By Marina Schubert
Monroe Times SOAR Intern
MONROE — Area students and teachers jumped into the thick of it, immersing themselves into a new environment, and going on an adventure of a lifetime.
On July 11 a group of 16 students and two teachers from Monroe High School flew out from Chicago to Guápiles, Limón Provence, Costa Rica on a two-week foreign exchange trip. Monroe High School has been doing this trip since 1995 started by former Spanish teacher Lisa Hendrickson. In 2002 the High School partnered with Liceo Experimental Bilingüe de Pococí in Guápiles, Limón, Costa Rica.
The students and teachers stayed with host families, and traveled across the county. This trip allowed the students to earn a half credit for high school. Both the students and teachers were able to immerse themselves into a different way of life in a Spanish-language culture they also got to experience a vibrant culture, crystal clear beaches, and the majestic and world-renowned Costa Rican rain forest.
To raise money for the $1,500 trip, the students worked many concessions at sporting events.
The students and teachers arrived at the Juan Santamaria airport in San Jose, Costa Rica on July. Traveling by plane was a new and fun experience for many of the students.
“The travel was very long but so very worth it at the same time. Just a lot of new stuff I got to do and explore and with some amazing people.” Allison Adrian said.
“Flying was a new experience. I enjoyed it. Everyone was nice.” EmaLee Pulver said.
Then they traveled on a bus to a school in Guápiles, and had a welcome dinner on their first night there.
The first couple of days, the students and teachers spent with their host families.
“I have led this exchange trip six times. We often go to similar places as this exchange, but this year we had more family time which was nice,” said Michelle Kister a Spanish teacher at Monroe High School. “They embraced the cultural aspects of the exchange to share their country with our students.”
The families planed trips for them. They did many things which include going to the beach, going to hot springs near volcanos, ziplining, and going to museums.
“My favorite about the whole trip has to be the food because compared to America it was a whole lot better,” Allison Adrian said
The friendly and warm-hearted locals and host families were very welcoming and understanding that the students were not fluent in Spanish. The host families would help translate when they needed help understanding or speaking to people.
“I lived with Sindy, her husband, and her two sons. They were kind, understanding, and so patient with me while I was learning Spanish. They also loved sharing their favorite foods with me, and I felt very welcome in their home,” said Carolyn Schultz, an English teacher at Monroe High School.
The students and teachers spent two days in Tortuguero, a village in Costa Rica known for the beautiful green sea turtles that lay their eggs on the beach. They also got to travel some canals on a boat to see the forest, and visit the Caribbean Sea.
In the final days the students and teachers were in Costa Rica, they got to experience many new things and go on many adventures. That include ziplining through the lush jungle and going on the aerial tram, which took them up above the tree line to see the jaw-dropping beauty of Costa Rica. Other things the students did included hiking though the forest to witness sparkling waterfalls tower above them, and to visit volcanoes that touched the clouds. On the very last day of the trip, they had planned to go to the beach, but it had rained so much that there were trees down and rivers were overflowing, so it was canceled.
They returned home to Wisconsin on July 25 with memories to share with family and friends that will last a lifetime.
“It was an amazing experience, and I can’t say enough about immersion when learning a language,” Schultz said.