“It was a memorable experience,” one of the Water & Wave students concluded yesterday on his last day of the course. This reflection may be a result of the fact that Water & Wave students spent 20 days on a river, they went to three countries in 70 days, they got scuba certified, or even […]
Keys? Check.Money? Check.Survival kit? Hmmmm… “It’s not overkill to keep a survival kit in your house or your car.”–Les Stroud, SurvivormanAs we prepare for the upcoming “Jungle Survival” course running for 24 days this July, we have found some very helpful and interesting survival techniques not strictly meant for the middle of the rainforest. The […]
“Anyone who wants to do avid rafting should get WRT certified because it’s helpful for learning to read and respect the river. By understanding the river, you can avoid putting yourself in danger when kayaking and rafting. You can safely have fun riding and doing tricks in the rapids as your skills improve.” –Heidi, Leadership […]
It was typical weather on a cloud forest afternoon: a streak of sun poking through the clouds once every twenty minutes, haze blowing through the trees in thick and thin streaks, overall white skies, and a perfect temperature.But this Saturday afternoon was a little different for the Lopez family. On April 24th at 4pm, in […]
Día de la Tierra (Earth Day), on April 22, is a big day for Costa Rica. It could be because Costa Rica does so much to preserve its land and rainforest. In fact, the government presented a plan to protect 18 percent of the country in national parks and another 13 percent in privately owned […]
What do they do with all of those skills? This “Leadership Series” has finally completed answering this question for seven Leadership alumni as we anticipated the coming of our current Leadership Semester course students who arrived on April 1st. This week we profiled a second Alex, the last of our seven profiled leaders. Leadership Alum […]
It’s hard to believe Michaela Zimmerman, at 13 years of age, not only lives in China as a member of USA Girl Scouts Overseas, but is ready to travel 8000+ miles to get to Costa Rica for this summer’s Rainforest River & Reef Girl Scout course. She explains, “This would give me a great opportunity […]
Christ has died, now let’s go catch a crocodile? During Semana Santa (Holy Week), some Costa Ricans from the Guanacaste province, go on a crocodile chase called “Lagarteada” (in Spanish, lagarto means lizard). And while this tradition is controversial, it still made its way into the celebrations of Costa Ricans this year (see photos below). […]
“I love the feeling of soaring through the air.” -2010 studentFor 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 […]
a-li-men-tar /v./ – to feedAll students who pass through our base in Manuel Antonio love to see the surrounding trees filled with titi monkeys swinging from tree to tree in perfect view from our three-story base windows. Students watch them as they wake up and eat breakfast every morning. But they have to keep that […]
Bye See ya Nos vemos See you later Hasta luego So long Catch-you-later Ciao FarewellG’byeY’all come back now Cheerio Adios Good-bye These were some of the words exchanged among the spring Tri-Country instructors (Heidi and Santiago) and their students this morning just before the left for the airport. “My experience with Outward Bound Costa Rica […]
It is not common for an incoming student to come from a rainforest-based hometown. Nor is it common for them to have spent long periods of time in a jungle before arriving here. Therefore, we do not expect our incoming students to fully understand a) how to dress while on course, b) the packing lists’ […]
…and we’re excited to have them back. United World Colleges (UWC) – its Costa Rica college – is returning for another Outward Bound Costa Rica course (their sixth year) as part of a leadership scholarship competition. Any why wouldn’t we want them back, aside from watching their gardening techniques at a local school and enjoying […]
re•con [ri-kon] -noun reconnaissance ¿Perdon? re•con•nais•sance [ri-kon-uh-suh ns, -zuh ns] -noun a general examination or survey of a region, usually followed by a detailed survey “A general examination of a region” is the best way to define our missions out into new, undiscovered territory for updating courses and adding new ones in Costa Rica, Panama, […]