Oscar nominations for our Girl Scouts Underwater Explorers II, 2010?!!

When most people think of COSTA RICA OUTWARD BOUND, they think of surfing; waterfall rappelling; trekking volcanoes; sea kayaking; camping in the jungle; sailing; white water rafting; SCUBA diving; zip-wire flying; and other outdoor adventure sports. But what few may not know is that two core values of COSTA RICA OUTWARD BOUND are community service and intercultural exchange.

At the beginning of this month, from July 3 to July 15, the Girl Scouts Underwater Explorers II (2010), lead by professional and super-fun CRROBS instructors Donna White, Lisa Purul and Carola Coto Mora, took a boat out to our remote base camp on Isla Solarte, located in the Bocas del Toro archipelago, of Panama. When the girls weren’t “playing” in the water, they were playing with the local indigenous children and helping around the community.

Their first service project task was to drain and clean out all the rain-water run-off silt and muck from the local “ojo de agua” (water supply reservoir.) This enabled the entire community access to cleaner water. The second part of their service project was to script, direct and perform educational skits around local issues such as nutrition, cleaning up beaches and roads, as well as how to prepare food more safely for local school children.

The Girl Scouts emphasized the importance of a well-balanced diet and distributed rice and lentils to local school children, instead of their typical “rice and plantains” –because of the high protein levels in lentils. The Girl Scouts also inspired most of the local community to come out early one Saturday morning and do a clean-up of beaches and roads around the island. And lastly, the Girl Scouts introduced a new kind of stove which is cleaner and safer both for the environment and the families using the stove!

Check out the videos below of the skits that the Girl Scouts Underwater Explorers II (2010) scripted, directed and performed themselves…do I smell an Oscar?!!!

We are so proud of all of these girls!!

Skit 1:


Skit 2:


Skit 3:


Skit 4:

The Art of a Waterfall Rappel

Waterfall rappelling is easily one of the most photographed activities we have here at Costa Rica Outward Bound.  When editors of local newspapers decide to publish something about one of our alumni in their "Hometown Heroes" sections, they will inevitably choose the photo of the student waterfall rappelling over any others we submit.

This activity mixes both a true challenge with a defining beauty mark of Costa Rica, the waterfall.  It's only natural that students love getting photos from the day they rappelled in a Costa Rican rainforest amidst rushing water.

But in the moment students are about to descend, their emotions aren't as "beautiful" as the photos being taken of them.  Most times groups consist of 7-15 students.  Therefore, the wait at the top for others to descend in front of you one-by-one can be quite nerve-wracking.  Especially as a first-timer, you try to pay close attention - over the loud rushing water, of course - to the instructors who are repetatively teaching the technique to each student ready to begin rappelling.

Never fear.  Not only are your instructors highly skilled at setting up the ropes and carabiners, but these instructions aren't complicated:

Basics:

• Wear shoes with grips on the bottom
• Legs in front of you (as if you were sitting in a lounge chair)
• Wide feet to maintain balance
• Your "break hand" (the one clutched to the rope) stays close to your hip to slow the descent
• Keep feet the same height as your hips 
• Lean back as much as possible (as if you were "standing" on the vertical wall)

Students follow these ten steps to complete a rappel:

1. Put on your helmet and harness; your instructor will tighten them accordingly
2. While waiting for your turn to descend, secure long hair and loose clothing against your body and don't alter any of the safety equipment
3. Allow your instructor to set up the ropes (both primary and saftey ropes) through your carabiners and harness 
4. Your instructor directs you to a rappelling position to begin descending
5. Put your "break hand" (your strong hand) on the rope hanging on your strong side, and your other hand (a.k.a. your "free hand") can hold on to the harness near your navel; the free hand plays no part in helping you rappel
6. Lean back, as if you were lying in a lounge chair, while keeping feet wide
7. Begin stepping backwards over the edge, keeping your shoulders back 
8. Rappelling down the waterfall is a combination of shifting your weight from one foot to the other while keeping your feet wide for balance and your shoulders back
9. To break, the "break hand" holds the rope as close to the back of your hip as possible; conversly, you can descend faster by lifting this hand away from your hips and out to the side; the instructor at the top of the waterfall is in charge of your safety rope (to aid descent and breaking if needed)
10. The instructor at the bottom helps detach the ropes once you have reached the bottom

After the final step, students walk away jubilated.  It is a strong adrenaline rush, and it definitely accomplishes Kurt Hahn's founding mission when he started  Outward Bound in 1941: "to instill confidence, tenacity, perseverance and to build experience through overcoming challenging conditions."

