30
| on the mountain winter 2013-2014
COSTA
RICA
Beyond the Classroom
O
N FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22,
as all of their classmates were preparing to leave
the mountain for the Thanksgiving break, 14 SKS students and two teachers
(
Ms. Casey and I) boarded a bus to JFK to start our day-long journey to Costa
Rica. After a short layover in Mexico City we arrived in San Jose in the middle of the night, got
a few hours of sleep and started our nine-day adventure.
First stop, a climb up the Poás volcano with renowned volcanologist Don Ronaldo.
After descending from the volcano, off to Escazú to meet and dance with mask-maker
Don Gerardo. At 6 a.m. the next morning the adventure truly began as we travelled by bus
from San Jose to the semi-autonomous Bri Bri (indigenous tribe) region of Costa Rica/
Panama. We arrived in the village of Bambu, boarded 20-foot-long dugout canoes and off we
went up the Yorkin River. After one and a half hours we arrived in the Bri Bri village of Yorkin,
where we would spend the next four days.
The days in Yorkin were long (6 a.m. to 10 p.m.) but full of excitement, service, learning and
1.
Breakfast stop in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca,
Costa Rica after emerging from the rain forest.
2.
Three classroom buildings rebuilt and
repaired by SKS students.
3.
Bunches of fresh
bananas and plantains for sale along the
highway. Delicious!
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PHOTOS AND STORY BY
TARAS FERENCEVYCH
