all that fear is not an option. I faced my fear of heights and overcame it with rappelling and zip lining. I’m really glad i did cause i have a GREAT time!! I will tell people in the future to go on discovery trips!

-Matthew Art

What I learned about myself

2010-07-24T21:03:00.001-07:00

I learned that I am only afraid of heights on swaying bridges up high. There was this one bridge that was really scary. I loved the zip lining and repelling. I learned that I am not really afraid of heights.

-Jevon Erickson

Day Seven

2010-07-24T21:01:00.003-07:00

Wow! Rappelling was great today. I got soaked in all of the waterfalls and had a very good time.

Noah Burnett

I had a blast during rappelling i was absolutely soak at the end. It was my second favorite adventure.

Thomas Elliott

Thoughts on Costa Rica

2010-07-24T21:01:00.001-07:00

When I left for Costa Rica, I knew no one and I thought that making friends would be a hard task. Instead I found that making friends and fitting in was easier then I expected. A lot of people I met were very nice and I got along with the majority.

Payton Becker

Repelling

2010-07-24T20:59:00.001-07:00

Today we went to go repelling. At first i was very nervous but after going down the 160 ft. drop i had no fear. It was awesome. I have never had a bigger adrenaline rush! Everybody was soaked afterwards but I am positive everyone had a good time!

Austin Roberts

Repelling

2010-07-24T20:58:00.003-07:00

Today we went repelling and it was awesome! We got soaked because most of the walls were in waterfalls. Repelling is a lot of fun and painful.

My Costa Rican Adventure

2010-07-24T20:58:00.001-07:00

This adventure has truly been a once in a life time opportunity. It has truly brought out things about me that I didn’t even know about myself. One of the many things I learned about myself is that if I had the opportunity to go zip lining or water repelling with my family, I would have definitely have chickened out and said no way am I going to do that, but here, I was kind of forced, and that was that extra push I needed to realize things about my self. I also didn’t want to seem like a chicken in front of the other people, but here it really didn’t matter what other people thought because most of them felt the same way. This trip was a great success in motivating me to do things I would never have dreamed of doing.

Austin J

Costa Rica 2010

2010-07-24T20:51:00.001-07:00

This week I really learned to just face my “obstacles” in life head on. My problem coming into this week was mainly the canyoneering down the waterfalls. I really don’t like heights at ALL! The guide this week had to physically make me go over the water fall! Now I’m really glad I did because even if I didnt like it too much I still get to say “Oh yeah! I did it and did it well!”. I learned like the old saying says ” To face your fears head on”. I’m sure somewhere in college or in my careers down the line will truly help me.

-Braden Smith

Water Fall Rappelling

2010-07-24T20:45:00.001-07:00

THAT WAS THE MOST FUN I HAVE EVER HAD IN MY LIFE!! I will bring my kids here in the future to let them have that much fun too! wow! it was awesome

waterfall rappelling

2010-07-24T20:44:00.001-07:00

Rappelling was so fun it was just like rock climbing except a lot better and you don't have to climb. we all got soaked because on some of the cliffs you had to go through a waterfall.

-connor sapp

Rappelling

2010-07-24T20:43:00.001-07:00

Today, we rappelled. It was awesome, and we all got soaked. My shoes are still wet. Lunch was great, and I learned firsthand that Costa Rican hot sauce is HOT. (Thanks Colton). We are currently on the bus headed to a huge souvenir shop in San Jose. Then we head to the hotel, and tomorrow we leave. I love this place, but I’m ready to see my family again. Can’t wait for the store! It sounds really cool.

-Kelly Henderson

P.S.: “That’s the grass!” –Emily Taylor

“We’re going off-road! We’re going off-road!!” –Austin Jenkins

Repelling

2010-07-24T20:42:00.001-07:00

So, today we got up and headed to one of Costa Rica’s most beautiful places. It was in the woods so it took us about ten minutes of hiking to get there. We put on all of our equipment and got ready to go. I was really nervous, but after seeing other people do it, I wasn’t anymore. When it was my turn, I got up on the ledge and went right on down. It was amazing!

Austin J

the truck ride back

2010-07-24T20:40:00.001-07:00

on my way back to the bus everyone that was there started to sing F.U.N off of sponge bob so we all singed and then we went to AC/DC then lots of other songs but only parts of it so to end it we singed was that clap your hands but before that it was eye of the tiger followed by rock you and American idiot butt then switched the words to Canadian idiot so we had a blast but truck behind us and are truck driver and assister were wondering why we were singing. the drivers were like why are those Americans singing for LOTS OF FUN TO DO THAT WITH A GROUP OF KIDS LIKE US.

what i learned

2010-07-24T20:38:00.001-07:00

The thing i learned the most was more responsibility in keeping up with all my luggage and stuff. So i did not lose it…it is hard!

The Heights

2010-07-24T20:37:00.003-07:00

“Fear is the presence of the unknown. We as humans are curious so everything must be known. If it is known, then there is no fear.”