That, and you look good.  

Weeeeeee!

"I love the feeling of soaring through the air."

-2010 student

For some, it's exhilarating. For others, it's their worst fear. Both of these types of people would agree: it's the best way to see the upper canopies of the rainforest.

It's zip-lining.

Regardless of how you feel ascending that mountain, gear in hand, awaiting your flight from tree to tree; it requires no skill. Even the most terrified of heights can make this happen.

Last December I went zip-lining with the person designated "the most terrified of heights" that I know, and she completed it with "flying" colors: all 19 platforms at Adventuras La Carpintera (about 20 minutes away from our base). Amber Woods, age 27 at the time, said,

"It was great once I finally opened my eyes!"

Here's a breakdown of the activity, to put the light-headed at ease:

1. Apply your harness, stepping into it like you're putting on pants (refer to 1st photo on right to see applied harness)
2. Apply your helmet (refer to 1st photo on right to see applied helmets)
3. Apply your leather gloves; one has extra protection because it is used as your "break" when zip-lining (refer to 2nd photo on right)
4. Walk to the platform
5. Your guide will attach your pulley to the cable as you help him elevate your body by doing a "pull-up" on the cable (refer to 3rd photo on right)
6. Your guide faces you forward
7. You sit in a chair position with legs crossed, body bent into a seated position (4th photo)
8. Place your left hand on your harness, near your lap (4th and 5th photos)
9. Place your right hand - the glove with the additional leather - on the cable BEHIND the pulley (4th photo)
10. Your guide pushes you forward
11. Pull down on your right hand to slow down (4th and 5th photos)
12. A bumper and a guide on the next platform stop you if you haven't stopped yourself yet
13. Enjoy the ride and the view!

And if this still doesn't help you, listen to Amber: "It helps to go with a guide the first couple lines... helps to ease your fears.... You're able to look out into the city and jungle, etc. which is calming.... And since you are clearly harnessed very tightly, the fear starts to subside and you get addicted to the rush of flying through the air."








See zip-liners in action in this video!

The Long Hike Through PB

Most of you have alumni done this hike into the remote village of Piedras Blancas. You remember it, right? The one up into the upper canopies where you camped, then down to Orlando's homestay, then the Lopez's homestay (where you inevitably milked a cow or squeezed some sugar cane), then up to Rancho Tinamu singing with Santiago, then down closer to the beach to surf in Manuel Antonio? Yep, that's the one. If you were wondering how far you went or how high, we finally compiled a summary of this trek across southern Costa Rica.


Day 1: Students dropped off at the trailhead near Copey, around 1.8km in altitude, and hike all day from La Danta to Domer (both in the area) - TOTAL: about 7k

Day 2: Students hike all day, mostly up, to 2.25km altitude in the region of Providencia where they camp in the cloud forests - TOTAL: about 7k

Days 3-4: Students hike a breathtaking downward path towards Orlando’s and the Lopez’s homestays, both in Piedras Blancas near Brujo, which measures .2km-.3km altitude - TOTAL: about 18k

Day 5: Cross the river and hike up to .4km-.5km altitude where Rancho Tinamu is located - TOTAL: about 8k

Day 6: Hike down towards Londres (around .1km-.2km altitude), where a van picks up the students to take them surfing in Manuel Antonio (just west of Londres) at sea level - TOTAL: about 18k to Londres, about 12k bus to Manuel Antonio


So there you have it. When you tell your family and friends that you did, in fact, do some real hiking in the depths of the rainforest, you can show them these maps to prove it. If they still do not believe you, at least you have the experience - and the large thighs - to remind you of what you accomplished.

Role Play!

It's hard to believe that a Costa Rica Outward Bound course is the first time some students have ever cleaned, cooked, or led a group.

But it's true.

