About CROB
New Staff Ahoy!
It has been a very busy week here at Costa Rica Outward Bound. Not only did we welcome some new canine friends to the team, but we also welcomed our new Web Design/Development & Semester Course Manager, Meag Tessmann.
Meag’s info:
Web Design and Development Manager & Semester Course Coordinator
Hometown: Racine, WI
Education: B.S. in Graphic Design, minors in Information Technology, and Art from University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.
Meag fostered a love for the outdoors in her teens after going on a leadership hike in northern Wisconsin. Since then, she has enjoyed outdoor trips around the US, Europe, South America, and the Caucasus. Recently, she lived in Armenia for two years with the U.S. Peace Corps, where she helped form her region’s first online newspaper and increased computer literacy. At Outward Bound, she’ll be working her magic to improve our website usability and to create pretty marketing materials.
She’s excited to improve her Spanish and salsa dancing skills in between balancing yoga positions and cooking delicious food while living the pura vida in Costa Rica.
Take a look at all the staff here!
The full communications team! We are very good looking.
Scouting Out Pavones
Costa Rican surfing has, at times, become a victim of its own success. Once sleepy and undeveloped towns have quickly turned into major population centers complete with every modern convenience and every modern scourge. One of the most attractive and spectacular allures of traveling to surf (especially so in Costa Rica) is the idea that one can find a spectacular location that is completely different than what is at home. It’s for this intrinsic desire to surf and enjoy the locations which others consider too far, too inaccessible or too inhospitable, that we scout new locations and explore the beaches where it’s still all about just enjoying the waves.
Even though Costa Rica is a very popular destination, there are still locations that do not see a lot of tourist visits and remain the secret of locals and expats alike. One of these locations certainly has to be Pavones. Located at the southern tip of Costa Rica, below the Osa peninsula, this secluded location has some famed surf as well as charming beaches that make it a perfect location for a surf course. In fact, we have made it a part of our Water and Wave course for this fall.
Program Director Trey recently headed down to Pavones along with instructors Sean and Britten in order to finalize plans for how courses would run at this location, as well as get some surfing in. Take a look below at some of the pictures they were able to snag while on the scouting mission.
Interested in joining us for a surf adventure? Learn more about our Surf Intensive courses offered this summer by clicking here!
Tico Rangers Get Training
Instructors Danny and Diego recently headed off for some time in the jungle to help train the park rangers of Costa Rica. The training included methods for wilderness hikes, as well as practice for how to handle whitewater rescue situations. Take a look below at some of pictures from the training!
Students Speak Their Mind
After a recent course here at Costa Rica Outward Bound, some of the students took some time to share their thoughts on a few of the aspects of their time here. Take a look below to see how the girls of troop 4006 handled their time doing a service project in the Talamanca region.
Semana Santa
The Easter weekend here in Costa Rica was quite the event, with nearly the entire country grinding to a slow halt for one of the most revered religious holidays of the year. Let’s go over the events.
Monday through Wednesday are know as Holy Monday, Holy Tuesday and Holy Wednesday. The next day is called Maundy (Holy) Thursday. Following these days we have Good Friday, which is normally a fast day, so only one meal permitted. On Holy Saturday, once the sun goes down, this is officially the beginning of Easter. Easter Sunday is the time when parties and feasts occur in celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Here at Costa Rica Outward Bound, we had a small celebration of our own which included some secret family recipes of staff member Wendy. We enjoyed quite a spread as you can see below.
A full table of delicious foods!
And the cook herself, Wendy!
Wendy works hard while Jesus hardly works
Teach Me How To Ducky
As many of our former students know, heading down the river in a ducky (inflatable kayak) is one of the most fun ways to enjoy the river. This is exactly what Communications Director Jeff Friend learned on a recent trip to the river with our Tropical Challenge and Leadership groups. Take a look below to see how Jeff fared down the mighty Rio Orosi!
