Meaning “How cool, man,” this was Orlando’s way of describing the Cantebury School students he had the pleasure of instructing last week. Diego, their other Tico instructor, agreed. They talked about how listos (literally meaning “ready” but translates to “intelligent”) the students were, who talked only in Spanish by the end of the course. And that included the nightly meetings, when most of the talking takes place among the group as they discuss their highs, lows, lessons and more about the day.
So who were these “ready” students?
Adrian Alea, Courtney Bagans, Sami Blaze, Alexandra Dadrat, Jace Eddy, Alex Feiock, Rachel Hachero, Janet Hamilton, Alexis Macdermott, Julianne McDonough, Talia Moorey, Joey Nicotra, Carl Nist-Lund, Amy VanPelt, and Angel Zambrano spent seven full days together in the depths of the rainforest with their chaperones Sheena Neese and Ryan Butcher.
Like most Costa Rica Outward Bound students, their favorite rainforest experiences included homestays and surfing. More specifically, while staying with our Tico homestay families, they loved playing soccer with them, harvesting sugar cane (pictured right), and bonding as a group.
“I learned that life isn’t about materialistic objects and we don’t always have to be stressed about what is coming next. What matters is love, belief and overcoming challenges,” reflected one of the students.
Another student said, “My experience was breath-taking; it opened my eyes to the awes of nature and gave me more self-confidence and self-reliance.”
And while they wished they could do some rafting, zip-lining and service, their week-long course in Costa Rica was invaluable. As one Cantebury student summarized:
“It was the greatest thing I’ve ever experienced.”
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