Students who come on course have at least one role per day, and these are rotated to different students each day. In some cases, with smaller groups, a student can take on more than one role. In taking these roles, students improve their leadership skills, personal development, and course comradery. And in addition, it follows the Outward Bound mission and philosophy.

On the first day, instructors describe these daily responsibilities:

CACIQUE /kah-SEE-kay/
Translation: chief
Responsibility: This is the group leader. A cacique is responsible for motivating the other students, leading them, and encouraging responsibility in his/her fellow students' roles.

HANASHITA /hah-nah-SHE-tah/
Translation: a guide book
Responsibility: This is the journal writer. A hanashita is responsible for writing the daily journal entry and reading it at the nightly meeting**.

SHAMAN /SHYAH-men/
Translation: medicine man
Responsibility: This is the carrier of the medicine bag. A xiamen must always remember to keep the medicine bag with the group all day.

COCINERO /koh-see-NAIR-oh/
Translation: a cook
Responsibility: This is the chef. A cocinero is not always responsible for cutting and cooking everything, but he/she organizes the meal and gives jobs to others to help prepare the meal.

TRAPO /TRAH-poe/
Translation: a dish towel/rag
Responsibility: This is the "bus boy." A trapo is responsible for cleaning the food area after a meal. He/She does not clean all of the dishes, however. On course, it is the responsibility of each student to do their own dishes.

PROFESOR /pro-face-OR/
Translation: teacher
Responsibility: This is the Spanish teacher. The profesor/a teaches a Spanish lesson to the group at the nightly meeting**.

AWA /AH-wah/
Translation: a sage
Responsibility: This is the announcer of the daily quote. An awa finds a quote in the hanashita book or rehashes one of his/her favorite quotes to the group in the chow circle*.

AGUA MONO /AH-gwah MOE-no/
Translation: water monkey
Responsibility: This is the water "dictator." The agua mono must be sure that all of his/her fellow coursemates are drinking enough water all day, and he/she keeps the iodine handy for water that needs filtering.

ENTRENADOR /en-train-ah-DOOR/
Translation: trainer
Responsibility: This is the trainer. The entrenador leads the other students each morning to stretches that help with the activity that day. For example, on a Surf Phase, the entrenador will probably lead his/her group in some yoga balance moves.

COMEDIAN /koh-mee-dee-AHN/
Translation: comedian
Responsibility: This is the teller of jokes. The comedian can tells jokes all day to keep spirits high, or he/she might just save one joke for the nightly meeting**.

NATURALISTA /nah-too-rah-LEE-stah/
Translation: naturalist
Responsibility: This is the nature teacher. The naturalista is responsible for remembering one thing he/she learned about nature during the course, then teaching it to the other students at the nightly meeting**.


Students vary on their favorite role, depending on the types of people they are. "This was the first time I had ever been in charge of other people, and it was empowering to be the one encouraging and motivating the other students. It made me want to try to take on a leadership role in something back at home." -Katie, 15

Watch Costa Rica Outward Bound students display their role playing on course in this 2001 episode of Discovery Kids.


*a meeting before dinner when the students say something they appreciate that day and hear a quote from the daily group leader
**nightly meetings consist of an "open space" to discuss issues among the group or praises for individuals, a review of students' "highs" and "lows" of the day, a Spanish lesson, and a journal reading about the day's activities

Weeeeeee!

"I love the feeling of soaring through the air."

-2010 student

For some, it's exhilarating. For others, it's their worst fear. Both of these types of people would agree: it's the best way to see the upper canopies of the rainforest.

It's zip-lining.

Regardless of how you feel ascending that mountain, gear in hand, awaiting your flight from tree to tree; it requires no skill. Even the most terrified of heights can make this happen.

Last December I went zip-lining with the person designated "the most terrified of heights" that I know, and she completed it with "flying" colors: all 19 platforms at Adventuras La Carpintera (about 20 minutes away from our base). Amber Woods, age 27 at the time, said,

"It was great once I finally opened my eyes!"

