Busy On Course - 25 de Junio

Check out what your friends and family are doing!

The Girl Scouts Catching Waves had their first full day in Playa Avellanas today learning to surf. They reported great weather, and their instructor, Dunia, said they are all doing well standing up on their boards!

15-day Multi Element and Reef & Rainforest ran the Pacuare early Tuesday morning, and directly after headed for the Panamanian border. Destination? Solarte. Once there, they spent the day snorkeling.

The Summer Semester and Spanish Emphasis courses hiked from Silencio to Brujo on Tuesday then to Hernan's village where they have been tree climbing, planting banana trees, milking cows, then making cheese. It may be a busy day for them, but they are getting a full experience of remote Costa Rican life.

The Girl Scouts Service Challenge group hiked from La Danta to La Flecha today, arriving at Orlando's house tomorrow where they will FINALLY get a shower! They will also plant banana trees, play some "futbol", drink fresco, and meet the local chickens and pigs.

Felicidades, New Instructors!

Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School would like to officially welcome our four new instructors, all hand-selected from the Spring 2009 Leadership Semester course! Right now they are all working diligently with students on course:

Zach Allen
Age: 18
Hometown: Portsmouth, RI
Current Course: 15-Day Multi Element
Fact: Zach has an incredibly thick Rhode Island accent, resembling that of Peter Griffin from Family Guy.


Olivia Brockmeier
Age: 18
Hometown: Pensacola, FL
Current Course: Girl Scouts Service Challenge
Fact: Olivia is a CRROBS expert! She and her brother both went on different CRROBS courses in 2008.



Shannon Gallant
Age: 22
Hometown: Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Current Course: Girl Scouts Service Challenge
Fact: Shannon has a dangerous addiction to chocolate: she LOVES it, but she's allergic to it.




Alex Cook
Age: 18
Hometown: Mt. Pleasant, SC
Current Course: 15-Day Multi Element
Fact: Alex assimilated well to the Tico culture when he allowed Scott, our office intern, to give him a Faux-Hawk.

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.

Course Updates - 22 de Junio

Pay attention, because we have siete courses coming, going, or on their way...

Multi Element and Reef & Rainforest are down at our Manuel Antonio beach base on the southern Pacific coast learning to surf. In between catching waves, they'll get some pics of sloths, monkeys, iguanas, and ctenosaurs due to the nearby, well-preserved National Park.

Girl Scouts Service Challenge spent the weekend rock climbing and working with the local scouts here in Costa Rica, and today they headed to the Rio Picuare for an exciting day of rafting in one of the best rafting locations in the world.

Youth Business Initiative headed to the airport this morning after a busy day in San Jose city yesterday. This group of mature young adults will start the next school year as mentors for younger inner-city teens. Congrats on your accomplishments, YBI.

Summer Semester and Spanish Emphasis arrived yesterday! The first day of their long course began today with CPR training. Tomorrow they start their grueling cross-country trek.

Girl Scouts Catching Waves flies into San Jose tomorrow! They'll head to the beach on Wednesday to begin their surf training and become beach babes!

Grigri? Handog? Gumby? Chock? Huh?

If you don't know what these are, ask a Girl Scout. They're at the climbing wall today learning terms such as these, before helping other Costa Rican Girl Scouts this weekend. After today's long training session, they would tell you:

grigri (n.) - A belay device designed to be easy to use and safer for beginners because it is self-locking under load.
handog (n.) - While lead climbing or on top rope, to hang on the rope or a piece of protection for a rest.
gumby (n.) - An inexperienced (or unsafe) climber.
chock (n.) - A mechanical device, or a wedge, used as anchors in cracks.

I can't take credit for knowing all of these terms, either. Because even while working at CRROBS, it can be difficult learning the technicalities of every outdoor sport we have. If you want to brush up on your terms and win a game of "Are You Smarter Than a Girl Scouter", try Wikipedia.