Costa Rica Discovery C: Saludos desde Manuel Antonio!
Hola Parents!
We arrived safely in San Jose on Thursday night and as we’ve been busy exploring Costa Rica, this is the first chance we’ve had to write our blog! Our travels went smoothly and we are thrilled to see what’s in store for our ecclectic group of students.
We spent all day Friday battling the rapids of the Pacuare River and are happy to report that no one went overboard! The students had a chance to mingle and get to know new people, were well-informed by our river guides about the amazing scenery, rainforest life and the Cavecar tribes that live in small communities near the river. The rafting trip was the perfect way to jump start our experience and gave kids the opportunity to come out of their shells… not to mention a memorable way for Matt to celebrate his 17th birthday!
Bright and early Saturday morning we piled into our deluxe, air conditioned bus to travel to the glittering beaches of Manuel Antonio. Along the way we stopped on a bridge to see dozens of enormous crocodiles sunbathing on a riverbank and the group had a chance to try caseros and naturales, two types of typical Costa Rican foods. We made one more quick stop at a fruit stand for a bag of mamones: red, spikey and mouthwatering fruit.
After a quick dip in the Pacific, the group gathered for an All-American feast to celebrate the 4th of July. They filled up on homemade hamburgers, guacamole, watermelon and ice cream and then gathered around the hotel pool for an impressive display of musical talents, featuring Trent and Billy with their Walking Tree chorus.
We spent the day today catching waves during their surf lessons at Manuel Antonio beach, enjoying more gallo pinto, fresh fish and chicken, and walking through Manuel Antonio National Park, one of Costa Rica’s most famous. We were fortunate to enjoy a tropical rain shower while floating over waves at one of the park’s beautiful secluded beaches. We also celebrated another birthday for Adrienne’s Sweet Sixteen with some decadent chocolate cake!
Tomorrow we head out to the village and are really looking forward to the upcoming homestay and service project experiences. Students are excited, nervous and beginning to discover their inner latino/latina, but we have no doubts that each one of them will flourish in this authentic environment. We will send more news via blog as soon as possible, but in the mean time… PURA VIDA!
-Discovery C
Mary Kay Vicencia says:
What a great adventure. Happy Birthday to my sweet neice Adrienne Engel who turned 16 yesterday. I posted it to your Facebook yesterday.
Can’t wait to see your pictures!
Love you, Auntie Mary Poppins
July 6th, 2009 at 11:14 am
Diane Seadler says:
Wow! Sounds like you are all having a great time!! Thanks for posting the blogs. Tell Steven that we miss him, and can’t wait to hear about his adventure. Make sure that he is taking a lot of pictures, too! Have fun Discovery C Group!!! Looking forward to the next blog!
The Seadler Family
P.S. Send us a picuture if you get a chance. Thanks!
July 6th, 2009 at 11:58 am
Barb Felix says:
So great to hear your adventures. Happy Sweet 16 Agie! We missed you yesterday, but celebrated for you
Can’t wait to find out more tidbits of your travels. have an awesome time!
Love you, Mama
July 6th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Carolyn Anderson says:
Sounds like you had a terrific 17th birthday Matt! We look forward to more updates on your adventures.
Love, Mom, Dad, Katy and Joseph
July 6th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Katie Hanson says:
So happy to hear about the first few days… Thanks for posting something! Sounds like a great time. Wish I was there.:)
Tell Lindsey her family misses her a lot BUT we are all SOOOOO excited for her to have this fabulous experience.
I love you Linds,
Mom
July 6th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Chris Leonard says:
We LOVE the Blog! Great to hear about Manuel Antonio which our family enjoyed so much a few years ago. Any meetings with monkeys? (Besides Laura and Trent!!) Has Trent started booking gigs for the Walking Tree Chorus yet? He’s quite the promoter!
Hope you all enjoy your homestays. I’m sure you will all get a new perspective on your own lives and on the world. We Americans have so much to learn from others around the world.
Have fun, and keep up the great blogging!
Chris Leonard (Laura’s Mom and Trent’s Aunt)
July 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
The Weir Family says:
Thanks for the great blog; we were so thirsty for news so it was great to hear you have already experienced so many things. Glad to hear Billy has found somebody to jam with!
Have an awesome time this week with your families.
Mom and Dad
July 6th, 2009 at 7:56 pm
Chris Woodbury says:
Hello Discoverers,
Sounds like you are getting plenty to eat and that you’ve all survived the river rafting, crocodile encounters and riding the waves! Now for the real challenge- hablando espanol todo el dia! I’m sure the people of your village will love all your energy and humor. Thanks for keeping us updated and making us wish we were in Costa Rica too!
Love to Trent and Laura from Chris and Dana
(Trent’s parents)
July 6th, 2009 at 8:23 pm
Chris Leonard says:
HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY LAURA!!!
We miss you, love you, and know that this may be your best birthday ever! Special thanks to your CR family!
Mom, Dad, Katie and Joe
July 8th, 2009 at 7:28 pm
Dwight Roush says:
Have fun Nikki! we miss you a lot -hope you have having a good time and meeting new friends.
Love Dad and Dodie
July 9th, 2009 at 6:24 pm
Dad Hanson says:
Hellooooooooo Lindsey,
Remember to stay focused on “there”. “here’ will always be here for you. We sure do miss you and ponder what you may be up down there. Say hello to your hosting family from Seattle. We all love you, the whole gang.
July 10th, 2009 at 4:04 pm
Donna Foster says:
Well your time in Costa Rica is going quickly, isn’t it? Uncle Kent and I hope you are having a wonderful time, Agie, and we can hardly wait to see pictures and hear stories! Thinking about you alot!
Love – Aunt Nonna
July 10th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
Chuckles and Mommy says:
Catherine-
Hope your having fun. We miss you so much.
Can’t wait to here about all of your adventures.
Love C & C Sullivan
July 12th, 2009 at 7:24 pm
charo mendoza says:
Hola Flora,I wish I was there!
Hope the “kids” are fun to be with.Please write down all the different fruits & vegetables you come across, so that I can learn how to cook them.
Have fun at the DOLE plantation.I will let mr. Murdock know you are visiting with the students.
all my love& pura vida!
mom
July 19th, 2009 at 7:49 pm