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, […]
“…it’s not the years in your life that count.It’s the life in your years.” -Abraham Lincoln Abraham has good insight here, especially as it pertains to our courses. Yet, if he was about to send his son on a Outward Bound Costa Rica course, we could probably bet that he, too, would inevitably ask the […]
When Virginia LaGrow was accepted* into the Rainforest River & Reef course in 2009, she had no idea what kinds of adventures she would face and what she would learn. But after returning from course in July, she knew what she experienced and the lessons she learned were worth sharing. From school to a Girlfest […]
What do they do with all of those skills? This “Leadership Series” has almost completed answering this question for seven Leadership alumni as we anticipate the coming of our next Leadership Semester course students arriving this week on April 1st. This week we profiled Alex, the sixth of our seven profiled leaders. Leadership Alumn #6: […]
Surprisingly overlooked, backpack covers are practically crucial when traveling anywhere, much less to a country that is almost half rainforest. The purpose is obvious: rain protection. (For traveling nomads, it can also be helpful to prevent instant petty theft.) Now, to answer the ever-famous common question posed by incoming students for every packing list item, […]
When students read “Spring Break” on their annual school schedule, “rainforest challenge” is not typically the first thing that comes to mind. But this year, for 14 State University of New York (New Paltz) students, 10 Tallahassee Community College students, and 10 Canterbury School students, it was. And after hearing their feedback, they seem to […]
One of the most crucial parts of the scuba certification education process is learning about aquatic wildlife. Why ‘crucial?’ Because a human’s touch can be fatal to an entire species; and on the flip side, marine life, too, can be fatal for humans. The lionfish, while not fatal, does fall in the “danger” category, as […]
An Adventure Ballad The semester students are on course down here for many days,and for this, the courses are arranged from phase to phase. The Panama Phase began for Outward Bound U.S.A.,filled with a variety of activities in the Bocas’ bay: Scuba certification, free dives, and bike riding;sea kayaking, snorkeling, and learning about guiding. Instructors […]
“I see that this traveling experience will bring to me greater understanding of the world in its entirety. Knowing this, I will better understand how the contacts of the world connect.” Kelly Wolf, an 11-year Girl Scout from Ohio, has quite the dedication to community service, surprisingly at the young age of 16. And most […]
What do they do with all of those skills? This “Leadership Series” hopes to answer this question for seven Leadership alumni, one each week until the next Leadership Semester course begins on April 2nd. Leadership Alumn #5: Joe Ewing Leadership Course: Fall 2008 Hometown: Castle Rock, CO University: Western State Colorado University Currently: Recently hired […]
What haven’t our current students been doing around Central America in the past 24 hours? Only four courses are out right now, yet they’ve managed to stay busy in almost every activity just within a small period of time. The Tri-Country Semester, Water & Wave Semester, OB USA, and SUNY New Paltz have covered a […]