Meghan- This trip has been a life changing experience for many of us including myself. Opening our eyes to the real world outside of the U.S can change your perspective and make you grateful for everything you have in life. This trip was a once in a lifetime experience and everything that we participated in will forever hold a special place in my heart. From coming out of my comfort zone to zip-line, learning more about agriculture in the country, and taking in all of the nature and beauty around us, this trip has been amazing and I encourage everyone who has the opportunity to, to take advantage of this wonderful experience!
Emily- If it doesn’t challenge you, it doesn’t change you. I think we all came into this trip with our own fears and challenges. Some were afraid to try some of the more extreme activities like zip lining, others were worried about wild animals (especially the poisonous ones!), and I think we all wondered about spending 8 days in a foreign country with a group of people some of whom we didn’t know very well. My biggest challenge was the worry about leaving my family and comforts of home behind and whether taking the time for a personal adventure was selfish. As I watched many of the others overcome their fears, and as I watched, felt, and shared our support of each other as we overcame our challenges, I think a transformation definitely took place in all of us. To be able to experience another culture and experience different ways of life, along with bearing witness to the incredible courage of those around us is truly life changing. Don’t feel for one moment that you can’t do it or you don’t deserve it. An experience like this is truly once in a lifetime. I will always treasure the memories and friendships I have made, and we will all carry a little piece of Costa Rica in our hearts forever. ❤️🇨🇷 Becca- The Power of Presence — whether it was morning yoga sessions, leaving our cell phones behind during the day for activities, or ending the night with card games our time in Costa Rica was capitalized in the moments when we were completely present in the moment. From our tour guides to each and every one of the participants we hit the jack pot that made the experience that much better. Making the decision to study abroad is not an easy one and it can be scary but having this be my first time abroad I cannot wait to go back or travel elsewhere. We make our own limits and get what we put into each and every situation at hand. It is up to you to step out of your comfort zone. Everyone person on our trip did in their own way. It is up to you to be present in the moment rather than worrying about keeping your streaks alive or posting on Instagram. Being able to study abroad brings back the human element that we often overlook while we are scrolling our newsfeed. The ability to be present in every moment is a power — capitalize on it and make the best of it! Pura Vida, Costa Rica! Liz- Pura vida - a phrase with so much meaning behind it. Costa Rica has taught me this phrase. In only a week, I have learned so much about Costa Rica’s agriculture, people, and way of living. We were taught several meanings of the phrase ‘Pura Vida’. That it means pure life or hakuna mutatah- but I think we all took home our own definitions of the saying pura vida. For some, it may be the ability to overcome their biggest fears and zip line over the rainforest or travel to an entirely different country. For others it may be trying a new food for the first time or being able to step out of your comfort zone and interact with strangers. To me, pura vida means all of these things and more. Costa Rica has taught me to not fear anything, to try new things, and make the most out of your life without fear. The country taught me to be more resourceful with the planet and to appreciate life whether it be by avoiding stepping on the hardworking leaf cutter ants or by appreciating the many different species of frogs and snakes. Without traveling, I would be an entirely different person. Traveling abroad offers new perspectives, friends, memories, and opportunities to grow into an entirely different person. As Saint Augustine says, “The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.” There are so many opportunities out there, make every moment count, and fear nothing. Live for pura vida... Raegan- Overall, my orchids have to be creating bonds with everyone, white water rafting, and being within arms reach of a sloth. What other way could we do these things, than travel abroad? The experiences that this trip has allowed me are unexplainable, and I wish that everyone could get the chance to do this. Also, traveling abroad nearly forces you to create relationships with people that you wouldn’t imagine connecting with, and that is something that I am forever thankful for. Nick- Well where to begin. This trip has been amazing to put it in simple terms. We seen monkeys, sloths, we rafted the top 5 river for rafting in the world, flew over the rainforest canopy, and made new friends. These experiences changed my perspective of countries around the world. I can’t really put my feelings into words that’s why the best way to find out what I’m talking about is to experience it for yourself. Ben- This trip was a once in a lifetime opportunity, that I am ecstatic that I was able to go on. Leaving the environment of Michigan and traveling all the way to Central America really shows you how big and unique this world is; from witnessing the different lifestyles people can live to the diverse ecosystems such as rainforests (even though snakes live there), and even being able to raft through canyons or jumping off a cliff (Like who would jumps off a cliff). That all