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Costa Rica - Day 6

Each year, national finalists in the proficiency awards and the American Star Awards programs are offered the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, where they experience different agricultural practices first-hand and learn about the rich history and culture of a country different from their own.

This year, fifty students are traveling on the Costa Rica trip, and have divided into five groups: chupacabra, funky monkeys, shark bait, tree frogs and half sliced pineapples. Each day one of the groups will share the experiences and thoughts from their journey.

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Puda Vida from the Half Sliced Pineapples!

Eggs and Bakey, wakey, wakey. Today our day started with a fantastic, state of the art breakfast at the Los Suenos hotel and resort! There was much variety to choose from, and certainly something for every person to enjoy. Some of the options included omelets, waffles, fresh fruit, pastries, and a variety of other things, the list could continue forever. It was indeed fresh and full of Costa Rican flavor.

Adventure. Thrill. Excitement. Adrenaline Rush. All of these words can be used to describe the feelings that the Zip Lining experience brought to us. Immediately following our breakfast, some of us enjoyed this new adventure. The zip lining was option, but after traveling up a mountain on a tractor wagon we made it to our beginning point. There were about fourteen platforms and twelve cables. It was quite the experience that will last us all a lifetime.

While those students participated in the zip lining, many of us stayed to enjoy our beautiful resort. Students did a variety of things, such as golfing, getting facials, deep sea fishing, riding jet skis in the Pacific Ocean, and simply soaking in the sun and enjoying the water volleyball in the pool.

Once students returned from the zip lining, some of us took a trip into the town of Jaco. This town is known for its surfing and beach side view. There were many shops for us to purchase souvenirs in and restaurants for us to choose from.

In the afternoon, many students participated in a game of soccer known in Costa Rica as futbol. It was a very competitive game. The tour guides, bus drivers, advisors, and students all participated, making it even more competitive; we won’t talk about who actually won.

We finished the day with a delicious meal, starting with the fantastic juice from Costa Rica. Many things that were served that were different from what you might see in America were Yuca, Duck, Mahi Mahi, and many other Costa Rican specialties.

Tomorrow we will begin our travels back to San Jose stopping along the way at the Doka coffee plantation and enjoying a lunch there.

Hasta Luego,

Half Sliced Pineapples

Costa Rica Trip - Day 5

Each year, national finalists in the proficiency awards and the American Star Awards programs are offered the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, where they experience different agricultural practices first-hand and learn about the rich history and culture of a country different from their own.