Here's a breakdown of the activity, to put the light-headed at ease:

1. Apply your harness, stepping into it like you're putting on pants (refer to 1st photo on right to see applied harness)
2. Apply your helmet (refer to 1st photo on right to see applied helmets)
3. Apply your leather gloves; one has extra protection because it is used as your "break" when zip-lining (refer to 2nd photo on right)
4. Walk to the platform
5. Your guide will attach your pulley to the cable as you help him elevate your body by doing a "pull-up" on the cable (refer to 3rd photo on right)
6. Your guide faces you forward
7. You sit in a chair position with legs crossed, body bent into a seated position (4th photo)
8. Place your left hand on your harness, near your lap (4th and 5th photos)
9. Place your right hand - the glove with the additional leather - on the cable BEHIND the pulley (4th photo)
10. Your guide pushes you forward
11. Pull down on your right hand to slow down (4th and 5th photos)
12. A bumper and a guide on the next platform stop you if you haven't stopped yourself yet
13. Enjoy the ride and the view!

And if this still doesn't help you, listen to Amber: "It helps to go with a guide the first couple lines... helps to ease your fears.... You're able to look out into the city and jungle, etc. which is calming.... And since you are clearly harnessed very tightly, the fear starts to subside and you get addicted to the rush of flying through the air."








See zip-liners in action in this video!

Fantastic Phases

An Adventure Ballad

The semester students are on course down here for many days,
and for this, the courses are arranged from phase to phase.

The Panama Phase began for Outward Bound U.S.A.,
filled with a variety of activities in the Bocas' bay:

Scuba certification, free dives, and bike riding;
sea kayaking, snorkeling, and learning about guiding.

Instructors Danny, Scott, Jim and Antonio have been there to train,
and they reported clear water, abundant wildlife, and some rain.

Tri-Country and Water & Wave, however, hit the waterways.
Their River Phase began this week, and continues for another 15 days.

They began on Río Pacuare, training for the title of an SRT*,
practicing in unseasonable rains and the Pacuare's world-renowned beauty.

Instructors Joe, Alex W, Santiago and Diego say the students are doing well;
their river skills and knowledge are beginning to excel.

Overall, the students are busy, happy and learning a lot.
Hopefully, with the abundance of experiences, they can remember what they're taught.



*Swiftwater Rescue Technician

24 Hours of Hiking, Diving, Surfing, Sailing, Serving

What haven't our current students been doing around Central America in the past 24 hours?

Only four courses are out right now, yet they've managed to stay busy in almost every activity just within a small period of time.

The Tri-Country Semester, Water & Wave Semester, OB USA, and SUNY New Paltz have covered a lot of land. Tulin's beaches (in Costa Rica), our base in San Jose, our base in Manuel Antonio, Solarte (in Panama), and Rancho Tinamu (in the depths of Costa Rica's Central Valley rainforest) are all areas our students have been seen lately.

State University New York, New Paltz just finished four days of hiking from Rejas to Rancho Tinamu to Londres yesterday. The reward at the end of the long hike was a great one, though. They headed straight to our base at the beaches of Manuel Antonio to begin their surfing lessons today.

Tri-Country and Water & Wave are partnering up for their scuba diving certification course in Panama. After their final dive yesterday, they woke up to a fun and fulfilling day today, sailing to Bocas del Toro (in Panama), Solarte to help the indigenous community there.

Finally, Outward Bound USA made it back to base today after some adventure-filled days on the beaches of Tulin, Costa Rica where they, too, were learning to surf. For some, it was a thrill learning to catch a wave under the instruction of veteran surfer Carlos "Diablos", and for others an exciting part was meeting professional surfer, Gilbert Brown who randomly shared some watermelon with them on the beach. We managed to catch a few of these students in our bodega today before they head to Panama tomorrow:



And in just a few weeks, we'll be even busier. The Leadership Semester students arrive April 1st!

OB USA's Costa Rica River Rush

Outward Bound USA students are exhausted, and with good reasons. The rivers have been quite the strong competitors lately.

After they finished their 8-day WFR course last week, they were finally set free into the rainforest to test their river skills. Their first stop was the beautiful Río Pejibaye where they practiced their Whitewater Rescue Tech (WRT). Primary OB USA instructors Liz McNeil, Brian Aheart, and Casey Montandon accompanied our Costa Rica Outward Bound veteran River Technicians Diego Lopez Salazar, Joe Ewing, Danny Jimenez, and Alex White for the training.