sounds cool (besides the snakes) but, I personally believe the best part of studying abroad is the connections and relationships you form with the people you go with as well as your tour guides and locals. These connections are what make study abroad trips life changing and also help make this world seem a little bit smaller, which is why everyone should try and leave the country at least once. Kody- Some things I saw on the trip to Costa rica was a sloth hanging from a power line and a few different kind of snakes. I enjoyed seeing the animals and meeting the people. People should go abroad because there is a lot of opportunities to experience things in this once in a life time opportunity. You will also always learn about something you never knew existed. Ashley- The decision to study abroad in Costa Rica is by far the best decision I’ve ever made. From learning about the biodiversity in the rainforest to the agriculture, to the amazing cultural experiences which made us all grow tremendously as people. The bond our group had specifically with our tour guides really made the trip worth it especially in times when we needed to convince ourselves and others to take the big leap and zip line, raft level four rapids, or stand on a ledge above the rainforest and swing like Tarzan! The chance to study abroad is truly once in a lifetime, if you don’t take it while you have it you’ll never know what you missed out on. I can’t wait to travel abroad again. Gracias, Senior Pepe for encouraging and organizing such an amazing experience in Costa Rica. Pura Vida! Joe- This trip shouldn’t of happened. Let me share where my mind was in December: The timing wasn’t ideal- we’d be planning an international trip in less than six months. The money wasn’t there either- we’d do all our fundraising in half a year. None of the initial group had ever been to Costa Rica- we’d be putting our eight days abroad in the hands of a Costa Rican business. I had to keep asking myself- is this going to work? It worked and I’m so glad it did! We just wrapped up a trip of a lifetime with a group of ten resilient and amazing students, two other fun-loving and adventurous adults and our extraordinary guides that helped make the experience unforgettable. The trip almost didn’t happen- but we made some of the best memories possible. We’re leaving Costa Rica as stronger leaders and better people. We all grew in some way- wether that was overcoming a fear, experiencing something brand new, or connecting with someone else. We’re leaving Costa Rica more educated. We all learned something- we gained more knowledge about sustainable agriculture practices and growing food in tropical humid regions. We learned about cultures and how kind and amazing people around the world can be. But most importantly we’re leaving Costa Rica with new relationships. Relationships we built with others on the trip and relationships we built with people in this amazing country. I can’t wait to return. Pura Vida! What an amazing experience. Thank you to everyone that helped support the trip in any way. A special thanks to our school board and administrators for allowing us to offer this opportunity to our students.
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Becca-
I remember the first Junior High Class I worked with at North Huron and one of their assignments being to research a plant, of their choice, and answer certain questions. Immediately students grabbed their cell phones and began asking Siri for assistance. The one that sticks out the most to me was “Siri, what’s the scientific name of a lemon tree?” I was astonished that the first step wasn’t even Google, but this is the reality that we live in and each generation after becomes more connected through technological advancements. Personally for me, I was looking forward to the disconnect as it is hard to have a work/life balance being completely connected all the time — going off the grid for a week sounded like a dream, to me. We almost did not make it to Costa Rica because once we got off our first flight at Fort Lauderdale instead of finding our next gate we stopped, used restrooms, got snacks, and lastly switch phone SIM cards. Before we knew it Mr. Ankley had a phone call from the airport saying that we had three minutes to get to the gate before the jet bridge closes. After a short run, and a couple falls, we made it and our journey continued. If you’ve kept up on the blog post so far you’ve read about our expeditions here in Costa Rica. We have experienced a lot of the Costa Rican culture and have embraced the common phrase “Pura Vida,” you can think of it as Hakuna Mahtata. Until Wednesday we had WiFi at all of the places we stayed but that night was spent in a jungle lodge, completely disconnected from the outside world. This was what I signed up for when Mr. Ankley asked me if I’d like to attend back in November. In order to get here we took a drive to a path that lead to the river. On our drive over, Edgar, our guide, explained that with the constant pressure to do more, meet deadlines and exceed goals a lot of us suffer from the same disease, stress. By disconnecting we would be able to completely disconnect from our social media accounts, e-mail, and really everyone else back home. Going back to the river’s edge in order to get to the jungle lodge we had to raft the Pacquare Canyon. The first thing we did when we arrived to the lodge was check into our rooms, change out of our wet rafting clothes and had lunch before heading the the Tarzan Swing. The rest of the night was spent enjoying the company of one another playing games and truly reconnecting with one another, being present and in the moment. The rest of the trip