Day 9: Mama I'm Comin' Home

Hello everyone, I'm blogging from the runway in Atlanta. Reflections are coming tomorrow, but I just want to take this moment to thank all of you parents for sharing your awesome kids with us for 9 days in Costa Rica. This is seriously one of the best behaved, problem free groups I've ever had. Every day was an adventure, every day was a party, every day was an absolute pleasure. The Atlanta, San Francisco, and Los Angeles groups became truly family for our nine days, and parting truly was sweet sorrow. I'll always look at this spring break with extreme fondness, and I'm happy and privileged to have 10 members in the Prill family. PRILL FAMILY FOR LIFE!

Photo from the Folklore Dinner Outside of San Jose

Day 8: Last Tango in San Jose

Hello everyone one last time from San Jose! Today has been another great one, and I do believe the tour ended on a high note overall. The day began leaving Jaco and the entire Pacific coast for the Central Valley once again. So goodbye to the Pacific til next time, wherever it is that we may encounter it next. Entering the Central Valley once again I am reminded that this is where the heart and soul off Costa Rica lies-- the rolling hills, towering volcanoes, coffee plantations, coupled with that day to day spartan spirit that makes us who we are as a people. In any case we made some stops in the towns of San Ramon and Sarchi to visit some stores of local artisans that craft some beautiful wood products, among other things. At any rate, this is when the souvenir shopping opened up wide, so be expecting some of these things in your home tomorrow (yep that's right, the group returns tomorrow). We then set out for our return to San Jose in a nice business class hotel in a neighborhood called Sabana Sur on the west side of town. There's a beautiful brand new stadium built for soccer right down the street from the hotel that we checked out and we spent the better part of the afternoon exploring the neighborhood. As I've said before, although San Jose is not love at first site for most, I really like San Jose and I always have. The thing is is that tourists tend to avoid the city like plague which is great because here there are few tourists and you get to go where Costa Ricans go and mingle with them. The nightcap, and really the cap of the tour as a whole was folklore dinner. And wow, what a view! The restaurant is perched on a hill overlooking much of the metro area, so the view of the lights of the city was spectacular! We were introduced to a few traditional dances, including the dances my people in the province of Limon. At the end the whole group got to go out and do some dancing. All in all a great way to close out a highly successful tour. Our guide Gustavo told me today that he liked our group very much and was impressed by how well behaved everyone was and that everyone ate well and remained in good health. And I will second that comment by saying that I couldn't have asked for a better group. No major drama and a high level of experiential learning-- what more could I ask for? Well as always I'm fading fast here, say I'll say goodnight for now, reflections tomorrow, oh and families will be reunited tomorrow. I promise you they'll be back tomorrow. Cheers!

Day 7: Another Day at the Beach

First of all, the photo at the top of this post was taken at our hotel and no this is not what we've been doing all day. Unfortunately, despite all the great photos I got at Manuel Antonio National Park, there were all my camera and I forgot to get one on my Blackberry. In any case, we enjoyed Manuel Antonio very much as it is teeming with wildlife. When our guide Gustavo brought out his telescope I knew we were in for some good times. Camouflaged birds, tree frogs, sloths, and monkeys everywhere is Manuel Antonio. Oh and of course beach. Rains came early today but we still managed to get in some swimming in the calm waters of the park. I'm more of a trail guy so I got a little bit of water and then hit some trails. Overall, a nice time, and I definitely got my best animal action shots of the tour there. The monkeys were so amazing, and theft minded. Travelers are always told to watch their belongings on the beach because things can be stolen, but it's not other humans that one should be worried about, it's the monkeys! I literally watched these guys go up to unattended backpacks and unzip them, take stuff out, and run up the tree with it. The raccoons were just as bad. For me today had an additional bit of coolness because I got a chance to meet up with cousin of mine and her husband for a bit here in Jaco. Great to reunite after a few years! Then we played pool for awhile (random I know) but I'm stopping here because in and out of sleep in my hammock here. Good night folks! Back to San Jose tomorrow.

The Group Pic from the Pacific at Jaco

Day 6: Crocodile Huntin'

Hello all from a hammock in Jaco! It's been yet another full day of traveling and exploring. Some of the views during our drive this morning were absolutely spectacular! After a few stops at a few roadside stands we arrived at our impromptu destination-- a crocodile safari. GOOD CALL! This was not originally part of our tour, but our guide worked it in, and it was amazing. There was so much life in there-- literally 360 degree views of wildlife all around. Once again a great education in the balance of a nature! We soon arrived in Jaco which is a beach town all the way. A great way to end our stay in this country indeed. This will be a short post here as I'm fading fast in my hammock. Tomorrow is one of the highlights of the tour-- Manuel Antonio National Park. Til tomorrow then...