This year, fifty students are traveling on the Costa Rica trip, and have divided into five groups: chupacabra, funky monkeys, shark bait, tree frogs and half sliced pineapples. Each day one of the groups will share the experiences and thoughts from their journey.

~~~

Feliz Dia Papa! Happy Father’s Day to all of our dads! We woke up this morning in the beautiful shadow of the Arenal Volcano and were greeted by an amazing breakfast. After breakfast our group checked out and loaded up on buses bound for other side of the country!

Although we spent the day driving there were still many sights to see and interesting lessons to be learned. We learned (some of us the hard way) that the roads here in Costa Rica are steep and curvy! A few of us needed motion sickness medicine.

We departed from the Volcano Lodge and drove high up into the mountains. It suddenly got extremely foggy, but then we realized: it wasn’t fog…it was clouds! We were driving through clouds!

Watching the water in the rivers change direction of travel was one of the coolest things we saw today. We had the privilege of crossing the continental divide a second time during our trip today. Much of our traveling was on the Pan-American Highway which stretches from Alaska to Panama.

A brief pit stop was made in Zarcero where we viewed some very interesting topiary (shaped bushes) in a park near the Catholic Church. The gardener who created these great works of art is world renowned and even turned down a great opportunity with Disney World to continue working with this park. In Zarcero, some of us picked up a little slice of America and had a Coca-Cola!

Today, lunch was at a soda (the Costa Rican Word for café). Not only was the food great, but the scenery was picturesque. En route to our hotel we stopped at the Turcoles River Bridge to view 20-30 large crocodiles in their natural habitat; sunning themselves on the bank.

After an exciting day of sightseeing we arrived at the Marriott in Los Suenos. Everyone is extremely excited to be staying at a five-star hotel. The ocean was gorgeous and many of us took photos and swam in the warm water. We also had a great volleyball tournament in the pool that overlooked the Pacific Ocean.

Looking forward to an action-packed, adventure-filled, fun day tomorrow!

Gracias por leer nuestros comentarios!

Adios!

The Tree Frogs

Costa Rica Trip - Day 4

Each year, national finalists in the proficiency awards and the American Star Awards programs are offered the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, where they experience different agricultural practices first-hand and learn about the rich history and culture of a country different from their own.

This year, fifty students are traveling on the Costa Rica trip, and have divided into five groups: chupacabra, funky monkeys, shark bait, tree frogs and half sliced pineapples. Each day one of the groups will share the experiences and thoughts from their journey.

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Pura Vida!

It is said that the Caribbean side of Costa Rica receives approximately 200 inches of rain per year. It seemed as though 195 inches of that rain fell last night as a thunder storm rumbled through with nature’s fireworks illuminating the sky.

The soggy morning continued as we ventured to the rainforest. The rainforest lived up to its name as we sported our rain gear. Within the rainforests of Costa Rica, 5% of the world’s biodiversity can be found. We saw everything from Eyelash Pit Viper to Poison Dart Frogs, along with various flora, such as the Elephant Ear plant and the Palm Stilt tree. Within this rainforest we crossed 6 suspension bridges, one of which was 150 feet in the air and 300 feet long.

After the group finished up the tour of the rainforest, we had some downtime to explore the town of La Fortuna. La Fortuna received its’ name for its good fortune as the path of destruction from the volcanic eruption missed their town in 1968. It is a small tourist town that is easy to navigate and mingle with the friendly locals. The clouds finally dissipated giving us a great view of this volcano.

We finished up our night by relaxing in the volcano’s natural hot springs. Six different levels of heat intensity were offered to us as the water cooled downstream. We couldn’t think of a better way to end the eventful day than sitting in nature’s natural Jacuzzi.

After a long day, we are now settling in and preparing for tomorrow’s adventure to the Pacific Ocean.

Buenos Noches,
THE FUNKY MONKEYS.

Costa Rica Trip - Day 3

Each year, national finalists in the proficiency awards and the American Star Awards programs are offered the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, where they experience different agricultural practices first-hand and learn about the rich history and culture of a country different from their own.

This year, fifty students are traveling on the Costa Rica trip, and have divided into five groups: chupacabra, funky monkeys, shark bait, tree frogs and half sliced pineapples. Each day one of the groups will share the experiences and thoughts from their journey.
~~~


Hello my friends!

This morning we were awakened by the sounds of howling monkeys, tropical birds, and exotic frogs. Some of the group took advantage of the opportunity to get up and bird watch. We saw four toucans, the clay colored pigeon (the national bird), social fly catcher, the long tailed tyrant, and other exotic birds. A delicious breakfast of fruit, eggs, and fried bananas followed the bird watching session.

Then we split into two different groups to continue our day. One group started their day with the pineapple tour. This included learning how many pineapples a worker can plant in a day (8,000-10,000 in an eight hour day). The fruit is all completely organic. They use plastic covering, manure for fertilizer, and other environmentally friendly practices to preserve Costa Rica’s natural environment. While touring on our tractor, our tour guide picked a fresh pineapple fresh from the fields and prepared it for the group with a machete. It was easily the best pineapple any of us have ever had. We learned the four tips for selecting the best pineapple. The fruit should be round, have large eyes, a green crown, and a yellow bottom. A fifth tip that we learned was to eat the pineapple right away or keep it in the fridge. All pineapples are picked ripe and ready to eat.