This is my quote when I went on two extremely high courses, the high zip lines on Thursday and the straight down plunge into waterfalls when we repelled on Saturday. The zip lines I knew how to do at first, but the slight problem was it was about half a mile up. This is where I freaked out the most because I was speeding down a little line high above ground. In order to comfort myself, I sang songs, and boy did I have a blast.ar

Next was repelling down waterfalls. It was not so bad, except on the 165’ one, which was first, I looked down on the bottom and nearly pee my pants. Then at the bottom, one of the kids was still freaking about the height I made up the top quote to help him. All of the next falls were fantastic. Everyone on both attractions were glad they did it.

Looking back on this trip, there is a height that everyone wants to see. Friendship, adrenaline, joy, and courage were things I saw. We came from Tennessee, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, and Maryland. Teachers, teens, tweens, and kids with all different ages came to one trip. I look back on this and only wonder one thing. Where will we go next year? ;c)

Siemper Fi

-Brandon Magee

The Last Day

2010-07-24T20:37:00.001-07:00

I can’t believe it’s the last day. We got to go repelling today, It was so cool. There were 5 lines, and 4 waterfalls, so four lines had either a waterfall directly beside it or directly on top of it. The other one, however, was just a rock and no water. Repelling was very fun. It is kind of like zip lining backwards to me. But today was awesome!

-Renan

Wow! Our trip almost gone!

2010-07-24T20:36:00.001-07:00

Well, it’s sad to say, but today is our last full day! Tomorrow is airport day, returning home day, and saying goodbye to friends day. :_( We’ve had a lot of fun this week. Here’s a recount of what we did.

Sunday: Arrived in San Jose and had our welcome dinner, as well as meet new people.

Monday: Visited the sloth rescue center, rode canoes in the rainforest, watched turtles swim into the ocean.

Tuesday: Traveled in a canoe to the Bribri tribe. Made chocolate, swam in the river, and played soccer with the locals.

Wednesday: Kayaked to the snorkeling area, snorkeled, and biked back. Took a night walk in the rainforest.

Thursday: Planted trees at a families farm and went zip lining! One of the best parts of the trip!

Friday: Milked cows, saw how to make cheese, walked through the rainforest, and went to the fabulous hot springs.

Saturday (today): Took trucks to the rappelling area, where we rappelled down 5 different cliffs/waterfalls! This was one of the best parts of the trip. It’s hard to decide between zip lining and this. On our way back to San Jose, we’ll go shopping.

I can’t believe the trip is already over! I’m going to miss all of my new friends sooo much!!!!! Boo hoo!!!!! Good bye for the last time on the blog (I’m pretty sure)!

Cate Paterson

Rappelling

2010-07-24T20:34:00.001-07:00

Today we went to a place to rappel down waterfalls. Me and a few other girls didnt go for a couple of reasons. Instead we went into town and went shopping. One store had beautiful paintings and sculptures and other stuff. I just bought some souvenirs for my family. Yeah, so Costa Rican people are really nice here, its sad we have to go home tomorrow but the experience was great!

Wet

2010-07-24T20:33:00.001-07:00

Today we went down waterfalls and I got wet a lot.On one of the waterfalls my shoe almost fell of.I am not good at repelling down waterfalls..I think that the zip line was so much cooler then repelling down the waterfalls.

Love,

Alyssa:)

Last day of Activities

2010-07-24T20:32:00.001-07:00

Today was fun. I didn’t go repelling so me and a few other people to La Fortuana. We walked around and shopped. There was a cute dog that followed us around all day. Then we met up with the others for lunch. We are now headed back to San Jose.

Looking Back

2010-07-24T20:31:00.001-07:00

I really benefitted from this experience, because it has made me more open-minded to try new things. Also, seeing a poorer country made me realize how well Americans have it. Costa Ricans, even the poor citizens, actually seem generally happier than Americans, even though they have to work a lot harder to sustain themselves. I also got what I wanted in being somewhere different in every way from Ohio! The rainforests and animals are amazing. Costa Rica is a tropical paradise and I would highly recommend taking this trip!

-Jack Hyman

The ride to the zip lines with the “phobe”

2010-07-24T20:30:00.001-07:00

On the way to the zip lines you ride in little ski lift things. I had to get out of my original car because there must be an adult in every one. Then I was put with like 2 teachers and a girl afraid of heights, a girl with a phobia she can not remember the name of. To comfort herself she named every phobia she could think of. so i stepped in and started joking around with her to try and help. It seemed like it was working. The teachers yelled at me the entire time but she said it was helping. She ended up chickening out anyways but she at least tried the small hills. So i do give her some credit i guess.

Zip Highlight Photos

2010-07-24T05:59:00.001-07:00

Sky Trek

2010-07-23T20:54:00.003-07:00

Zip-lining was a breathtaking experience that I definitely want to try again. We would speed through the sky, a couple thousand feet over the jungle, from platform to platform. I was really hoping that we would reach the bottom before the storm came!

Surprise

2010-07-23T20:54:00.001-07:00

Today we stopped at a place that had iguanas and other animals! They were climbing on trees, and were walking on by the road (iguanas). Then inside, there was a cute little kitten! It was very skinny though… and when we were about to leave, there was a puppy! These animals were fun to look at (puppy and iguana) and to touch (kitten)!