Each day, for four days, they ran the same stretch of river where they could learn such skills and lessons as:
• how to use throw bags: bags filled with a long rope that can rescue someone going downstream
• how to swim in rapids
• escaping a strainer (an opening where water can flow through, but a larger solid object cannot)
• currents and hydrology
• rope and rescue systems

The students did really well, and even swam in Class II rapids by the end of the WRT course! Their instructors told us that rescuing one another from the rushing water was their favorite part.

But this wasn’t all that exhausted them. WRT training preceded three days of learning kayaking basics. As Diego, Danny, Joe and Alex helped them perfect their kayak rolls and rapids, the water got more intense – and exciting – as unseasonable downpours continued all week long. By yesterday, they had to cut their lunch short to race the rising river to the takeout point. They arrived at base today tired and liberated.

With all of this river exhaustion, the OB USA students were still able to enjoy some of Costa Rica’s unique atmosphere. They saw rainforest wildlife – including dart frogs, toucans, and mica snakes – and experienced the Tico culture firsthand at homestays where they practiced Spanish while eating beans & rice.

We wish we could tell you they are getting about a week of rest after exhausting themselves these past seven days, but tomorrow at 5am they head back out to face the jungle.

Getting from one ocean to another

How many of us can say that we went from one ocean to another without the use of transportation?

Not many, but our Tri-Country students can.

It took 28 days, about 200 kilometers, twenty days of hiking, 14 nights camping, a 72-hour solo, meeting and helping 14 homestay families, a rest in hot springs, a volcano visit, two days of rafting, and two days of kayaking to finally reach the Caribbean today. Grand total? 28 days.


The cross-country trek was their first and most difficult phase, but it does not lack significance for the 17-24-year-olds. One Tri-Country alumnus reported, "The hike brought about a huge feeling of accomplishment... rafting gave me a new skill that I'm sure I'll use in the future, and kayaking was all around amazing."

We will finally get to see their tired, buff, dirty, healthy selves tonight on base. Maybe they will tell us about their lessons on ecotourism, water issues, Costa Rican culture, or the rainforest. Or maybe they will tell us about their bruises and scrapes from tree climbing, sugar cane harvesting, waterfall rappelling, hiking, soccer, or kayaking. Or just maybe they'll be too tired.

Just Me, Myself, and I

so-lo [soh-loh]
-noun
1. a person who works, acts, or performs alone
2. a person who performs or accomplishes something without the usual equipment, tools, etc.
-adjective
1. alone; without a companion or partner
-adverb
1. on one's own; alone or unaccompanied
-en Español
1. alone; lonely


How would you handle being alone in the rainforest or on a beach for 12 hours? 24 hours? What about 48 hours or SEVENTY-TWO HOURS?

Ask a Tri-Country course student. They just finished a 72-hour solo in Santa Cruz, only three days before they finish their cross-country hike.

The "solo" is an exercise for all non-Girl Scout students in which they are assigned small adjacent plots of their own, putting them just out of sight of their fellow course mates. Each student is equipped with a whistle, water, a lamp, food rations, pen and paper, a sleeping bag and a tarp. In the event that a student would need the assistance, they can blow their whistle to summon their instructor who stays within earshot of all students. The length of a solo is proportionate to the length of the course; therefore courses of 15-30 days have an 18-24 hour solo; courses 60 days are longer have a 48-72 hour solo.

This is not a survival exercise, but rather a more meditative one. The solo experience leaves a lasting impression on the students. For many it is the first time they will experience this type and duration of seclusion in a natural environment. Some students claim this as the highlight of the course, and for others it one of the toughest.

"It's an oddity, a luxury, and it's scary; all in one," reported a 2009 Multi-Element student.

The result of a solo for every student is astounding and unpredictable. Most don't realize just how difficult it is once the instructor says his/her "good bye" at the very start of the solo. One student said, "If you think about it, never in your life do you get the chance to be completely removed from everything you own, every possession, all technology.... You don't realize how challenging it is to be out of your comfort zone."

During the solos, students journal, do yoga, cook, make up games to play, sleep, exercise, and of course: they think. Thinking for that amount of time with no distractions is so foreign to some students that it scares them at first. What they all get out of it is a new outlook on life. One student even said, "I realized where I was and how awesome my life is."