The two groups then met at the white water rafting location for a quick lunch of delicious tacos before we went to our new activity. We white water rafted down level 2-3 rapids. There were five different rafts with six people in each plus a tour guide. This tour included splashing, beautiful water falls, animals, and a short swim in the Sarapiqui River. Soon after we were off to Volcano Lodge to stay. We were welcomed by a scenic view of steaming active volcanoes. A wonderful meal of tilapia, chicken, beef and flan concluded our day.

Our first night together in Huston, Texas, all of our group members were so different coming from so many different states. Now we all seem to be one being in Costa Rica. Not only are we learning about the culture and lifestyle in this country, but also about other states in our own country. We have ended our days enjoying time together in the pools and hot tubs.

La Pura Vida!

El Chupacobras

Lizards, frogs and crocodiles - Day 2 in Costa Rica

Hello, loyal followers!

Day two in the great country of Costa Rica started out with a delicious breakfast at the Gran Hotel in San Jose. After we loaded the buses we took the scenic route through the mountainous country side seeing many waterfalls, exotic plants, and dangerously curvy and narrow roads.

After crossing the continental divide we made our first stop at a fruit stand where we enjoyed sweet mangos, delicious Nanci, locally grown cashews, fresh bananas, and hearts of palm.

After buying some of the local produce we continued to the cacoa farm where we crossed a treacherous bridge and learned all about the history of chocolate and how it was first made.




After enjoying some freshly made chocolate treats, we had the opportunity to enjoy some more Costa Rican cuisine, which, of course, included fresh pineapple!

As a storm began to brew, we were off to the Dole banana farm for a very informative history and tour of the production process, however, due to the lightening, our trip to the fields were the bananas are grown was cut short. We headed back to the hotel, or rather, our bungalows, in Sarapiqui for some downtime and a fun evening spent with our group.

Lizards, frogs, and crocodiles have all been spotted from our little resort by the river, as well as a few choice bugs currently attacking the computer screen! We are finishing up the night with an evening swim as well as the technologically advanced, air conditioned rooms! Hope all is well on state sides! Lots of love from Costa Rica!


Group Shark Bait signing off!

Proficiency and Stars finalists travel to Costa Rica

Each year, national finalists in the proficiency awards and the American Star Awards programs are offered the opportunity to travel to Costa Rica, where they experience different agricultural practices first-hand and learn about the rich history and culture of a country different from their own.

This year, fifty students are traveling on the Costa Rica trip, and have divided into five groups: chupacabra, funky monkeys, shark bait, tree frogs and half sliced pineapples. Each day one of the groups will share the experiences and thoughts from their journey.
~~~

Our journey to Costa Rica began at 5:15 this morning with breakfast at the Double Tree Hotel in Houston, Texas. After making it through customs here in Costa Rica, our exciting adventure began.

The first impression we had was the beautiful scenery and different culture, especially in the design of homes, structures, and highways. Upon arrival at the hotel, we were welcomed with a Costa Rican lunch of chicken, beef, an interesting salad with some of the local fruits, Tameran juice, and tiramisu cake for dessert. Then we began our tour of the capital, San Jose. We walked from our hotel to the National Museum, where we learned about the native people of Costa Rica and how traditions and production agriculture in the country have changed over time.

The protection of the environment is extremely important to Costa Ricans. This became more apparent after our evening presentation by Laura Patino, who founded a climate educational program that makes others aware of their carbon footprint. We really enjoyed her "The Power of 1%" theory, which emphasized the power of taking 1 percent of your income, time, or effort in making a difference in environmental preservation.

As young agriculturists, we appreciate the concept of taking care of the land, as it takes care of us. This presentation was very eye opening and should hit home for many tourists and locals alike.

We ended the night with another traditional meal at the Gran Hotel, and then took a couple of hours to explore the local shops, hang out in the hotel, or simply catch up on some much needed sleep for another early morning tomorrow!

Pura Vida,

The Half Sliced Pineapples

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