- Olivia Pieklo

Freshness of the Pineapple

2010-07-23T20:52:00.001-07:00

Pura Vida! Today we first went to the cow farm, where we milked cows and learned to make cheese. Milking the cows was weird. The udders felt warmish and strange. I milked the cow twice. Then we saw how to make cheese. It’s a long process. Then we went to eat homemade cheese, tortillas, and juice (I’m not sure if that was homemade). Being me (I don’t like plain cheese.), I ate the tortillas and the juice. I think it was mango, and it was delicious. We then went to the pineapple fields. German taught us how the pineapple grows. Then German cut up the pineapple (with a machete) and we ate the fresh pineapple, right from the plant. It was warm, and was the best pineapple I have ever had! Once he was done cutting it up, he had a core, with still some fruit on the sides. He asked how long it takes to grow a pineapple, and I answered the right question (14 months). So I got the pineapple core!! German cut up another one, and gave it to Corey (our AWESOME photographer), who gave it to Alyssa. We walked through the rainforest, and saw the black and green poison dart frog!!! It was awesome! We just stopped at a place where the iguanas are everywhere, lounging in the trees. We’re on our way back to the hotel, where afterward we will go to the hot springs!!! Bye, bye! (Picture: Alyssa is on left, I am on right)

Cate

Zip–it-de-do-da Zip-it-te Day!

2010-07-23T20:51:00.001-07:00

What can we say other than WOW…Zip Lining is one of those things that you can’t believe you did, but at the same time are ready to do it again! Many times I heard the students says “wow” “best” “unbelievable” etc…I think an adrenaline rush is more appropriate! To recap a few things:

Weather- Only one word PERFECT. We finally received some rain on our trip yesterday but it was perfect as it was during the drive time and therefore did not interrupt ANY activities. It was after zip lining- as we were going back to check into the hotel. We stopped as we were leaving the zip line to view Arenal Volcano from one of the best view points. Its actually an evening “hang out” spot for locals and tourists as they bring the cameras, music, food and refreshments and spend the time socializing and watching to see if they can witness the “new life” of the lava coming down.

Protect “Mother Nature”. We saw a sign on the road said this: God always forgives, Man sometimes forgives, Nature never forgives. This is how they are educating the people of Costa Rica that nature needs us to protect it- that what we do cannot be undone.

Help out others. I think each student has found a new way to assist others. They have decided to step up and hold each other accountable with their activities and attitude. The students are cleaning the bus before they leave it, taking turns assisting each other with luggage and towels, stepping up to help the teachers and staff and using their strengths to help each other’s weaknesses (fears, anxiety). One student, who was having problems adjusting to the fast pace of the trip, has worked with his “buddy” to make sure he is where he is when he needs to be- and in exchange, the roommate has felt empowered and important! The Zip Line support they showed each other was the pentacle of this!

Wow…"phenomenal” again this is all I can say!

zip lining and day 6

2010-07-23T20:41:00.005-07:00

when we went zip lining it was the most fun i ever had we ere like 70 feet in the air plus we were going like 6-7 miles per hour. the longest line was line 7 it was about 20-25feet long and i cant wait to come back too Costa Rica because i played against the Costa Ricans in soccer the play with no socks or shoes on only there bear feet so now that we did that i was really good they let us have free kicks so that was fun as well then we had made some homemade chocolate so that tasted really great i wish we could do this back home i really wished i could stay longer because we saw the volcano and was geting ready to rain and before that thunder and lightning was surrounding the volcano.

day 6 today is going great we went to the water falls i took lots of pictures of last night and that was the most amazing thing i saw so we hope you guys can take us back here again and have some more fun.

Alejandro Sanchez

Another Exciting Day

2010-07-23T20:41:00.003-07:00

It was a great day so far! We planted sapling trees. It felt good to work hard and get our hands dirty for something important. After we planted all of the saplings, the family living on the farm where we planted the trees gave us a snack. The bananas were the best I have ever had and the pineapples were just as good. I also tried some breadfruit which was pretty good. Later in the day after we reach our new hotel we will go zip lining. I am a bit nervous because of my fear of heights but I think I will enjoy it anyway. This trip is just getting better and better!

--Payton Becker

Pura Vida

2010-07-23T20:41:00.001-07:00

Yesterday was AWESOME!!! The zip lining was incredible. We rode the sky tram to the beginning of the zip lines and we zoomed through the air. If you dared to turn your head, you could see the beautiful view of the lake. It was just amazing. On our way back, we made a stop near the volcano and saw it erupting! There was a lot of lightning and at one point, I actually saw the lightning; not just the flash in the sky. We got in the bus right on time because it started to pour. When we got to the hotel, we had a pretty American dinner (hamburgers) but I didn’t feel too well after dinner. This morning, i woke up at 5:30, but went back to sleep because we didn’t have to get up until 6:00. I woke up again and it was 6:30! I rushed to wake my roommates up and we got dressed and raced to breakfast. Apparently, no one got a wake up call so we were not late. We got a late start but made it to the dairy farm. We all got to milk cows, learn the process of making cheese, and eat the homemade cheese with homemade tortillas. YUM! Now we are on our way to the pineapple farm and I know that we will have a lot of fun there (we get to eat some fresh pineapple). We are also going to have a day tour of the rainforest which will be great as well. After that we are going to the hot springs!!!! The water here is warm at the beach but this will be even warmer which will be very nice. Adios!