Day 5: Chills, Thrills, and Spills

Hello everyone one last time from Monteverde. Today was the big adventure day for sure, and as a result I'm going to have to make this update short because I'm fading fast. We started out today at the Santa Elena Cloud Forest with about a two hour hike or so. It was incredible to be in there. So much life exists in this rare cloud forest, and it was a great experience for all involved. Probably the best part of the education that came out of the hike was just helping the students to appreciate the balance that exists in nature, and all of the mutual relationships that exists between the thousands of species there. Our guide Gustavo made an excellent point, that if you cut down a tree you don't just cut down a tree but an entire habitat, and if you re-plant a tree, the tree may grow back, but that habitat may never return. That said, we visited a local high school afterwards to plant some trees in connection with a project the high school is involved with. So another day of giving back. We then broke for a quick lunch and then off to horseback riding and zip-lining. Both were great. For many it was their first time engaging in such activities. Needless to say there were no sad faces at the end of the day. My challenge was that I had a horse named Renegade, and I soon found out why the name. He did whatever he desired and he liked to kick other horses. What are the odds that this was the horse I got put with? Then with zip-lining, which was good times, I got stuck 2/3 of the way down by accidentally breaking too early (long story, but it's valid), and I had to get rescued. Let's just say a few students had some laughs at my expense, but hey, such are the joys of being on tour. There was this thing at the end called "Tarzan's Rope" at the end which was essentially miniature bungee jumping followed by swinging. Most did it, I couldn't, and not making any apologies for that. Couldn't work myself up to. But the majority did and had an exhilarating experience. The day was capped off by the kids adopting this dog that befriended us on the way to an ATM. Still not sure what to do with it. Another long story that will have to be explained later. So tomorrow morning we're up bright and early to head off to the Pacific Coast. On the way, a little change of plan: we're going on a crocodile safari! More on this tomorrow. Good night everyone!

Day 4: School Days in Monteverde

Hello from Monteverde Country Lodge near Santa Elena, Costa Rica! It's a beautiful lodge in the middle of rural Costa Rica and the groups have really opened up and are mingling very well. Ok, so I'm going to cut right to the chase. Today we did one of the best things that I've done on any of the tours I've done with the students in the past, and that was paying a visit to a rural school in Latin America. Every tour has the eye-opening moment, and this was it. The kids put on a show for us showing some traditional dancing, we asked each other questions, and then it was time to hit the schoolyard for some games. We introduced them to the new phenomenon of a game, "ninja," and they completely bought into it and then beat the tar out of us at our own game! They introduced to the traditional sack race here, and then it was gloves off in soccer, boys first, and then the girls next. The teachers joked with a couple of us that it was the United States that beat Costa Rica and kept them out of the World Cup last year, so this was their chance at revenge! At any rate this was a very emotional experience for me, not only as an educator but also as someone with roots in Costa Rica, and so for me, watching my people and being with my people in this school had an additional level of importance. It's hard to put into words but every kid there felt like family, as did my fellow international colleagues that teach at that school. This experience certainly had an impact on the students as well! Seeing this school of 108 in a different world from their own had such an impact I feel. As with anything else, the students got so much from our visit, but not nearly as much as we got from them. THIS IS WHAT REAL EDUCATION IS ALL ABOUT. In no way could today be fully understood through a textbook or a lecture, only through experiencing it firsthand. In talking to the students this evening, this has been the highlight of the trip, and as Nolan Brogden put it to me tonight, "now we're really beginning to understand, it's giving us a lot to think about."

Well tomorrow we have an epic day planned. We'll begin by hiking Monteverde Cloud Forest, and later horseback riding and ziplining, so a packed schedule indeed. From deep inside rural Costa Rica, this is Roger Prill signing off. Good night everyone!

