Morning in 'Merica

Well, we made it.  After 9 days, thousands of miles traveled, hundreds of insect bites, and dozens of gallons of sweat, we're all back in the friendly confines of our homes.  Hopefully all the students have had time to wash the sweat, grime, and DEET from their bodies in the first hot showers they've had in almost 10 days.  I'm sure they're also taking full advantage of sleeping late in beds not covered by mosquito nets and raiding refrigerators filled with food other than rice and beans.

I think I can speak for Ms. Inselberger, Dr. Wood, and Jeff Klemens when I say thank you to all the parents for encouraging and allowing your students to take this tropical journey with us.  Many of the experiences we had on this trip took the students far away from their usual comfort-zone.  While many were cautious and skeptical at times (eating termites?!?), they banded together and supported each other through the hottest, toughest, most slippery climbs.  I know that they gained respect for tropical forests  and the work necessary to preserve and restore these ecosystems.  Hopefully the respect gained in the ACG can be transferred to (and their work can continue in) their little corner of the world.  If nothing else, I think this experience has given them an amazing appreciation for the creature comforts you have been able to provide them with at home.

This was definitely a trip of firsts.  Over the course of our time in Costa Rica, we tried to keep track of all the "firsts" experienced by the students.  Each student kept their own exhaustive list, but we've compiled a sampling of their responses below.  (Numbers represent number of students who shared this first-time experience.)

19  First time eating rice and beans every day for a week.
18  First time in Costa Rica.
18  First time seeing monkeys in the wild.
15  First time surfing.
14  First time swimming in a hot spring.
13  First time riding in the back of a pick-up truck.
11  First time snorkeling.
8    First time swimming in the Pacific Ocean.
7    First time riding a horse.
6    First time planting a tree.
5    First time traveling outside of the U.S.
5    First time swimming in the ocean.
2    First time catching a scorpion.
1    First time being stung by a bee.
1    First time finding both a scorpion and a tarantula in your bed AT THE SAME TIME!  
0    Dan Janzen sightings.


Thank you for trusting us to guide your students on this journey, and thank you for the thoughtful gifts received upon our return.

SHS Jungle Team (Ms. Inselberger, Dr. Wood, Mr. Carlson)

Holes and Hot Springs

Today, we woke up at 5:00 a.m. We had a mission: replant the rainforest. We rode out in vans, in trucks, and even the back of said vehicles. We were prepared for a fun, laid back planting of trees. We were so wrong.

We learned a little about the area we were in, and that after planting a few hundred tree sprouts, it only took a couple of years for a brand new forest to be standing, with hundreds of new species that they did not plant in the first place, 50% of which were airborne. So with our motivation set and teams built, we took our giant shovel pick things (macanas) and bags of fertilizer and went from spot to spot digging holes and planting little trees. 300 times. In the sun. With most of us already being sunburnt. But with all that aside, we made systems and got it done, and had fun! Until the system broke apart and everyone was running around demanding holes to be dug when they had already been dug in other open spots and a donkey hee-hawing following us everywhere we went. BUT, finally, we were scrambling around, and bam there were no more trees to plant. We followed a path and got back to our bags just in time for it to start raining. Being muddy and sweaty and other unmentionable things, we all got back in the cars feeling tired yet satisfied with our contribution to the rain forest.

After all that work came the relaxation. We went to the hot springs that were naturally heated by the volcano. We took a short ride there, greeted by two very excitable chocolate labs. We then proceeded to take a hike down the trail until we reached the first hot spring, which was at the bottom of a small waterfall. Thinking it'd be cold, people took their time getting in, but once we all realized it was naturally warm, everyone jumped in. We stayed there for a while and then went on another hike to another spring, which was through the forest, which happened to be led by a trail of mud. We all took our shoes off and let our toes squish in the mud, it was awesome... We reached it, at the bottom of a bigger waterfall, it was breathtaking. But colder. Sadly. Then it started to thunder and we had to get out, which was disappointing. We took the long hike back with the mud and went back. 

It was a nice way to end a long, week long trip. And as the last blog post, we end this with a thank you to the parents for supporting us to go on this trip, and to all the teachers along with us for sticking with us the whole way through.

We'll see you tomorrow!

-Johnny and Jesse

A new home and new experiences

Today's highlights include horseback riding and cattle herding. Controlling a horse is skill, and like any skill, riders can hone it with practice. Two facts which laymen may not realize is that horseback riding requires a healthy sense of balance and that routinely riding a horse tones the legs in a manner similar to how ballroom dancing tones the arms. Newcomers found a seat on more docile horses while the equestrian veterans received rowdier ones. Fortunately, despite mild hills and occasional falloffs the activity passed without significant injury. In between the two sessions of riding, there was a short lesson in throwing a lasso and spraying insecticide on cattle. To the surprise of some, efficient  lassoing takes a far larger looper than the picturesque lassos of westerns. The vigorous enthusiasm of one lassoers inspired the reminder that "[he] [was] cleaning the cow not exorcising it."

During the second horse ride, we rode through the tranquility of rolling pastures. The riders and horses worked well with each other despite some incidents where people lost control and fell off. Don't worry, everyone is ok! Although those events arose we still were able to see beautiful waterfalls in the rainforest. That was the end of the ranch part of the day.

In the evening, after we left the ranch, we travelled to our new housing, Mapache Lodge. Once we were settled in we had dinner and socialized. Then we took a night hike on which we saw a plethora of wildlife ranging from the famous red-eyed tree frog to the enormous bullet ant, whose bite has been known to make grown men cry (check it out on the web...glad we avoided the sting!).

Overall, a fantastic day.

- Arjun Bose, Keegan Fry

-Pura Vida!