Katherine

Helping The Local Community

2010-07-23T20:40:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was a wonderful mix of the modern and traditional Costa Rica. In the morning, we enjoyed the hospitality of a local family as we assisted in a reforestation project. Students helped locals bring back local flora into an area thad had been clear cut. In the past, many areas of the community were clear cut to make way for cattle. Now however they are realizing that the community, flora and fauna can help the community more than a quick clear cut! Costa Rica has some great programs that help the locals earn a living by supporting the land instead of destroying it…and they are the most aggressive of the Central American communities when it comes to conservation improvement and education.

We have some great pictures to put out tonight and you will enjoy seeing the fruit of the students labor!

The experience of a lifetime- ziplining!

2010-07-23T20:40:00.001-07:00

Someday, I will have to come back here. The ziplining near the volcano was the best thing ever! First, we took the Sky Tram up the mountain to the practice courses. We got some juice while we waited for the rest of the group. Our guide was named Marcus, but asked us to call him Mario. Number three was the highest – 700 feet. It was awesome!!!! I had to go with a guide at first, because they thought I was either too short, or they weren’t sure if I was sure I wanted to go. So for the fourth, I went with the guide again. Yes, it was AMAZING! From all of the real ziplines, you could see the Arenal Volcano and the Arenal lake, the biggest lake in Costa Rica. It was beautiful. The fifth, I went triple, with Renan (who also went with guides), me, and Mario. It was really cool going triple, but the best one by far was number 7. It was the fastest and the longest. I asked if I could go alone, and they let me! It was even better! On that one, you went through some trees, and had the most beautiful view of the lake. You could see the sun shining down on it. We waited on the bridge for the rest of the group. The bridge was really cool, it was bouncy and there was a bunch of people. We went down stairs to the last one, number 8, which was like the practice ones. There we met German (pronounced Herman. He is our other guide besides Jorge.) and Payton, who didn’t go on. We went back to the building and took off our stuff. As we were driving back to the hotel, we stopped at a great view of the volcano, where we saw it erupt. You couldn’t see red lava and magma, but you could see something sliding down the volcano. Right now we are arriving at the dairy farm. Today is also a walk in the rainforest, and dips in a waterfall and hot springs! See ya!

Cate (or Cat, as Emily calls me, or Cat with a silent e, as Alyssa and Alexa call me)

Rainforest Zip-Lining

2010-07-23T20:39:00.003-07:00

/Finally, yesterday afternoon, I got what I have been waiting on this whole trip; zip lining through the rain forest. I was pretty nervous when we first got there, but after we did a few practice lines, I got really excited. It was an amazing journey and would defiantly do it again. Then on the way home last night the Arenal Volcano started erupting smoke and gas. The lightning around the volcano was so amazing. It was beautiful!

Austin J

take off

2010-07-23T20:39:00.001-07:00

yesterday was awesome because we got zip line thousands of feet over the rainforest it was so cool to see all the sites then after that we saw an erupting volcano so it was a great day

Eruption!

2010-07-23T20:38:00.003-07:00

This morning i walked out on the porch to see how well u could see the volcano from our room. There was not a cloud in the sky. I go get my roommates. Then while taking pictures it erupts! The ash cloud was huge! It is defiantly on the top five things for the week so far.

Colton Warner

Night Hike

2010-07-23T20:38:00.001-07:00

The night hike was really cool! We crossed a suspension bridge high above a river, which was a beautiful sight in the moonlight. As we crossed the bridge, a boa constrictor slithered around in the understory below us. We descended down a long, winding staircase to a secluded area of jungle. The different levels of the rainforest were visible if you shined your flashlight up. There were many large spiders. Leaf-cutter ants marched on little trails in the dirt that they had created. On one tree, there were bullet ants. Bullet ants are a red, one inch-long ant species. They have a very painful bite, so I was pretty paranoid about the ants.

day fours adventure

2010-07-23T20:37:00.001-07:00

first I went to the beach and went kayaking then i went snorkeling then after the snorkeling i went bike riding back to the hotel and changed and that’s when we started the pool tournament

Alejandro Sanchez

the kindness of others….

2010-07-23T20:36:00.001-07:00

So people in Costa Rica are incredible compared to how most Americans act!!!! If the world could be as nice as the people we have met so far in this beautiful country, almost all problems would be eliminated!! So think about something for me the next time someone angers you just smile and try to be considerate, and kind to them a smile really does spread!! and today I am going to try to spend as many smiles as possible and so should everyone that reads this because even if you think you have it bad you don't there are tons of families and people worst off than you!! So thank you to all that read this lets all spread kindness!!