Semester Students Take on the River (Updated)
The Tropical Challenge and Leadership Semester students are in the midst of their whitewater river phase, and have been able to get us some awesome shots in between some of the rapids. Take a look below for pictures of both groups!
Update: Semester students have finished up the phase! We grabbed some more photos from their adventures on the river, so take a look at the updated photo album below:
Giving Back – Helping the Sea Turtle Refuge
The service projects at Playa Tulin are some of our most popular as they involve everyone’s favorite topic: sea turtles. However the projects at Tulin often involve more than collecting of the eggs and helping the little ones safely into the ocean. The sea turtle refuge at Tulin is an organization that survives because of the hard work of volunteers like the students at Costa Rica Outward Bound. As many of our alumni know, the facilities at Tulin are rather spartan and can always benefit from some projects to help refurbish and repair, which in turn helps other volunteers and the staff to better do their job. Additional projects such as management of the landscape and area (building fences, clearing out debris, etc) help immensely to keep the area clear and organized. Take a look at the work the most recent Tropical Challenge group did; they collected all the drift wood and turned it into a fence for the refuge’s beach area.
All the wood by the beach was turned into an awesome fence
The refuge and surrounding facility gets quite a few visitors a year, and gets even more wear and tear due to heavy use and lack of repairs. Some of our upcoming service projects will involve repairs and improvements to the facility. Program Director Trey was recently at Tulin and took pictures of some of the particular things that we will be working on, take a look!
This structure will be needing some new siding and a fresh coat of paint
Some new tin roofing will do the trick on this structure
This corner and some others like it could use some additional concrete
One of the best parts about Playa Tulin and the park rangers who work there is the opportunity they give to help preserve one of natures most incredible animals. However it is also very rewarding to be able to give back to the reserve and its workers – a location and people who care immensely for their responsibilities and work tirelessly to help the sea turtles and educate others about their importance. We here at Costa Rica Outward Bound appreciate the work done by the Playa Tulin Reserve and look forward to opportunities where we can help give back!
If you would like to learn more about opportunities specifically related to helping the facilities at Playa Tulin, please email Trey at programdirector@crro
Even More New Staff Ahoy!
Costa Rica Outward Bound is happy to announce the arrival of Jeff Friend, our new Director of Communications & Marketing. Take a look at his bio below!
Hometown: Eugene, OR (Childhood); Sacramento, CA (later childhood); Los Angeles, CA (adulthood)
MBA & BA in Business Management from University of Phoenix.
Before joining Outward Bound in Costa Rica, Jeff oversaw all communications and marketing efforts (Social Media, PR, Advertising, etc.) for a $50M Staffing & Recruiting firm in the U.S. He is thrilled to be able to continue those efforts for Costa Rica Outward Bound, a company that truly cares about improving the lives of its participants.
From the rich green forests of Oregon to the massive Redwoods in Northern California, and down to the endless summer beaches of Southern California, Jeff was introduced to a wide variety of eco systems along the West Coast. After having the opportunity to live in Fiji in 2003, Jeff discovered a true passion for adventure and culture. He has since traveled throughout the U.S. and Europe, and is eager to discover as many countries in Central and South America as possible! He is also really excited to improve his Spanish speaking skills here in Costa Rica.
A little bit of training and a little bit of the holidays
This past weekend saw some intense action here on the Costa Rica Outward Bound base. As the remainder of our semester programs wrap up their time in Panama, a large portion of the staff went through training on a variety of topics ranging from conflict resolution to more advanced strategies for teaching while on course. In addition, the group took a trip to downtown San Jose to expand the group’s combined knowledge of the city and some of the locations that do not get as much attention. Other activities included a group trip down the local waterfall near the base, in order to get additional staff prepared for one of the more popular activities offered here, the waterfall rappel! Finishing up the weekend was a festive staff holiday gift exchange and a delicious staff dinner, capping off what has been another amazing season for Costa Rica Outward Bound. Although a busy weekend for the staff here, everyone is excited and ready to go for the 2012 season, which starts off with groups just 2 days after New Years!
It's best to not look down!