Many opinions differ, but there's one piece of advice on which they can all agree: bring the bug spray.

---

Want to see more? Below are three videos that can help you see a little bit more of what it's like to do a solo.
Discovery Kids followed a group of students to Costa Rica in March 2001, filming their 15-day Costa Rica Outward Bound experience which includes the solo:



Sam, from our Leadership Semester spring 2010 course, has filmed two short videos of his experience. In the first, he evaluates his spot near the Lopez's homestay. In the second, he has completed his tent.

Learning to Surf

"It's a lot harder than I thought it would be."

This is one of the most typical comments of feedback we hear from students after their first few days learning how to surf. And after Calvin College students head to Manuel Antonio to learn this weekend, they will most likely be in agreement.

Physical challenges are most commonly faced in three areas:

1. getting out there: this requires paddling, diving under waves, bringing your heavy board with you (voted the most physically challenging by far)
2. catching waves: quick and strong paddling is necessary to stay in front of the wave that pulls the surfer backwards
3. popping up: similar to doing a push-up, but with extra effort to stand up

Almost every week here in Costa Rica, more Outward Bound students are experiencing this surf workout, and luckily they have some veteran surf instructors to help them beef up, get motivated, and physically assist them in the water. One of them, Carlos "Diablos," is shown in this video instructing the Adult Surf Getaway students earlier this month:



Greg, a long-time surfer from California who works in Costa Rica Outward Bound's communications office, has this to say: "It's hard, but it's worth it."

Water Adventuring

October 23, 2009

Our three fall semester courses, Tri-Country, Water & Wave, and Leadership, are all daring Costa Rica's world-renowned clean waterways this week. Rivers, estuaries, surf breaks, oceans, waterfalls... they're experiencing it all!

Water & Wave and Tri-Country students have combined courses this week on the Pacific coast. The first day of their "combo course" was on Tuesday on our Manuel Antonio base (Click here for a satellite map; the arrow is about one inch west of where our base is located) when surf instructors Carlos "Diablos" Castro Montero and Alex Cook immediately began teaching surf basics to the Tri-Country students who just arrived that day with their primary instructors, Donna White and Santiago Lopez Salazar.

And since then, they've been even more active. All four CRROBS instructors have led the students north to a peninsula called Isla de Damas where they kayaked down an estuary in duckies (a.k.a. inflatable kayaks or IKs; see picture on right) into the ocean. It is there where they will camp and surf. One of the most important reasons for going through all of this trouble to get to a new beach? Uncrowded waters. Leave it to CRROBS' surf instructors to know the best beaches for enjoying the "barrel" experience. Carlos reported yesterday "all of the students are doing really well."

In other areas of Costa Rica, the Leadership students spent Day Number Two busing to Taos, their "put in" (rafting term for where a rafting trip begins) at Río Pejibaye. Whitewater rafting experts - and CRROBS instructors - Felipe Lopez Salazar, Joe Ewing, and Carlos Granados Flores will guide these new leaders for nine days down the river to their "take out" (rafting vernacular for the point at which rafters exit the river) in Puente de Oriente. Río Pejibaye is a Class II-III river here in Costa Rica, which is no sweat for our rafting guides who frequent the class IV-V rivers. Leadership students will have no problem following instructions; from what we've heard from their instructors: "This is a great group of students."

Homestay of Don Santiago & Doña Consuela

Homestays are a big part of our programs down here at CRROBS. We have great relationships with the families, and the students love their interactions with these Ticos.

One of our families, Parra Mora, is welcoming our Colegio Europeo students today in a place called Ranchos Tinamú.

(description below is translated from the Authentic Tourism web site)

Location: Santa María de Dota

Visitors' Description: "This is literally, one of the must-see land paradises in Costa Rica. Located 30 km from Quepos, Ranchos Tinamú transports you into a world of green landscapes, a marvellous climate, adventures, rich experiences, flowers of every color, health and family hospitality. What began as a dream, today is sustained by a big family that that puts its heart - full of care and dedication - into every service offered to every visitor. The strategic locatio nof Ranchos Tinamú brings forth the possibility of connecting routes of adventurous hikers between the Central and Middle Pacific of Costa Rica, passing from the highest areas of cloudy and cold climates to the lowest lands close to the Pacific Coast with rainy and warm tropical rainforests. From the eating patio of Ranchos Tinamú, pay attention to the sweet-toothed hummingbirds of Doña Consuelo's garden and the green mountains lying on the horizon."