~Taylor Diehl

Blending Birds

2010-07-23T20:35:00.001-07:00

At the Tree Reforesting area, the owners have a farm with animals. The birds they have, though are different.. They are a cross-breed of three different poultry: turkey, chicken, and duck. I could not find a chicken a turkey breed, but I found and named three different cross-breeds. Ones with duck bodies but turkey beards and feathers are Turks, turkey and ducks. Second are the duck necks and heads with chicken bodies, now known as Dickens. Finally are the visa versa of Dickens, Chucks. Those birds were unique and very cool looking. I hope that other groups can see these animals when they plant trees.

-Brandon Magee

costa rica fun

2010-07-23T20:34:00.003-07:00

Yesterday we went biking, kayaking, and snorkeling. i saw lots of fish, a sand shark, and an eel. it was truly amazing. later that night we went on a night hike. we saw several frogs and a fer de lance, a rare venomous viper. we are doing the zip lines today, and i can’t wait.

-cooper hess

Lots and lots of trees

2010-07-23T20:34:00.001-07:00

Today we went and planted trees in a place that was trying to get back the forest since it was cut. We planted over 200 tree saplings!!

Olivia Pieklo

A simple way of life..

2010-07-23T20:32:00.001-07:00

You know you are in trouble when…….

……your roomy used up ALL the warm water.

It does have the tendency to wake you up quickly in the morning.

Today we had the opportunity to give back to the barrio (community) which has been so gracious in opening their hearts and lives to us. Life is good here, it is simple. We went to a farm where we were able to assist in planting trees. The country has several types of trees that have been harvested for their lumber. As a result there are consequences to the environment that we are not aware of. In cutting down trees we destroy habitats of a variety of species of animals. We change the dynamics and the structure of the food chain. There are several animals that are on the verge of becoming extinct. Te great green macaw is one such majestic bird on the verge of disappearing forever.

So today we gave back. In the course of less than an hour (40 minutes to be precise) we were able to plant over 200 saplings of a type of cedar. It felt good to get my hands back into the soil. The kids were provided 18 shovels and It also was good to be able to share a moment with my own daughter and give back to the earth together. Now it is my turn to pass down the importance of conservation. It was also good to be able to share some farming or gardening tips with our new friends.

-Lisa

trees

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Today we planted tree. It was really hot outside in the sun. We planted about 100 trees!We worked in pairs of 2-3 people. Planting trees was really cool because the trees were endangered.

-Jevon Erickson

Thursday’s Adventures

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Today has been pretty fun so far, but a lot of hard work! We went to this local family’s farm and helped them plant some trees that are very beneficial, not only to them, but the endangered animals in that area. The family also prepared us a little snack for all the work we helped them with. Coming up later is zip lining through the rain forest.

Austin J

Food from the People

2010-07-23T20:30:00.001-07:00

Hi peepz.the people that we helped plant trees gave us food and no other groups got any food. Mmmmm The food was delicious. Be jealous !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Alyssa Johnson

Day 5 (Thursday)

2010-07-23T20:29:00.001-07:00

Today has been fun so far. We got to plant trees and give back to the environment. Then, for a surprise snack, a local family served snack for us. They had the BEST pineapples ever. Next, we are eating lunch then heading to the zip lines. It’s hot here, but no worse than East Tennessee. :)

-Kelly Henderson

A Terrifying Tour and a Thankful Family

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Yesterday night we went on a tour through the rainforest at night. At first I was fearless, but the moment our tour guide pointed the thousands of leaf cutter ants, that fearlessness disappeared, almost as if it had never been there. The smaller ants were fine but the soldiers were pretty big and they were surrounding my feet and were getting on my shoes throughout the trip. Even worse were the bullet ants which were about an inch long! Despite these creepy crawly things, I had a lot of fun. We saw a boa constrictor, a poison dart frog (which I spotted), multiple spiders one of which was almost the size of my hand (including the legs), and other small things. Although it would have been cool, I am sort of glad I was not in the group that saw a fer de lance. This morning, I woke up again an hour before the wake up call and just lay in bed. Before breakfast, some other kids and I went to see the butterfly and frog gardens at the hotel. We saw lots of butterflies and one poison dart frog. While I was back at the room, one of our guides; German, picked up a poison dart frog in the pool area! We also saw a bunch of birds where the hotel had fruit lain out for them. Someone saw a toucan. In the morning, we went to person’s property and planted saplings. We planted over 200 saplings in a very short period of time; we had a lot of people. When we got back from the fields, the family had prepared a snack for us. They were so nice, none of the other groups got this thank you and I was very honored. They had delicious bananas, pineapple, papaya, juice, and other things. We are going zip lining very soon and I am extremely excited. Adios!

Katherine

THE BEACH

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WE WERE ALL IN LIMON AT THE HOTEL AND WE WENT TO THIS BEACH,THE SAND WAS BEATUTIFUL! we all rode waves and had a blast! THAT IS NOW MY FAVORITE BEACH! ITS AMAZING

planting trees

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planting the trees was fun and hot. then when we finished the family that owned the place made us all food and gave the teachers hand made bottles and bags.

