During the 2012 Winter Term (January 3-19), Dr. Arcea Zapata de Aston taught a travel class called Language, Culture and Diversity in Costa Rica. Three students took the class and kept a journal for the KWC blog. If you missed any entries, you can go to the aggregate page for a full account of the trip. You can also see a full photo gallery from the trip online (click “recent albums” to see day-by-day photos).

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Day 4

Collin: We walked and walked and walked, endlessly it seemed, but the rewards were great. We saw two birds nested on a branch, a very rare bird from the order of turkeys, many vultures and quite a few insects. Also, we went down by the river and Emmanuel, always with his surprises, showed us how to make “collectibles” from paw prints in the sand. He took flour and water and mixed it together. Then, he placed the mixture on top of the paw print. Later, as it hardened, it took the form of the print, so we were able to see very closely the prints of the certain animal in the region.

Making prints by the river.

Katie: Unbeknownst to us we had spent four hours hiking! I never imagined I could lose track of time so easily, but we quickly got lost in the beauty of the surroundings. As we hiked back towards Tirimbina, something small caught my eye – a tiny movement, which could have merely been a leaf blown off the trail by Emmanuel’s foot. I stopped and stared. No bigger than the size of a quarter, a brown frog had leaped onto a curled brown leaf. ACCOMPLISHMENT! I spotted a tiny frog. *brownie points*

Katie's small brown frog on a leaf -- look closely!

Collin: After our long walk and before dinner, I spent about an hour sitting outside on our porch watching the birds. I saw, and heard, a large amount of Montezuma Oropendolas, a few Golden-hooded Tanagers and another black-throated Trogon. It was so awesome it left me speechless. Sitting on your back porch and watching beautiful birds with a cool breeze is paradise.

Life is good on the back porch.

Alex: Everyday now I see myself thinking more and more about how much importance nature has and how big of a role it plays in the formation of the world. I think that we as Americans – and as humans – need to be more aware and respect our ecosystem a bit more than we do at the moment.

Bonus photo: Headed into the rainforest at night!

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During the 2012 Winter Term (January 3-19), Dr. Arcea Zapata de Aston taught a travel class called Language, Culture and Diversity in Costa Rica. Three students took the class and kept a journal for the KWC blog. If you missed any entries, you can go to the aggregate page for a full account of the trip. You can also see a full photo gallery from the trip online (click “recent albums” to see day-by-day photos).

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Day 3

Tirimbina Lodge and Biological Reserve

Alex:  Today we moved hotels once again to the Tirimbina Lodge and Biological Reserve. This hotel is inside of the rain forest. There are even more plants and animals than at Hotel Robledal. When we arrived, we got to walk in the rain forest and explore. We got to see birds, porcupines, monkeys, bats, and many different insects. We also got to walk across a suspended hanging bridge.

Katie: TODAY I FACED A FEAR! Not going to lie, when I heard the words “rope bridge” two days ago, I thought they were kidding. Well, turns out I was the one who was wrong. Right after arriving at our second hotel of the trip, Hotel Tirimbina, we dropped off our suitcases and headed out the door.

Hanging Bridge

What did I come face to face with at the head of the trail? A “hanging bridge” – actually, it was made out of nothing but twisted metal wire and rusted laced metal sheets. I decided that I had to go. I had to try, if not for the class and opportunity to retell my experience, then for me, so that I can say that I, Katherine Elizabeth Scheck, walked high above trees and a rushing river.

Collin: Halfway across the bridge, I offered to have us all walk together, and I thought she was going to rip my bicep out, she was holding on so hard. Today I saw that fear is a very real thing, and it is something to be dealt with because you can’t just “get over it.”

The hanging bridge from below ...

Katie: Tomorrow holds in store more adventures in the beautiful escape that is Costa Rica. Buenas noches!

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During the 2012 Winter Term (January 3-19), Dr. Ken Ayers is teaching a travel class in the Virgin Islands called Leadership Through Sailing. Five students are taking the class and are sending updates and photos for the KWC blog. If you missed any entries, you can also read their adventures from the beginning.