The Family: Parra Mora, composed of Don Santiago, Doña Consuelo, their three older daughters and three younger sons. All of them play a part to support eachother and the Ranch.


More links:
CRROBS Facebook Fan Page Notes
Sustainable Eco-Tourism
Rural Costa Rica Tourism

The Lopez Homestay

We know 'em. We love 'em. We learn from 'em. We laugh with 'em.

They are the Lopez's.

Almost every CRROBS student that hikes through parts of Costa Rica's jungle has been lucky enough to pass through the homestay (what is a homestay?) of this 20-person immediate family's village in Piedras Blancas (just north of Brujo).

That's right: we said "20". Doña Flor and Don Hormidas raised 18 biological children, all born within two years of one another. Right now, CRROBS employs many of them as instructors, drivers, managers, chefs, and homestay hosts. We have a very unique and close relationship with this special family. See below for the full run-down.



Not only is this family unique because of its size and self-sufficient village, but they have taught our students - AND US - a lot about the quality of life. It is here that many realize how important their own families are - that people win out over material things. They learn that hard work pays off, especially after hours of helping cut sugar cane and squeezing it, milking cows, grinding corn, tilling the land, and making food from scratch. It's an eye-opening view of how simple life can be. And it's not all work. Hours of soccer with the local students, waterfall rappelling, swimming in the river (see below), and laughing around the kitchen table fill the time well.

There's a reason students respond "homestays" when asked what their favorite part of the course was.



To read a recent update from our newsletter, click here.

To watch a video that gives a panoramic view in the Lopez's village of Piedras Blancas, go to our Video Tab on our Facebook page.

Hands-On Spanish

Learning Spanish while zip-lining? Rafting? Surfing? Hiking? Rappelling? Kayaking?

Spanish is getting to be a little more fun to learn.

Costa Rica Outward Bound created a 30-day Spanish Emphasis course after more and more Spanish high school and college classes (and individual Spanish students) signed up for CRROBS courses to be immersed in the language and culture. Tico instructors provide day-to-day conversation and lessons, and students spend quality time with families at the homestays. The next course begins July 23rd, and we are still getting new applicants.

Milandra, a student from last year's Spanish Emphasis course said:

"I felt like a sponge the entire course; soaking up the beauty of the culture and country, learning Spanish and learning about myself. I don't want to go home. I realized how little is required to be happy. Living so simply was eye-opening, and in the end, much more rewarding. It's different from any "camp" you will ever participate in; these are once-in-a-lifetime experiences that will stay with you and contribute to your life."

If you want to read more about the Spanish Emphasis itinerary, costs, and benefits, click here: http://www.crrobs.org/courses/itineraries_summer_spanish_emphasis.html, but keep in mind the next course starts July 23rd.

CRROBS Students Invading Costa Rica

From Playa Avellanas with Girl Scouts Catching Waves to La Suiza with the Spanish Emphasis and Summer Semester groups; CRROBS has adventurous students surfing, rafting, tree climbing and camping all over Costa Rica.

On the Pacific Coast, where the surf is getting good, we have five groups learning to surf:

1-2) 15-Day Surf Intensive and 30-Day Surf Intensive just arrived at our beautiful Manuel Antonio base (see photo below) today, returning from a coastal island for three days.

3) Girl Scouts Catching Waves is still up on the Pacific coast on Playa Avellanas with Dunia and Amy, who have prepared a lot of fresh and healthy meals for them this week!

4-5) 15-Day Multi Element and Reef & Rainforest are about to also arrive to our Manuel Antonio base (see photo below) after hiking to highly-elevatedRancho Tinamu yesterday and staying with the Lopez's (see photo at bottom of post) in Piedras Blancas on Tuesday.



The other six groups hiked today after keeping busy with outdoor adventures recently:

1)24-Day Multi Element (Santiago y Kendra) just hiked from Puerto Rojo to Domer to La Danta today. Whew.