was similar with a WiFi signal every now and again but everyone on the trip seemed to latch onto the idea of being present in the moment at hand. At Fernando’s Project, the Chocolate Farm we stayed at for a couple nights we were taught another important lesson on overcoming stress. While we were learning about the medicinal uses for many of the plants he grows our guide and host, Fernando discussed how “he is not afraid of anything because as soon as you admit you’re scared you give whatever the object is power over you. Sometimes the fears we hold onto hold us back and cause stress in our lives. At this farm a major fear of a couple of ours (again myself included) was snakes and we were ending the evening with a night walk to find amphibians of the rainforest. The zip lining and Tarzan swing from earlier in the week challenge most of the group and ended up being a highlight for most. Our Costa Rican Adventure was a great experience for all of the participants. For some it was their first flight, others (including myself) our first time abroad, the activities we participated in took everyone out of their comfort zone at one point or another, and we all learned something in terms of Costa Rican Culture, sustainable agriculture, or remembering to take a break from the constant pressures. Olivia- Friday we had the opportunity to go on a cacao chocolate tour at Fernando’s farm. Fernando showed us the process from the cacao pods to delicious chocolate treats. First we were shown what the cacao pod looked like straight from the tree. We then cut it open to examine the beans inside. We taste tested the the little white slimy beans holding the actual cacao, which tasted sweet like sugar. The beans are placed in an air tight container after collected to ferment for six days until they can be roasted. Once roasted the cacao is now called nibs which look like tiny chunks of crumbled chocolate and taste like sweet chocolate. The nibs are put into a machine with 3 stone rollers which also melts the chocolate so it can be made into chocolate bars and different types of chocolate treats. We got to mold the chocolate we made that day into our own chocolate bars which we each got to take with us. Along with the bars we got to devour a chocolate drink, chocolate mousse, and brownies made from the chocolate we made that day.
Ty- Friday we went to the Cahuita National Park to observe all the wild life that they have in the park. Before we even got started on the trail we saw a snake on the roof of the bathroom. To get an up close view of everything we saw our tour guides had a telescope that they would set up, and with this we could see very clearly what we were looking at. Once we started the trail we saw two different kinds of monkeys- howler and white-faced. Our guides were very helpful finding the animals and even found a baby monkey in the trees!! Along with the monkeys, we also saw sloths on our walk. We saw both two toed and three toed sloths. They were very hard to see because they blend in with nature. After our walk we went to the beach for a couple hours which was a lot of fun, but many of us came back with a little sunburn.
At the end of the night when we were coming back from dinner Ernesto (the bus driver) slammed on the brakes and our guide told us all to get out of the bus. When we got out we looked in front of the bus and we saw a sloth crossing the road on a power line. We were less than 10 feet from it taking pictures! In the evening we did an amphibian tour looking for frogs and snakes. We saw both and got some awesome pictures! Raegan- three days before we left for this trip, Meghan and I gave a presentation in class on sustainable tourism in Costa Rica. We discussed ecotourism and how “ecolodges” are popping up all over the country. It was very interesting to relate all of those concepts that we learned to Costa Rica, and see it first hand.
Tourism accounts for a massive amount of Costa Rica’s GDP, and it’s easily its number one industry. People come to Costa Rica in the hopes to see its biodiversity and become close to nature. That being said, it is imperative that tourism is done in a way that preserves the beauty that tourists come to see. In order to do this, “ecolodges” have become the newest fad. In order to be an ecolodge, there must be an effort to recycle, reuse, manage waste and water, and use renewable energy. Ecolodges are often found in the middle of rainforests or near waterfalls, but they are not permitted to disrupt any wildlife or the ecosystem in anyway. We were very, very fortunate to stay in multiple ecolodge systems, at the POC and at Fernando’s projects. Both of these systems composted, reused in multiple ways, and managed water intensely. It was common for our water to be heated via solar panels, our waste to be turned into gas, and candles to be used to light our adventures at night. Kody- We went rafting on the Pacuare River. This river is listed as one of the top five rivers to raft in the world. There were level 2, 3, and 4 rapids throughout the whole time on the river. It was a lot of fun both days we got to be on the water. The first day we started going down the river we got to jump off a rock into the water, then we had to swim to the rafts down the stream. For anyone that couldn't get to the rafts they threw a rope for you to grab, then they pulled you to the rafts. We continued down the river until we made it to the place we were staying at. We stayed at the POC: Pacuare Outdoor Center, a facility on the middle of the rainforest. No electricity (other than some solar) and no cell service- what an awesome way to disconnect from the world and reconnect with nature. The views were beautiful and stunning!