Day 3: Without a Paddle

Hello folks one last time from La Fortuna near el volcan Arenal. Today has been another extremely busy one. Let's just say that if today was having a case of the Mondays, a case of the Mondays may not be such a bad thing. First of all, waking up near a volcano in the morning is not such a bad gig at all. Just saying. We kicked off the day with our normal daily dose of gallo pinto and then went off to kayak Lake Arenal. For many it was their first time kayaking and for me it was my first time in quite a while. At any rate, good times! I would imagine that we were on the lake for about 2 hours and it was a blast. Unfortunately, it wasn't until the time that we were leaving the lake that the top of the volcano started to emerge from beyond the clouds. But we did get some good shots afterwards including the one I took from my front porch at our villa in La Fortuna that I posted earlier today. Lunch was once again mom's cooking and then off to the La Fortuna Waterfall for some viewing of the impressive natural feature as well as taking a little swim around the somewhat chilly water there. Afterwards we spent some time in La Fortuna just hitting some shops and sampling some local food (my favorite will always be the baked goods, I had another very satisfying flauta today). I really like La Fortuna, because, even though it is built almost entirely around tourism with that giant volcano in the background, it really in many ways is a typical Costa Rican town. It is built around a very well kept plaza, with a church one side and a school and bank on the other, will little shops etc surronding it. It's hard to explain what I like about the town in a couple sentences but I like it a lot. At any rate, we capped off our day with a little relaxation at the famous hot springs that are fed by the volcano. There are 16 different springs of varying temperatures (the general rule of thumb is the closer the spring is to the volcano, the warmer it is, and some got rather hot!), and it was about as relaxing a way to wind down as I can think of. The journey continues early tomorrow as we leave the Arenal region and head towards Monteverde. We have about a four hour drive ahead of us, but there is a group of elementary school kids that I'm sure are pumped about our arrival because they have a little show prepared for us to introduce us to some of the folk dances of the region. This is the first time EF has visited this school as the company does its best to mix up the outreach. We have some things planned for them too, but more on that tomorrow. For now this is Roger Prill signing off from La Fortuna, Costa Rica. Good night everybody.

The View From Our Hotel at Lunch

Must share!

Day 2: Bioreserves, Volcanoes, and Steep Winding Roads, Oh My!

Well folks, buenas tardes de La Fortuna, near the infamous el volcan Arenal! Today has seriously been an epic one. We started out with the national breakfast here, gallo pinto. Afterwards it was off to INBioparque in Heredia to learn about the biodiversity of the area. It was an EXCELLENT introduction to the wonders of this country that we will be seeing in the next few days. Then it was off to beat the clouds to the crater of el volcan poas and we... Didn't. But what we did get was our first big soaking of the tour and everyone was certainly glad to have their raingear. Also, all learned what it was like to literally walk in the clouds as, at 10,000 ft, we were certainly in the clouds, and therefore not able to see the crater of the volcano. Everyone proved to be good sports about it and still had a great time. For human geography and world history students alike we were able to see, throughout the tour the real cultural landscape of this country-- the human imprint on the physical landscape. Dependency theory, core-periphery models, and globalization all began to really make sense today. This is not the United States, but one thing that we clearly see here is a general level of contentment. Several students commented that impressive how the Costa Rican people equate happiness with strength of family and not with size of home or other possessions. The national psyche here is unique indeed as pura vida is more than just a phrase but seriously a couple centuries long way of life. Nick Baker I think put it best today when he said that he's glad he's out doing the things that he's only seen on tv. The visit to Poas was followed by about a four hour ride to the next destination of Arenal. Not for the faint of heart, it's a long and winding road full of sharp turns and narrow bridges, but our driver is boss on these roads. Well I'm falling asleep now, so I'm logging off. Tomorrow, we jump deeper into arenal. Pura vida!

Hola de Costa Rica!

Hello from day 1 in CR! Right now we are calling it a night in the beautiful Gran Hotel Costa Rica. So far we've enjoyed our day of travel, and very glad to be here. Apparently the president of Costa Rica was hanging out at the theater across from our hotel and some of the LA kids got a chance to chat with her for a bit. Let's see, so far the early realizations the kids of come to here: 1) I wasn't joking when I talked about no respect for rules of the road, we've seen more red lights run tonight than in the past year back home, 2) as much as I love this country and as much as the rest of the group will, this is the periphery, and so the difference is instantly seen and realized, even in this nicer zone of San Jose, 3) churros are AWESOME (me and the guys sampled some off the street tonight, and good times... So, off to bed for me as tomorrow will be a long one! Cheers til tomorrow.

A Little Humor Before Takeoff...

In preparation for takeoff, I thought you would enjoy this bit of humor... I must say, I was nodding my head through much of this...

Estamos Listos Para Viajar!

Seven days to takeoff! Stay tuned!

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