2) 24-Day Multi Element (Owen y Pablo) were rafting earlier this week, but switched over to hiking yesterday in the small fishing village of San Gerardo de Dota. They continue on to Providencia tomorrow.

3) Spanish Emphasis and Summer Semester have been beefing up their Spanish and their legs across Costa Rica! Yesterday they hiked from Pejibaye to La Suiza today. Tomorrow they'll make their way to Bajo Pacuare.

4) Girl Scouts Rainforest River & Reef (group B) finally headed out to hike today after tree climbing on Tuesday (here in Tres Rios) and rafting on Wednesday in the Rio Orosi. They make their way to Orlando's homestay (see photo below) tomorrow, where they will be planting banana trees, playing soccer, making local food, and/or milking cows.



5) Girl Scouts Rainforest River & Reef (group A) are getting dirtier day-by-day out in the rainforest. They're on day #3 of hiking, after sleeping at Orlando's (see photo above) last night (see #4 above for activities at Orlando's) and hiking to the Lopez's (see photo below) today. The Lopez's, a family of 18 kids, lives in a remote, self-sufficient village in Piedras Blancas. There, the girls will either farm sugar cane, waterfall rappel, milk cows, and/or take a swim in the river.

Busiest Week of the Year… So Far

CRROBS just concluded our busiest week of the year since 2009 began. Not only did we have four groups flying in, two groups flying out, and two groups on course; but this was the same week the City of San Jose decided to tear up our little dirt road leading up to our base in the upper canopy of the rainforest. It made our June 30th fly-in quite complicated, but we managed.

We would like to say we’re relaxing this weekend, but we must wait until August. Today we have some re-supply trips for our groups on course, and 41 Girl Scouts come on Monday! Let the fun continue.

Among eight courses, you can expect that this week someone you know was: surfing, hungry, hiking, swimming, tired, making food, camping, snorkeling, touring San Jose, packing up, learning Spanish, shopping at the market, exhausted, or taking pictures of animals.

Here’s the course break-down:
(For information about each group, click on their course name which will lead you to a detailed summary of their course in our CRROBS Facebook Fan page.)

We welcomed four new courses on Tuesday the 30th:
30-Day Surf Intensive led by Carlos Diablos & Zach
15-Day Surf Intensive led by Carlos Diablos & Zach
24-Day Multi Element led by Ryan & Santiago and Owen & Pablo
15-Day Multi Element led by Carlos Granados & Kendra

Our first two Girl Scout courses flew out on Friday the 3rd after 2-3 eventful weeks here:
Catching Waves led by Dunia & Amy
Service Challenge led by Shannon, Olivia, Angie, and Mauren

Still on course we have
Spanish Emphasis led by Donna & Hormidas (Michael left due to an injury)
Summer Semester led by Donna & Hormidas

From Service to Surfing

June 29, 2009

The Girl Scouts Service Challenge course finally gets a chance to relax. The arrived in Manuel Antonio today - a beautiful beach on the southern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. It is here where they will be learning to surf, learning some yoga moves, and enjoying a beautiful pool in the middle of rainforest gardens.

Perfect timing.

The girls just came from a 7-day hike through the southern rainforests of Costa Rica. They're ready to relax. Their days at homestays were filled with hard work: sugar cane production at the Lopez's, carrying loads of wood and wire to build a garden at Orlando's, and banana tree planting. Some of their highlights? Eating lunch on banana leaves. No bad allergies. Learning about banana farming. Playing soccer in the mud with the Piedras Blancas villagers.

On Wednesday they'll be back here at base ready to enjoy their last day touring through the city of San Jose on Thursday.

Course Updates- 23 de Junio

It is high season here at CRROBS and our students are all over the country experiencing the best of what Costa Rica has to offer.

Where are they?

Girl Scouts Service Challenge is hiking in Naranjo Abajo, by the Naranjo river in the San Jose highlands.

Summer Semester and Spanish Emphasis are starting their cross country trek from the Pacific to the Caribbean coast!

Multi Element and Reef & Rainforest left the coast and will be arriving at our San Jose base today. They'll need to get their rest, because they have a full day rafting the Pacuare River tomorrow.

Girl Scouts Catching Waves participants are all arriving today. They'll head over to the Manuel Antonio base camp early tomorrow to get in the water and start their surf lessons.