The second day we started down the river with our three rafts with guides and a safety kayaker. We had multiple chances to get out of the boat to swim and went through a lot more rapids. One of the last Rapids was a level 4 and one raft got stuck on a rock which caused Emily to fall out. The people in my raft helped her out of the water and the shoe that she lost. Some things I learned are how important teamwork is for rafting and in general and that there are different classes of rapids. The guide also was saying some fun facts about the wildlife as we went through the river. I also found out that toucans are a lot smaller than Toucan Sam. Check our our Facebook page for videos. Faith- This morning on our way to EARTH University , about half way through our three hour drive, we stopped at a local fruit stand. Here we were able to try fresh fruits such as: pineapple, mango, guava, starfruit, Mamon, rambutan, and soursop, as well as cheese, fudge, and fresh baked bread. All of the fruits in these stands are fresh! Many of these fruits were new to us but even the fruits we have had like the mango or pineapple still tasted much different (better obviously) than in America.
Costa Rica is like a natural greenhouse. The climate here makes it very easy for fruits and vegetables to grow. Many locals sell fruits and vegetables as a source of income since it’s plentiful and cheap for buy. Even the university we are staying at sells it as an extra source of income. Fun fact : When it is time to harvest sugarcane they burn the field first. They do this so that the snakes and wildlife leave the field to make it safe for the harvesters. The sugarcane leaves are also very sharp so burning them off gets rid of the sharp leaves and the sugarcane itself is left undamaged because it’s filled with liquid. Emily- Today at EARTH University we had the opportunity to visit a banana processing facility that is part of their environmentally-friendly banana plantation. We saw the bananas come into the facility via a cable transport system. The bananas are wrapped in blue plastic to help protect them from UV radiation that can damage the peel. Next, the fruits are rinsed with a dilute chlorine-water solution to kill any fungi or bacteria that may be on them. They are hand-sorted, and sent off to be stickered (also by hand at incredible speed), and the stems are coated with a wax to seal them and prevent molds or bacteria from affecting the fruit. Finally, they are boxed and inspected for ripeness and disease. Any bananas not suitable for export are separated for use in many ways. Some are distributed locally in areas where people are in need of food, others are eaten on campus by students and faculty, and any extra is mulched for animal feed or compost. No waste! Our final stop was a visit to special refrigeration units where bananas are all carefully brought to the same temperature to ensure the entire shipment will ripen at the same rate. What an interesting experience! EARTH University bananas are sold in many Costa Rican stores, as well as Whole Foods in the United States!
Nick- Today we arrived at EARTH University. This is an agricultural school and that focuses on sustainability. They have approximately 450 students from 43 counties. Nearly 25% of the students are from Costa Rica whole the rest are from other tropical regions of the world. Our tour guide was a third year student from Uganda named Peter. This was quite unique because 2 years ago three students and Mr. Ankley traveled to his home town on a different FFA trip. Peter took us to the sustainable plant projects of the university which consisted of hydroponics, aquaponics, and many raised garden beds. Many of these systems are like the ones we have at our own school! Many of the raised garden beds are were made of 2 liter soda bottles, tires, and concrete blocks as a way to recycle resources. We also participated in planting a few hydroponic systems. These plants are sold to the university’s cafeteria or sold at their market on Fridays. After the plants we went to the animals. At the University they have pigs, chickens, quail, and cattle. They have many systems like the United States but on a smaller scale. For example the milking parlor had 4 milking stations. They milk 48 cows that produce about 480 liters per day. Most of the cattle are a mix between Brahman and another breed. We also visited the processing facility for bananas- more on that cool experience in a separate post. After the tour we went back to our hotel room on their 800 hectare campus.
Ashley- We had a flavorful day today I don't think I've ever tried so many different foods in one day! Not only did we zip line over 600 feet in the air over the rainforest overlooking the Arenal Volcano and a beautiful lake, but we also visited a local farm. While there we viewed and tasted many different foods and plants.
Everything on the farm was organic produce. Some plants were even medicinal. We were told the name of them one by one and then we tasted or smelled the leaves to see if we could tell what it was. Many repellent plants like citronella and lemon grass are grown to keep pests away from the produce those plants we were able to identify by smell. Everything varies in taste from bitter, sour, sweet, and or very hot! We even had a couple games to keep things interesting. We used anato seed to dye our faces and had a dancing competition. This is the same dye used to make cheddar cheese orange colored. Since the number one export in Costa Rica is pineapple not coffee (which is number 3 right behind bananas) we ate a freshly picked pineapple, among other fruits and fresh sugar cane juice! We also tasted black peppercorn and several new fruits. The meal we were provided at the end of the night was grown right there at the farm including the tilapia they raise. We had an energetic and knowledgeable host to teach us all about tropical agriculture and certain plants and crops they grow and techniques to grow them organically and sustainably. To end the day we swam in the thermal hot springs just down the road. |
The UpdatesEach week there will be a new post to the blog, that will highlight our students and there projects. It will also give weekly announcements. Archives
May 2019
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