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| Journal Entries |
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 “I met so many amazing people. You could have thrown us all together and it had potential to be disastrous. But we all loved each other. The relationships formed were intense because of the time frame and also because of the people. There was so much intelligence jampacked on that bus – from Roman and Chris to just us – people with so many gifts and talents that are extraordinary. I don’t think any better people could have been found and I think God knew that. He brought us all together for a reason and it was such a destined thing.”
- Leah |
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“Back on the bus. Our trip is winding down and I am beginning to feel a little sad. I have met all of these incredible people and we all feel like a little family, but it’s coming to a close soon. We had a beautiful lunch at a restaurant along the Gulf. This was a surprise for all of us. Chris and Roman really made our day. The walk across the street at the ocean was amazing. The sand was black from the volcanoes!”
- Raynard |
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"I cant’ believe that it is our last night together with all of us actually eating dinner for one final time. It’s sort of emotional because I would hate to say goodbye to Roman & Jose and especially to Costa Rica! But I’m very thankful to have had the opportunity to experience this country and all its beauties with people who are just as enthusiastic about their jobs as they are in teaching others about all the beauties of Nature.
This trip has allowed me to expand my knowledge of things I never knew interested me (let’s just say math and science were not my strongest subjects). And now I have grown a fond love for the subject and for travel, two things that I had never sought to put in my future plans. And now I can’t think of not having them in my goals. Well, it’s almost 1am and I have only two hours left to sleep. Miami, here I come!”
- Terry |
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“I’ll never forget: the looks of childlike wonder on everyone’s faces – every day; “Blues From the Rainforest with Jerry’s “sweet @##” guitar as we roll down the mountain roads through the rainforest; "What does a vulture take with it when it flies off in migration? …Only its carrion"; open  hearts and minds; bottomless pitchers of fruit juice; gallo pinto at every breakfast; a snake “flying” out of the trees and swimming across the river; the fungus-among-us; mint chocolate chips and blue jeans; trekking through the canopy; always taking “the path least traveled (…only 65 meters to go…)”; Disney show tunes from the back of the bus; enjoying watching Roman teaching my students as if they were his own precious children – Safety First, Education Second and Fun Third;
The Fearless Arenal Canyoneers – always ready for another adventure; willingness to be totally open to new experiences, pushing personal limits and experiencing transformations; bravely confronting fears and aversions: “Leaving the country with a bunch of strangers on a plane that was just repaired in front of us to go to a foreign place full of wildlife in the forests and in our hot non-air conditioned room where we captured a giant screaming bug on the very first night out of San Jose and then hiking in the dark around poisonous snakes, stepping over poisonous frogs and swarms of biting army ants while wearing sweaty, dirty clothes for more than one day in a row after long bus rides on winding, narrow dirt roads along cliffs with thousand foot drops, then eating chicken(?) ham burgers without having a cold Pepsi - - - but it was so amazingly awesomely sweet!”; Arenal erupting every night;
watching my buddy Irene on the ziplines; drippin’ & chillin’ at La Ventana; the special bonds we all now share: biophilia and Pura Vida.“
- Chris |
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“I feel enlightened by this precious land where the trees, the air, birds, insects, everything alive is connected in a web finely woven by the beauty of life. Where this cycle flows like a river clean and smooth. Where the death of every tree births life all around its decaying corpse – so full of life. Where everything is a part of everything perfectly synchronized in a Shakespearean play orchestrated by the enchantment of the rainforest.
This is perhaps the greatest lesson I learned in this wonderland: the interconnectedness of everyone and everything all as a whole.  Everything is part of everything else, even people. We are all so interconnected and dependent on everything and everyone else. Our lives cross paths and are interlaced beautifully. The way life works like a needle sewing us all together like a blanket never seems to stop amazing me.
When I was just sitting there in the bus in front of the Monteverde Reserve and I had this realization open my eyes differently, I knew right then I had gained something very valuable. At first, I freaked out. It was so overwhelming and beautiful. I wanted to scream and tell everyone, but I was frozen, too astounded to even move. Fortunate to have something so incredible happen to me. And that’s when I knew this journal would be dedicated to the interconnectedness of life and its beauty.
I gathered everyone’s handprint to illustrate how our lives are intertwined and cross paths. And how useless one single person is without the rest. …I am in awe. We live in a beautiful world. And it takes so little to appreciate it. Keeping it simple is underestimated. This class is by far the best class I have ever taken. It’s taught me more than my classroom ever could have.
- Sefora |
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“This has been such a life-altering event that has been a marking point and determining factor on my goals, dreams and career. This adventure through beautiful Costa Rica has left me with an intrinsic satisfaction that has been embedded into my soul, heart and mind forever. The knowledge I have received from my mentor, inspiration, role model, fellow classmates, friends and Mother  Earth has left me with the motivation, encouragement and desire to be the best possible educator as possible.
Not only will I teach the basic skills but I will introduce and encourage students to engage themselves in saving our Earth one step at a time and instill the fact that each and every one of them can make a difference. Change is our only constant and this change needs to be headed on the proper path - a path to a sustainable environment.
I feel so honored and privileged to have been chosen for such an inspiring event that I will NEVER forget. Much appreciation goes to MDC for funding it and to the other students that applied with great enthusiasm and interest…I know there is no better feeling for a teacher to know he or she has touched the lives of young adults and had a positive impact. You have lead me to believe that dreams do come true and no matter the obstacle, there is always a solution. “
- Nicolette |
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