Author: Owen Arnall

Just last Friday I was able to take a trip to the countryside to a town called Buenos Aires, Costa Rica. There are approximately 21,000 people in this city and its primary source of revenue is pineapples. The journey started after school and it was one of the longest trips I have taken so far. The first bus was taken from school and it took about an hour to get to a transfer point. After boarding the next bus I decided to take a nap. This ride took a few hours, where we met with my teacher’s parents, who then drove us another hour before arriving at their house. After approximately six hours of traveling, it was now 10pm, I was exhausted, I happily ate a small dinner and went to sleep.

The next day I woke up around 8 a.m. to eat breakfast and we went for a swim in the hotel pool hotel in “Paloatlto” then where we ate lunch. After lunch we met a man whose house is made completely from recycled items. His life is very simple and basic, there are very few electronics, no doors in his house and he had no flooring as well. This house is two stories, one main level with an interesting staircase that takes you upstairs. The entrance to his house is pretty cool. He has collected a variety of items. The staircase is made of wood and old bicycle tires.

He uses sea shells, bamboo, netting and there is an old red fishing boat peering from an upper floor of the house. There is so much to see in this house.

Once we made it back to my host’s home they taught me how to make juice from the sugar cane. My mom once brought sugar cane home from the Caribbean, but I had never seen it growing from the ground. So when I was asked to help turn sugar cane, I was excited. Turning sugar cane meant squeezing the liquid from the cane by placing it in what looked liked an old manual washing machine, with a handle on the side that you crank.

This process takes two people. One person to insert the cane while the other person turned the crank. This takes some effort, but the reward was worth it. The juice from the sugar cane was so good and sweet.

by Justin Box, Greenheart Travel high school student and scholarship winner in Costa Rica

It’s been a while since spring break, but it was so much fun that I just want to start this blog back from there. For much of the time I spent the week relaxing at home. Near the end of the break, I met a friend in San Jose who invited me to take a trip to the waterfall.

This trip took five buses and two taxi’s to arrive at the “Los Chorros” waterfall in Grecia, Costa Rica, but it was worth the trip. The last few days of Spring Break, I studied for the upcoming exams. As an exchange student, my exams are not counted towards my grade, just for the experience of testing, which takes some of the stress out of studying. I am glad that they made me take these tests and I’m also glad that the tests don’t count towards my grade. It helps me know where I stand and also lets me know that I should put more time into studying these classes. I look forward to doing that in the future.

On my birthday, my friend Derek took me to one of the most well- known places in San Marcos called “El Cerro de La Cruz.” I was told that the mountain was originally thought to be a volcano, so the people of the town put a cross on top of the mountain- the reasoning behind it I’m not entirely clear on.

The next day, Derek and I played basketball in San Pablo along with his brother. Afterwards I got home and had birthday cake with my parents. We celebrated both mine and my host father’s birthdays, because his birthday was the nineteenth. Later I went to my friend Oscar Mario’s house where we watched the two most famous Costa Rican soccer teams “La Liga” and “Suprisa” and ate pizza.

This was the most eventful and enjoyable weekend that I have had yet.

by Justin Box, Greenheart Travel High School Student in Costa Rica

I haven’t felt homesick at all since I arrived here in Costa Rica, the weather is beautiful and the people are very friendly.

I have fun hanging out with my friends, going places in the town and playing basketball. I am really looking forward to this week because it is spring break and I have already been invited to go with a group of my friends to go to an amusement park and also a waterfall. I do hope to do more this week because I don’t know when our next long break will be. So, I’m going to try to go as many places as I can this week.

by Justin Box, Greenheart Travel high school student in Costa Rica

It’s now a month into my adventure here in Costa Rica. The course load is quite different than back at home and the day start much earlier than my high school. The school day begins at 7am and ends at 3pm which is a longer day than I am used to.

I have a load of science classes; biology, chemistry, physics and psychology. And every class is in Spanish with the exception English, where I help my classmates with the lessons.

After school I play basketball for about 2 hours then go home eat dinner with my family and do my homework. I have not gone any were noteworthy, but I sure am looking forward to it in the time that I am here.

by Justin Box, Greenheart Travel scholarship winner and high school student in Costa Rica

Once I arrived in Costa Rica I was greeted very warmly by my host parents. I wasn’t expecting to be as accepted as quickly and easily as I was.

As for school, I didn’t know much about what was to be expected in my school, so I was pretty anxious and nervous. I did have a kind of awkward first few days, but by the end of the first week, I made plenty of friends. And just this weekend I spent some time with them playing and having them show me around Costa Rica.

I made some great friends in these 2 short weeks that accepted me and taught me Spanish. They were patient and explained anything I told them I didn’t understand, whether that was in or outside the classroom. They have all been very interested in me as well as me with them, wanting to know a lot about English and American culture.

I have had lots of fun in the 2 short weeks that I have been here and I look forward to learning a lot more about the culture, language and seeing more of this beautiful country.