-connor sapp

Night Walk… (shiver)

2010-07-23T20:27:00.001-07:00

I’m here again! Last night, the night walk was amazing! We started with ants. Leaf cutter ants. They would walk along the path carrying things twenty time their weight! Then we walked onto a bridge. Our guide, Daniel, showed us many interesting things. My group was Makena, Alexa, Alyssa, Olivia, Lisa C., and me. Lisa got so freaked out when we saw a boa from the bridge. It was on a lower branch on a tree right next to us. There was a camera crew taking pictures, and Alexa says she saw them take pictures of us! In the middle of the bridge, we were right over a churning river. Daniel says we were 100 feet up. I was a little freaked out, because the bridge was wobbly. We walked down under the bridge, where Daniel said no other group went. We saw two other cool snakes (to the horror of Lisa, who didn’t even look at them), different bugs, like the walking stick, bullet ants (they were HUGE! Daniel told us he was bit by one once, and it hurts in your bone!), grasshoppers, and when we went to a watery area we saw a big frog. Not one of those tiny poison dart frogs, but a big one. We went back to the meeting place and waited. We were at this awesome hotel that I wish we could have stayed at longer at. This morning, me, Katherine, Makena, Alyssa, Payton, and Kelly (with a Y, not Thomas) went to their frog land and butterfly garden. We saw a poison dart frog, a blue jeans one, and lots of different butterflies. Today we went to plant trees. Makena was my partner, and we planted a lot of saplings. After that, the family fed us with pineapple, watermelon, two types of papaya, bread fruit (like chips, really good), and other really yummy stuff. We were told the family didn’t give it to anyone else, so that we really nice. We are on the buses right now on the way to the volcano, and today we’re going to go on the ziplines!!! I’’m so excited! Pura Vida!

Cate

An Adventure

2010-07-23T20:26:00.001-07:00

Ah, so I’m finally in Costa Rica! So over the past few days I have done many things including: adopting a sloth, releasing a sea turtle, making chocolate, swallowed saltwater (on accident), and walked 60 feet above water with a Kinkajou. There’s much more but I’m looking forward to so much more I can hardly remember :)

-Cou Farley

More photos from Taylor’s Trek

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Mrs. Taylor’s Photos

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Braden’s Photos

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These photos go with Braden’s post coming.

Snorkeling

2010-07-22T06:26:00.001-07:00

I’m not gonna lie my favorite part of yesterday had to be snorkeling in the coral reef. Seeing how much wildlife lives in such a small area of the Caribbean. I mean it was just constantly stuff everywhere. Some of the guys said they saw a baby shark. I was pretty jealous of that honestly just to see a shark would be mind blowing for me. Another of the guy saw a thing of baby eels in the coral reef. Me and Colton were both like dude i would so stay out there for like a whole hour if we could.

-Braden Smith

Photos From Day 3

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CONGRATULATIONS CHRIS!

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Congratulations to Chris for having the most followers on the blog! We already have some great images, stories and video out for everyone to enjoy.

We don’t know what was the best response after the announcement was: the “score” motion with his hands or the high fives that the rest of the group did! Nice job everyone.

Photos From Day 4

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7.20 Chocolate Photos (Do not eat the photos!)

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Sleeping

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Ok so most people are blogging about what we did today, so I'm going to tell you what’s going on right now…….earlier today to us we have to take a nap on the bus so that what we’re trying to do if you were to see are bus right now it would look really wired most of the boys are laying in the floor Colton and Austin are in the isle,Matt in floor in back,and Cameron in back row seats. And me I’m setting here blogging.

Pure Vida, EMILY

On The Bus

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Travel Pictures

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7.20 Activities and Adventures

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View Full Album

Day Three

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Today after we rode the canoes to the hidden village we indulged in some traditional foods. We were tired and hot from the long canoe trip so the group went for a swim in the nearby river. while in the river i met a friendly villager named Noe. he was a 34 year old canoe- man; though he was only in a primary school, he spoke English very well. thus I ended my adventure with a soccer game with the villagers and a canoe and bus ride back to the hotel.

Noah Burnett

Sleeping

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Pure Vida, EMILY

A lot of Adventures

2010-07-21T18:45:00.001-07:00

Today was full of adventures and there are even more to come! We got to sleep in until 6 today, and then we went and split into two groups. The group I was in went on a bike ride to get to the beach where we we swimming. After we were done exploring the coral reefs, my group kayaked back and then we all had lunch. Tonight, we will take a walk through the forest to see the animals that come out at night.

--Payton Becker

Day 4 (Wednesday)

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Today, we got a later wake-up call, which everyone was very happy about. Then we headed down the road to bike and kayak so we could all snorkel around one of Costa Rica’s amazing reefs. The groups swapped, (kayaks to bikes and bikes to kayaks) and headed back. We had one of the best meals yet, watched some of the boys get intense about a pool tournament, and now we’re on the bus back to our hotel. Later, we get to take a night walk. It should be fun!

-Kelly Henderson

P.S. Hip hip! JORGE!!

