It was an extraordinary adventure! Past Review

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Open up your view of the world physically, emotionally, mentally. spiritually, and everything in between with Costa Rica Outward Bound. I was a student on the Coast to Coast Expedition, and while the title expedition was my favorite part of the trip, every phase had strengths, weaknesses, and lessons. Surfing is a lesson in perseverance. With no surfing experience, for me the phase was just continuous wipe-outs in the exhausting waves, but I think I got somewhere toward the end.... Anyway, SCUBA diving was absolutely amazing. Sea kayaking, snorkeling, and diving in Panama were just absolutely glorious ways to experience the wonders of the Caribbean. And the hike! The hike was an ever-evolving journey as a team to traverse the width of the fabulous country of Costa Rica. I loved the roads, the people, the group development, the mountains, the food, and the satisfying pain from having walked miles and miles carrying heavily loaded packs. The organization of the trip could be frustrating at times, but it really just takes a positive attitude to get through lateness, missing gear, an absent sailboat captain, etc. As for group dynamics, you never know what you're going to get. Maybe your instructors are perfect for you and your group; maybe you clash. Maybe your group works ridiculously well together; maybe you fall apart daily. Maybe you do a bit of both. Everything about the trip is a risk worth taking. I didn't get any credit for my course because my University will not accept any.

On-site administration of your program

The program can be a little rocky in terms of organization. Our first week, orientation, was very sparsely programmed, and we mostly sat around base. Occasionally drivers or other people are not in the right places at the right times or gear isn't available when needed.

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

You get what you sign up for. I personally enjoyed sleeping on the ground under tarps, in the homes of host families or rented structures. schools, and community centers. Housing at base can be tight but is comfortable. Our dock in Panama was incredible.

Food is as good you make it. Any food made for us was always incredibly delicious. Costa Rican cooks and food are perfection. For most of the trip, however, students rotate jobs, including cocinero (cook). As the trip goes on students also plan their own menus and make shopping lists for the drivers. Most of the time we made great meals for ourselves, but every now and then the chefs had a hard time of it, myself included.

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

For the most part, I was happy with the social and cultural integration considering we weren't with locals (besides our instructors) for most of the trip. All of the program takes place in rural to very rural parts of the country, and staying in sparsely populated, agriculturally rich communities was a great way to get in touch with the roots of Costa Rica. We had plenty of opportunities to go to Costa Rican restaurants (sodas) and to learn about the culture and history in daily lessons and through interaction with locals when it happened.

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

We didn't have any terrible emergencies, which was good considering much of the program takes place in the middle of the rainforest or on an island a couple hours off the mainland. When a few of us got kind of horrible skin infections, we received great care at local clinics and hospitals. The instructors have excellent medical training for non-emergencies, and the program involves a small amount of training for the students as well. We always carried a well-equipped med bag. The only vaccine I "needed" that I hadn't gotten already was yellow fever.

You're always with your crewmates and instructors, so you're pretty much always safe. We had one interaction with a drunkenly belligerent local, but that kind of stuff happens everywhere. Just be careful where you step around landslides and look out for bullet ants, alligators, snakes, etc.

It was an amazing program, but it didn't take up my whole year, so I was able to travel elsewhere and do a bunch of other stuff abroad.

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Everything was paid for in the program tuition. All I spent money on were souvenirs.

0 = No encouragement, 5 = frequent encouragement to use the language

I had to make an effort to use my Spanish. The program was not very encouraging about it. It didn't help that others on my program didn't know any Spanish whatsoever. I was happy to have a very solid grasp of the language before going.

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• Dorm
• Other
• Host Family

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• Americans
• Host Family

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• Americans

• Hiking across the country
• SCUBA diving
• The people and food

• Organization
• Orientation
• Immersion

The Avid Adventurer