Immersion A: Salsa, Cateratas, and Huge Howler Monkeys

Amazing as it is to those of us traveling, Immersion A is almost a full week into our time together in Costa RIca. It´s been a busy six days, full of an initially-awkward-but-ultimately-really-fun-latin-dance-class, a visit to a 200-foot waterfall buried deep in tropical jungle, an accidental encounter with a pack of overally territorial baritone howler monkeys and body surfing in the warm Pacific as pelicans soared effortlessly overhead and bright purple crabs darted across black sand.

We arrived today in Manuel Antonio on the central Pacific coast where we´ll spend tomorrow and the following morning exploring the national park, trying our luck at surfing and relaxing pool-side at our hotel in the hills. Sunday we´ll board our bus driven by jolly Jose and head north to the small village of Buena Vista. This time in the village is the heart of our program where students can expect a solid two weeks of intensive Spanish, service work and meaningful interaction with a kind and welcoming community.

The group, while from a handful of different schools, has gotten along beautifully. We have yet to fall ill (the fist week is always the most dangerous as stomachs grow accostomed to the new cuisine), the food has been fabulous and the weather agreeable. All things considered, we could not have asked for a better beginning to Walking Tree´s inagural 2008 summer program.

More soon to come…

Immersion A: Program Begins

Here is the first email that Luke, one of the leaders for the Immersion A program, wrote on June 22, 2008. This is a sample so everyone knows what they will look like and where to find them. Normally the updates will be posted right away….

I wanted to take a quick moment to let you all know that the group has arrived safely here in San Jose, Costa Rica. Most are currently sleeping, doing their best to recover from the red-eye flight last night. We will spend today and the next in San Jose, getting to know the city a little bit, getting to know each other, taking a Latin dance class and preparing for the amazing month that’s lies ahead. Please don’t hesitate to write with any questions or concerns. We should have access to email on a weekly basis and will respond as quickly as possible.

Summer Program Updates…

Greetings everyone!

Thank you for visiting our blog and for checking in on how the groups are doing in Costa Rica. As soon as leaders post an update on their program, the update will appear in the righthand column under the name of the program (Immersion A, Discovery B, etc). Please send us an emal at info@walkingtree.org if you are having problems accessing these blogs. If your email is listed in our files, you should also be receiving emails that contain the same updates as our blog here.

Pura Vida,

The Walking Tree Team