Wednesday’s Adventures…

2010-07-21T18:42:00.001-07:00

Today was one of the most fun days we have had so far. Today, we got to sleep in an hour later and leave and hour early. We left the hotel and headed to another hotel that rented out snorkeling, kayaking, and bicycles. The group I was in took the bicycles first. We rode for about twenty minutes to the beach, where we ditched the bikes and put on some goggles and fins. We swan around of one Costa Rica’s beautiful coral reefs. We went back to the shore and got in the kayaks for some fun. It was fun but a lot of work. After the kayaking, we said good-bye to the Caribbean and Limon.

boat ride

2010-07-21T18:41:00.001-07:00

today we were on a boat forever today and i thought we would never get off i almost fell asleep at one point because i was so board. but finally we got to this one place were we got to grind cocoa beans and make chocolate sauce and we dipped bananas in it and we also played soccer overall it was a pretty good and fun day.

Yorkin

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What an amazing trip up the Yorkin River to meet the Bribri tribe. We were able to watch chocolate being made, take a dip in the river, learn about the Bribri culture, and play soccer with the members of the community.

-Lisa

snorkeling

2010-07-21T18:38:00.001-07:00

snorkeling was very fun i saw a lot of fish. i also saw a nurse shark and an ell in its hole on the coral then we kayaked back to the busses.

-connor sapp

Chocolate and Coffee

2010-07-21T18:37:00.001-07:00

All of us have those little things that we just love. For me, its chocolate and coffee!! I love a good cup of java, and Costa Rica has its fair share of wonderful coffees- so I wasn’t expecting something else to make me say WOW; not the way that coffee has made me smile these mornings.…but there is something magical in drinking warm cocoa just after you’ve ground the cacao nuts and pulverized the beans into a dark, black pile of the most exquisite chocolate you’ve ever tasted- 100% pure cacao beans….

SIDE NOTE: As you noticed, I've used cacao and cocoa- this is because they are one and the same! the Indigenous tribes say cacao- but for the Europeans who came to Costa Rica many years ago this sounded to much like the word they have for poo AKA: Caca…So they changed the word to Cocoa.

And return to our story… The PUREST chocolate that I have ever had was really not what I expected. I didn’t expect it to be wrapped in a little metal package or anything- I expected it to be good. It was amazing. Leslie Morgan put it best…”its heavenly”.

The process was amazing. The students enjoyed learning how the beans go from being soft, white coated seeds were kind of like a sore patch kid- sweet on the outside and increased sourness as you sucked it, to being a hard roasted bean. Next, they lay them out in the sun for two warm days to dry (don’t worry they actually don’t suck the white coating off the beans you buy :) ) and then roast them, continuously turning the nuts like they do when roasting coffee beans. After that, they use a large plate and rock like a mortar and pestle to beak off the outer skin from the bean. They continue to crush it until each piece of bean is no larger than ground coffee pieces. With the help of a more modern grinder, they make the “grinds” into an actual paste- it is extrememly fine.

Then the past is used to make chocolate goodies.

The paste is mixed with warm water to make a drink similar to chocolate milk but definitely unique (and it doesn’t have all the added sugars and preservatives). Some of the students did add sugar (or a lot of sugar!) since of course they are used to a much sweeter version.

Then after having this elixir, we got to enjoy FRESH bananas and chocolate. To make a beautiful chocolate sauce, you use the cacao paste and mix it with Sweetened Condensed Milk- It is a very thick, luscious dip! The bananas were sweet and small, and didn’t look like the typical 6” long banana we have in the grocery store. The peels were thin, the taste was sweet, just picked fresh (not put into chemical storage before it is ripe) and there were NO little white bar codes to remove! You know you have a great banana when Lisa Colino (who NEVER eats bananas and hasn’t ate bananas since grade school) enjoyed her first banana in 25 years! Now that is saying something.

And to top it off, one of the founders of the women's group provided me with a bit of the chocolate paste- and tonight I am going to enjoy a cafe’ mocha to complete day 3!

Salud from Treana!

Photos from Day 1 & 2

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More Turtle Pictures

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the pool tournament

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today during our lunch break, Krishten wanted to play pool and every body else wanted to as well so he created this tournament to see who is the best at it. So far it was cris and rainen placed against jack and josh. The winner the winning team was cris’s then it was me and kristten. We just started to play then we had to leave and we hope this next hotel has a pool table.

Alejandro Sanchez

Fun in the Sun

2010-07-21T18:29:00.001-07:00

This morning was PERFECT! We woke up and started our adventures right away. We split into two groups and our group hit the water. First up, sea kayaking. For the most part, our novice kayakers were partnered with experienced folks, but as I had never kayaked but was a teacher, I was paired with another novice. It took some rhythm and coordination and LOTS of communication, but we finally got the hang of it and followed our cluster of kayaks along the inland side of the coral reef. We went ashore, grabbed our snorkeling gear, and headed down the beach for a bit of instruction. While I was way more familiar and comfortable with this activity, there were several students who were a bit tenuous at first, but most quickly gained confidence, and the views were, as Renan put it, “…so cool!” We saw red spiny sea urchins, parrot fish, and angel fish as well as TONS of coral and other fish I didn’t identify. Finally, my group put on these “lovely” helmets and pedaled our bikes back to the hotel where we enjoyed a shower and a juvenile sloth in the wild. A fabulous meal of chicken with cheese on an amazing sandwich roll was waiting for me when I was finally all cleaned up. The meal was capped off with banana bread and a cake that was just delicious.

