Many Vestavia Hills High School students missed school the week before spring break. Many took tests early, got assignment extensions, or worked on essays weeks in advance in order to take off for vacations. The Friday prior must have been a drought of attending students, but I would not know, as I was one of the many excused from school for trips.
Alongside seven other VHHS students and supervisor Lisa McFadden, I entered the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport at 4:00 AM on Friday, March 22, 2024. Our group of green-wearing (we wore matching Fiesta Birmingham Volunteer shirts), groggy students marched through TSA and arrived early to the gate for a flight to Atlanta.
Following a day of lengthy flights and too-short layovers, our group touched down in Liberia, Costa Rica, around midday. As part of an EF (Education First) International tour, we began a week-long exploration into the culture, environment, and language of Costa Rica. Due to arriving earlier than the other part of our tour (a larger group of students from North Carolina), the Vestavia group was able to grab lunch at a local shopping center while we got to know our tour leaders, married couple Jorge and Elizabeth Mata.
After a delicious lunch of beans, rice, beef stew, and strawberry juice, we returned to the airport in the bus to meet up with the other students. Once they loaded onto the bus, we began a lengthy ride into the dry-tropical forest mountains of Guanacaste.
Guanacaste, one of the larger of Costa Rica’s seven provinces, is known for its biodiversity and beautiful beaches. While we did not visit the beaches during this trip, we were able to discover the hidden beauty deep within the mountains.
On our first day, our tired group settled into a spread-out stay in the cabins of Buena Vista del Rincon. Arriving in the evening, we were able to watch a beautiful sunset that depicted the surrounding landscape and farms. After, we launched directly into the immersion aspect of our trip, with all instructions and conversations occurring in Spanish.
The second day consisted of a complete tour of the offerings of Buena Vista del Rincon. We attended a cooking class, team-built with Spanish lessons, made soaps, toured the extensive farm, and even got the chance to milk a cow. The second half of the day was much more relaxed as we ventured farther into the mountains to rest in natural thermal springs and mud baths.
With a full comprehension of our first location, we began the next day by departing to the next region. We drove into multiple towns in order to complete a cooking/scavenger hunt activity, first gathering supplies in a local market and then cooking our own lunch. Following lunch, we continued on, visiting the city of La Fortuna, which is situated under the shadow of the Arenal Volcano. The Arenal Region was by far the most surprising area on the trip, as it contained beautiful towns, a large lake, rivers, transitional rainforests, and the looming volcano. We spend a full day adventuring throughout the Arenal region, exploring a sustainable farm and kayaking on Lake Arenal.
After two nights in the rainforest region, we traveled to the Sarapiqui region. On the way out of Arenal, we ziplined through the rainforest. After an active morning, the day consisted of riding the bus, eating a yummy lunch on the way, and arriving in our third hotel, where we attended a Salsa dance lesson.
My favorite day was the day before the last. In the morning, we visited a fruit farm and explored how different crops were grown. After lunch, we suited up for a 5-mile white-water rafting adventure on the Sarapiqui River. The rafting trip was beautiful and very fun as we flowed over wild rapids, rested on a riverside beach while eating fresh pineapple, and viewed the serene wildlife. That night, we cleaned off and visited a local family for dinner. It was a warm, love-filled night where the contrasting cultures were able to connect and share through language.
Our last day was bittersweet. The day activities, consisting of another long drive, an art lesson, and a yummy last lunch, were very enjoyable. However, the night overshadowed the other activities. We arrived in the capital city of San Jose on Thursday and changed into nicer outfits for our farewell dinner. We drove up to a high-elevation lookout restaurant and ate together for a final time with the cityscape of San Jose in sight. The night was wonderful and sad as our group discussed our favorite moments, took pictures, danced, and said our final goodbyes.
The trip, while busy and sometimes tiring, was enjoyable for all VHHS students present. We were able to enjoy the aspects of a wonderful vacation from school while also immersing ourselves in Costa Rican culture to improve our abilities in the Spanish language. While we are all glad to be back with our families, friends, and air-conditioned spaces, we will always miss our found family down in Central America.
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