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We were a little nervous about a 4:30am pickup, but our driver arrived right on time. We loaded up the van and took off for the airport. We nervously budgeted four hours for the trip, given that we'd heard it's been taking longer than in the past. It used to take only three hours. This time, it ended up taking 3.5 hours, including a stop we made for bathrooms and a quick snack.
We arrived at the airport with plenty of time before our flight. We were through security pretty quickly, and we all sought out a proper meal. Some of the restaurants took nearly an hour to produce food, so it’s a good thing we were early.
Our flight took off on time, and we arrived in Houston a bit early. Even so, it took us some time to get through customs. Those of us with Global Entry were turned down, as the entire operation was closed. We made it through, dropped our bags back off, and went through security. That's where we said goodbye to John. We grabbed some food and hopped on the plane. We're currently in the air to Dulles, slated to arrive on time.
Above you can enjoy one last photo, as taking photos is rarely on the mind of trip leaders when they are trying to get a group through a day of travel. The photo above features your leaders sporting our El Tigre shirts with Jenia, who is always a good sport.
There is one more student reflection to share, and it is below.
On our fifth day in Costa Rica, I can distinctly remember my alarm jolting me awake. With great effort, I dragged myself downstairs and collapsed onto my homestay’s dining chair. I could barely stomach a few spoonfuls of my homestay mother’s delicious egg casado before losing my appetite. Something was not right; this wasn’t just another case of morning lethargy. Suddenly, I felt an all too familiar and despairing tightness of my stomach, and I threw up.
What followed was one of the most incredible acts of kindness I have experienced - my homestay mother immediately stopped what she was doing and sat me down on her couch, asking if I was hurt. She made a cup of comforting mint tea and quickly assembled a lunch for me while she was away. Carolina, our guide, halted the entire trip just to stop by my homestay and give me some electrolytes to help my recovery. And of course, my advisor and classmates never forgot to check in and ensure I was okay. These acts, some small and some more substantial, helped me heal from my sickness and gear up for the next day.
I have since noticed that Costa Rica is full of these experiences. Every interaction here has felt welcoming, and it has made me realize just how large of an impact kindness can have on people. From the care that my homestay family has given me, to drivers allowing me to cross first or the kids at the CEC returning my misplaced water bottle, kindness had a real influence on me. It brightened my day and gave me hope. It made me think about others and my impact on them. Most importantly, it made me more willing and comfortable to spread some kindness of my own. Costa Rica has allowed me to discover a Culture of Kindness, one that I believe we should adopt in our own lives.
- Clay Hersh '29
On this final day of our trip, it's awesome that we have one more reflection to share - that of Mrs. Fischer. From the perspective of this trip leader, I can't adequately describe how great it was to have her along. She was the mom we all needed - always ready with a hand wipe, bug spray, or just good advice. I'm pretty sure Mr. Fischer was happy to have her along as well.
Wow! What a trip. I was not sure what we were in for but everything turned out better than had I hoped.
Mr. Cohen did a masterful job planning every little detail so the whole trip went off with nary a hitch.
I have done homestays before but never when I didn't speak the same language as the family. Google Translate and a sense of humor on all of our parts got us through, and we quickly fell into a comfortable groove. Their genuine kindness was heartwarming, their joy was contagious. The food was abundant and delicious, and the unlimited mangoes made me very happy. We hope to see Freddy, Denia, and their children and grandchildren next year.
Working at the Cloud Forest School gave all of us a chance to learn about the school's mission, see them in action, and do a small part to help them. I wish all schools approached education as they do--hands-on learning and exploration, being good stewards of our environment, and fostering multiculturalism and joy.
The activities were a great way to learn more about Costa Rica and to get to know the boys through fun and adventure. The Don Juan coffee and chocolate tour was my favorite (understandable since they are two of my vices?). Hiking El Tigre Waterfalls was rigorous, beautiful, and challenging. Heights are not my favorite, so those very swinging hanging bridges, as well as the zip lines on Monday, were not comfortable for me, nor some of the boys, but we conquered our trepidations and didn't let them stop us.
The boys had a great attitude the whole time. They worked without complaint, tried unfamiliar foods, embraced their host families, and jumped feet first into the activities (pun intended). I enjoyed getting to know them and hope this was as meaningful and positive of an experience for each of them, as it was for Joe and me.
Pura Vida!
- Mrs. Fischer
Recreating a trip is a fairly stressful enterprise. There's always a chance that it doesn't work in the new school like it did in the former school. While I have taken students to the CEC nine times before, I can say with confidence that this one was one of the best. We had a small group of students, but they were there for the right reasons and took the work seriously. They had fun during our excursions, they worked on their Spanish, and they supported the Costa Rican economy on Takis alone. It was a privilege getting to know some Tigers I hadn't known well at all. It was also a thrill to be joined by two of my advisees. Once I set foot on the CEC campus many years ago, I knew that it was one of the most special places I'd ever visited. There are few things that bring me more joy than handing the CEC a check that expands its scholarship fund. I'm glad I was able to take seven amazing students and two extraordinary friends with me on this tenth journey, and I sincerely hope that it will be the beginning of a long relationship between Woodberry Forest and our friends who live and work in a very different forest.
We should land in DC soon, and then some boys will be picked up while others will head to Woodberry for the night.
I think that concludes our trip and this blog. Thanks for following along if you did. We're hoping to bring another group of Woodberry boys to the CEC next March. Until then, pura vida!
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