Currently, we are traveling to our jungle reserve accommodations for tonight. We should arrive after a four hour drive. Right now, everyone is catching up on a bit of sleep or watching the changing landscape as we go from the coastal flatlands to the more mountainous jungle. Tonight, after dinner, will be our night hike. It is amazing to me that we’ve only been traveling for 3 1/2 days. It seems like a life-time of amazing experiences already.

Leslie

A great day

2010-07-21T18:28:00.001-07:00

it was a great day because i got to go kayaking, biking, snorkeling and i won an iPod touch and i would like to thank all my followers for this great accomplishment you guys are awesome thanks ! -Chris

An Activity Filled Morning

2010-07-21T18:27:00.001-07:00

We were woken up at 5:00 this morning by our friends the howler monkeys again. Luckily wake up was an hour later so I could still rest for another hour. I don’t think I wrote about this but we had a crab in our bathroom yesterday The woman at the front desk was really nice about it and even helped us out with our toilet that didn’t flush. It only took us 10 minutes or so to get to the place where we started kayaking while the other group biked first. We then met up to snorkel. It was fun but my snorkel kept getting filled with water because it was the way it was designed was that it was angled forward. My mask also kept fogging up but I still saw some cool fish. Two people cut themselves on corral but otherwise there were no real injuries. After that, we biked back to where we started but I had forgotten a change of clothes and was stuck with a wet bathing suit. We had a nice lunch and had a really good dessert (spice cake or something). We are on our way to the new hotel, it is a long bus ride so I hope to get some sleep. I can’t believe we only have 3 more days left (Sunday is just travel)!

Katherine

Cate’s Photos from Days one and two

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The first picture is of Slappy the turtle when we freed him to the coral reef. The second is of a baby sloth snuggling with its stuffed animal while it’s sleeping. The third is a monkey, the black spot. It’s a howler monkey, the same kind that woke me and Katherine up this morning. The last picture is of me in front of the Caribbean sea. The ocean here is very clear and warm… very nice.

More pictures coming soon,

Cate

Ole, ole, ole!

2010-07-21T18:25:00.001-07:00

Ole! We are listening to some great Costa Rican or Spanish music right now on the bus, and it makes me feel great. Today has been great too, and it’s not even over yet! This morning we got to wake up an hour later than we usually do, at 5. Today we woke up at 6 and had breakfast. Then we boarded the buses at 8 and took a ten minute drive to the Almonds and Coral hotel, where we would do our activities for the day, not stay at tonight. Our whole big group split in half, and my group went to do kayaking first. In the beginning, we had to wait a little bit for the instructor to get there, but then we stretched, practiced, and paired up. I was paired up with Lisa Colino, and we were a pretty good team. Originally I was going to be paired with Kristin… no way. Lisa and I were one of the first ones out, and we were ahead of everyone, the closest people Emily and Dawn, until they made up stop to wait up for the others. We could already see the coral from the kayaks. As soon as we got to shore, we met the other group, who had been bicycling, and put on our snorkeling gear, masks and flippers. We plunged into the water, and went around the one reef. It was all very beautiful, but the masks were very uncomfortable. There were lots of fish, and my favorite was blue with yellow and black stripes. After we were done, we hung out in the water a little more. We found one of the drivers, Jorge (not our guide) cutting coconuts to drink the juice from. He gave one to me. It tasted SO good, especially fresh from the coconut. We put on our helmets and tried to find the right bike for ourselves. It was hard to find a bike not too big for me (all right, get that laughter out now girls in Chevy chase). We biked, getting to the showers earlier than the kayaking group. After changing, we went to the restaurant and waited for lunch. I had a chicken sandwich, which was delicious! The dessert was good, banana cake. The other dessert I tried, but didn’t like very much. We got onto the buses again and are told it is a 4 hour bus ride to our next hotel. Tonight we have our night walk in the rainforest!! See you later!

Cate

Ridding the Bikes

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We started out on the bikes and rode all the way to the beach. It’s amazing that how a lot of Costa Rica’s transportation is by bike. In America everybody cars but its way different. Also i like being able to see the difference from both of the countries and how they operate.

Austin Roberts

The Bribri Tribe

2010-07-21T18:22:00.001-07:00

Today, we visited one of Costa Rica’s most unique cultures. We traveled to the town in a traditional dug out canoe. The trip we made in about one hour, most natives make in about three; however, we took about a five minute break. This experience was very unique and enjoyable.

Austin J

Chocolate Lovers Dream

2010-07-20T19:22:00.001-07:00

What an amazing day! Beautiful canoe ride, hike, and fantastic time with the Bri Bri tribe. And lastly, a chocolate lovers dream. From a Cacao tree to banana dipped in chocolate, we learned every step in the process. All I can say is DELICIOUS!

Kiki