Darting down from the trees, a primate snatched a sack lunch from one of the students on the beach. The monkey emptied the contents of the bag and climbed up the tree to eat the lunch while the students looked on in wonder. The summer of 2017 was full of new experiences for the SHS students who traveled to Costa Rica. The trip taught students more about people and culture outside of the United States.

Arriving at the airport around 4:30 a.m. for a 6:30 a.m. flight is not the ideal situation for everyone, but for sophomore Dane Latinovich, it was the beginning of the trip of a lifetime. After their flight, students and teachers arrived in San José, Costa Rica to start a nine-day-long excursion through the country. The group visited rainforests, mountains, beaches, local water parks, and discovered the mysteries of the tropics.

“(Visiting) Costa Rica really made me rethink what I wanted to pursue as a career,” Latinovich said. “I now want to work with animals for a living, ”

The wildlife was a high point for Latinovich. During the trip, he had an encounter with a raccoon that grabbed someone’s belongings and began riffling through them. Latinovich walked up to the raccoon as it threw up its hind legs and started walking towards him. However, after a few seconds, the raccoon decided this brawl wasn’t worth it and ran.

Sophomore Ethan Bridges also had a distinct memory. His was of the precarious conditions the group endured while traveling through Costa Rica. Driving could get dangerous at times as the bus had to drive inches away from cliffs. But in the end, the group always got to their destination safely.

While in another country, students had to adjust to living conditions that were much different from what they are accustomed.  Having no air conditioning at times was one of the differences that the group encountered, but that was easier to deal with as the days passed. The focus changed from inconveniences to enjoying every moment they were in the country.

“They took us up to the cloud forest,  and all you could see was clouds and trees,” Junior Abby Liddle said. “It was magical, almost like you and the people around you were the only ones there for miles.”

This unforgettable trip covered so many aspects of the country. Students toured national parks, visited volcanoes, ziplined, swam at the beach, kayaked, went on a Crocodile River tour, toured markets, hiked, and participated in a variety of activities.  On the final evening, they enjoyed a folkloric ballet and dance party.  No matter which component of the trip students liked the most, they were all in agreement. This trip was “Pura vida.”