Spanish class’s global awareness goes to Costa Rica

When Miranda Gravley took over as the Spanish teacher in Minneota, one of her goals was to give her students a “hands-on” experience in a Spanish-speaking country. Seven Minneota students and Gravley found just what they were looking for in Costa Rica — an educational and enjoyable experience. But, they’re also glad to be home.

Gravley took six of her students, plus one other student not in her class, on a nine-day adventure to Costa Rica from June 15-23 through Explorica, an educational touring company. “It was a global awareness trip for everyone,” she said. “It was an educational experience to see how others live and a chance for the class to use their (Spanish) language.”

The students, who will all be juniors and seniors at Minneota this fall, that made the trip included Emily Buysse, Emily Pohlen, Carly Van Keulen, Stephanie Kimpe, Brittany Kimpe, Brook Boerboom and Michael Gratz.

As part of a company tour, Minneota traveled with students from Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Indiana to the small country in Central America. “Costa Rica was a trip that was so amazing that you cannot put half the things that you experienced into words,” said Emily Pohlen.

“Fun doesn’t quite define the great time we had. Pretty can’t compare to the things we saw. It was a beautiful place, but I am very thankful for where I live and the things that I have.”

Flying out of Minneapolis Airport on June 15, the students had a layover in Atlanta before proceeding to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. The group was guided to various places in Costa Rica that were set up by Explorica. “The plan was for us to see a volcano near San Jose the first day,” said Gravley.

“But it was erupting. It hadn’t erupted for eight years and now it was, so we weren’t able to go there. We did see another volcano at a resort that wasn’t active, but we did see it steaming.” There are 14 volcanoes in Costa Rica, with six having been active in the last 75 years.

One of the most memorable stops for Gravley and the students was an elementary school in the country in which classes are held in “open-air” rooms similar to Adobe-style buildings in which there are window-like openings with no glass in them to allow for air to pass through.

“They basically have two seasons there; rainy is what they consider winter (from May to November), and dry they consider summer (from December to April),” said Gravley.

“And there are very few bugs there, so they can have these open-air rooms.” As the group arrived via Greyhound bus, the first and second grade school children were excited to see the Minneota visitors. “The children ran up to us and grabbed our hands and showed us around their eight-room schoolhouse,” said Emily Buysse.

“The little girl that showed me around was so eager to show me the whole school.”

“They did not have many school supplies, but they made the best of what they had. All of the children were so happy. That was my favorite part of the trip because we got to see the Costa Rican culture.” Although the food was nothing out of the ordinary, the variety is limited in Costa Rica. “There wasn't much for different types of food that I tried anyway,” said Pohlen. “But the portions were much smaller and about every meal was rice and beans.”

The meals, which were included in the cost of the trip, were served cafeteria style in places set up through Explorica. The group was able to have pizza one night, and there was also a nearby Subway in one town they stayed in. The group stayed in hotels in three different cities; two of which were adequate, while the other was old and run down. Although most of the country is poor, the land is beautiful in Costa Rica.

“It’s all mountains and jungle, and everything is green,” said Gravley. “It really is a beautiful place.” Instead of seeing squirrels, rabbits and chipmunks as they would if hiking in Minnesota, the group saw four different species of monkeys, tree frogs and a variety of snakes while trekking through the jungle areas of Costa Rica.

“My favorite part about the trip was seeing the country and how beautiful it was,” said Pohlen. “And the amount of plants and trees and different animals that were there. It was crazy.”

One of the things the students and teacher did as a group was to plant a tree together in Costa Rica. They also took in Kalambu Hot Springs Water Park, a ground-sourced thermal spring fed from the water of Lake Arenal.

“The hot springs water slides were crazy,” said Buysse. “They looked like normal slides, but they were faster than I have ever seen.” “The hot springs were not what I expected. I expected more of a naturally-made thing,” said Pohlen.

“It was almost like a water park.” “But the slides were super fun. Before we went down, the man that was working said it wasn't that bad. So we all went, and it was hands-down the fastest water slide I have ever been on.” The country is also eco-friendly; burning no fuels and instead relying mostly on wind, water and solar for its power. “There is no pollution there,” said Gravley. “And there is no military there. That really surprised me.” Following a brief civil war, Costa Rica permanently abolished its army in 1949. Many of the citizens of Costa Rica live in modest homes, grow their own food and make their own clothes and other items they might need. “Most of the houses are small shacks,” said Buysse. “There were very few houses that resembled homes here. Most were made of scrap wood and metal.”

“The biggest difference between Costa Rica and Minnesota is how much they rely on the land,” Pohlen said. “I get that we are huge in agriculture. But from what I realized just driving past places and hearing stories from Oliver (the tour guide) that they literally grow what they are going to eat and make what they are going to wear.” The group also got an adrenaline rush when it walked across a 100-yard suspended bridge or zip-lined through the mountainous jungles.

“You weren’t supposed to run or jump on the bridge, but even as you walked it felt like you were running and jumping,” said Gravley.

“That was a little scary.” Costa Rican roads are also rustic, narrow and positioned in places you would never expect anyone to travel.

“Some of the roads were on edges of steep cliffs,” said Gravley. “The people there don’t think anything of it, but we were all pretty nervous.”

“The thing that surprised me the most was how narrow the roads were and how sharp some of the turns we took were,” mentioned Pohlen.

“One thing I will never forget is that we were driving our bus to our hotel up this mountain and we were so close to the edge of the road, which was also the edge of the mountain. We were then told we were the first bus to ever make it all the way up to the hotel.”

The whole trip made for an educational experience for everyone involved. “Pura Vida” is the main recognizable phrase attached to Costa Ricans. It means “pure life” or “good life”.

Although the group had an experience they will never forget, there’s nothing like being back home with familiar faces and familiar surroundings. “Costa Rica was great and I had a lot of fun,” said Buysse, “but it does feel good to be back home.”

“This trip was the perfect length,” said Pohlen. “I never got sick of the place, but once the day came that we were going home, I was ready to go.”

“I was so excited to see friends and family when I got home. And, yes, my bed felt amazing and the food tasted fantastic.”

For those attending the trip, they now realize that although the trip was interesting, Minneota is “Pura Vida” to them.