Rice and beans, termites, and humid were some of the words three Allen County-Scottsville High School students uttered last week as they reflected on a Spring Break trip to the Central America country of Costa Rica.
Freshman Nancy Elliott, freshman Grace Jones and sophomore Alex Newman traveled with two students from Warren Central High School to Costa Rica. The trip was led by AC-SH science teacher Derek Johnson and coordinated through Educational First Tours. Jones’s mother (Sharon Jones) and Newman’s mother (Jill Napier) also accompanied the group as chaperones.
The adventurous trip introduced the students to life in the country of 4.3 million—a country that features an abundance of different wildlife, food, and sites to see.
“The trip was so awesome,” Jones explained. “All the wildlife was one thing. You had monkeys outside the hotel and they would wake you up. You saw poison dart frogs. One of the hotels had ponds full of caimans which are related to the alligator. We saw toucans and other tropical birds. I saw a white-faced Capuchin monkey. The hotel we stayed in had a butterfly farm. It was like living in a jungle and it was amazing.”
Newman also mentioned the up-close look at nature as a trip highlight.
“It was different for sure,” Newman said. “They have so many animals that we had never seen before. It’s not even like going to the zoo since the animals are right next to you.”
The weather was also mentioned by each student. Costa Rica has two seasons---“wet and very wet” in the words of Elliott---but actually the wet season and the dry season. The group visited at the end of the dry season which Newman pointed out meant “very humid” conditions each day. Jones also pointed out that rain could be predicted.
“It rained a little every day,” Jones added. “It would just start raining but what was interesting was that the howling monkeys outside our hotel would get really loud right before it rained. They would wake you up in the middle of the night going crazy. Then you would hear the rain on the roof. Then the rain would just stop.”
Another facet of Costa Rica society and culture that caught the students’ eye was the international effort put forth by the nation’s people to recycle and reuse their resources.
“They recycle everything and they don’t waste,” Newman said.
Jones built upon Newman’s observations noting that the people have learned from mistakes from the past.
“The people take pride in their country,” Jones reflected. “It’s so much more than you can imagine. The people work on reforestation. We learned that in the past the people of Costa Rica always farmed and people didn’t realize that the more farmland they used the more forests they were destroying. Now they are trying to get the forest back. Everyone works hard to do that. One of the things our guide said was that we know we have gold and oil under the ground but that doesn’t matter. He said we care about what is on top. One of the things that opened my eyes was that we went to the university there. They don’t waste anything. They have a garden where they grow bananas. The money they raise from that goes to scholarships. We learned that 72 percent of the students at the university have scholarships. They would also take the animal waste from their cows and pigs and use it to produce the methane that ran the electricity for the kitchen. The water from the process would be used to wash animals so nothing was wasted at all. Everything was recycled.”
The students did mention that every meal featured “rice and beans” but were quick to note that other food selections were included---thus making for a well-rounded opportunity to taste the nation’s typical menu.
“They eat a lot of fresh food,” Newman added. “They have fresh-squeezed juices. Agriculture is really big and they take it real seriously.”
Jones was quick to note that their “normal” food and the “normal” food in the United States were different.
“Yes, their normal food was very different,” Jones admitted. “We ate plantain which is a type of banana that you cook. It tasted like sweat potatoes. You also rice and black beans for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day, no doubt. The fruit was so good. You can not match their fresh fruit from a grocery store. It was so sweet and juicy. The pineapple was amazing. Their meet was not what you were used to. It was seasoned with all types of things but it was still good.”
For Jones, her trip also included a night time snack---a snack she enjoyed after watching the tour guide partake while taking the group on a nighttime tour.
“I ate two termites.” Jones said with a smile. “The tour guide said that he ate termites. He put his finger on a nest and ate a handful. So I said I would like to do that. I asked if it was safe and when I found out it was, I ate two termites. They taste like wood.”
Jones added that her guide also noted that unlike the United States where McDonalds and Wal-Mart’s dot the landscape, the American landmarks are few and far between in the country.
“We saw two McDonalds while we were there,” Jones said. “They were small, not like the ones here. Also, our guide told us that there was a Wal-Mart but no one really shops there. The people support their friends and the local growers. They all work as a community.”
The trip included times to have a little fun. One opportunity was zip-lining from “mountain-to-mountain over a valley” and white-water rafting.
“We went white-water rafting, which I had already done, but it awesome white-water rafting in the jungle,” added Elliott.
For Jones, the trip opened her eyes to the culture and has even sparked her to rethink her future career plans.
“Everyone was so nice,” Jones added. “Everyone spoke a little English and they all welcomed you. They showed you their culture and tradition and they were willing to share that with everyone. The trip may me realize how many more opportunities there are out in the world. I had always said I wanted to be a veterinarian but this trip has changed my perspective.”
Johnson also enjoyed the trip from an educator’s stand point.
“Costa Rica is a nature lovers’ paradise,” Johnson added. “You see the rain forests and mountains, volcanoes, and the beaches. It’s a land bridge between North and South America so that makes it a melting pot for wildlife.”
Johnson is already planning another trip with Education First Tours. Information will be released in the coming days about a trip to Europe in the spring of 2016.