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What We Learned

John Bell: I feel very blessed and appreciative that I embraced this opportunity to take this trip of leadership and teamwork. During this week, I was amazed on how well my leadership skills have sharpened, and how amazing it was to get to know the crew, who will be close friends for the rest of my life! The skills of leadership and teamwork that I learned from this trip has given me the confidence and determination to excel in everything that I do from here on out!

Jordan Gary: This was an amazing opportunity that I am so grateful for. God has blessed my life in ways that words can’t describe. To see another one of God’s amazing creations was such a blessing. Throughout this trip I have seen my leadership skills tested, and in my opinion I rose to each and every challenge. Taking the helm taught me to be in charge, check on everything, make sure the sails are right and be responsible for the crew all at the same time. It was a great character-building experience. This was a great time and I’m really glad I did took advantage of such a rare opportunity.

Jayden Morrison: This week helped me grow as a person. My confidence grew with every day and every task handed to me. I feel like after being on this trip there’s really nothing I can’t do. I’ve hoisted sails, taken the helm, tacked and swum with some crazy creatures. But I think most importantly, the bonds I made on this trip are truly amazing. Each one of these people helped me grow more than I can say, taught me things about myself and helped me realize my full potential. For this I am truly grateful.

Maggie Johansen: This week was unreal. I am so grateful I was able to take advantage of this opportunity. I grew so much as an individual and got to watch my other classmates grow as well. I have done things on this trip that I never thought I would ever do. I learned so much about myself and gained so much confidence during this journey. I learned to never doubt my abilities and to take charge when I need to. I wish every college kid would take this trip to understand the growth I had as an individual and how we grew so close as a team.

Tatum McMahon: I had the time of my life this week. I have learned so much regarding initiative and leadership. After the last seven days, I can say that I am comfortable being a leader. Before, I was unsure of myself and always let others take the lead. This is an impeccably important quality to life and because of this trip I am more confident in my work ethic and more comfortable in my decisions.

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During the 2012 Winter Term (January 3-19), Dr. Ken Ayers is teaching a travel class in the Virgin Islands called Leadership Through Sailing. Five students are taking the class and are sending updates and photos for the KWC blog. If you missed any entries, you can also read their adventures from the beginning.

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Day 7 started moored off Norman Island, where we had a nice southern breakfast of bacon, eggs and English muffins. We quickly set sail for open waters towards the straits between the British and U.S. Virgin Islands. To our left was the U.S. island of St. John, and to our right was the British Island of Tortola. Also, at one point we passed the most southeastern portion of the United States — Flanigans Island.

As we pushed through the straights, we all took turns operating the boat as the helmsman, maneuvering the boat within 1,000 yards of shore. About mid-morning we finished a complete circle of our adventure sailing the seas as the pirates did.

After sailing with only the power of the never-ending winds, we approached the lost city of Cruz Bay, a place which Captain Ayers said seems to be lost in the 1960′s because of the hippies and the “peace & love” feel of the era.

After lunch, we checked-in to the U.S. side of customs. We all successfully got back into the U.S., after which Captain Ayers gave us a two-hour liberty to explore the lost city. We enjoyed smoothies, explored shops and walked along the beach shore where the waters were as clear as crystal.

We headed back to the boat, lifted anchor from the ocean floor and set sail through the treacherous shipping channel of ferry boats, sailboats and water taxis that fly at nearly top speed to get from St.Thomas to St.John. The leadership skills we embraced and learned throughout this week allowed us to navigate the treacherous channel with precision and mastery skill.

Once we reach the east end of St. Thomas, we sailed under the jib towards our last destination of Buck Island. We quickly got our snorkel gear on for the last time and jumped into the bay and explored the calm waters with beautiful fish and even a sunken ship. This snorkel was exceptionally special due the bonding of friendships we created and the epic teamwork we kindled. We all handled a white sea urchin, as it gripped and tickled our hands, and dove down to touch the Christmas tree worm in which it disappears quickly when you touch it (kind of like a “touch-me-not” plant).

We returned to the boat to eat our last dinner made by Chef Ayers — grilled pork-chops, greens, sweet potatoes and blueberry muffins. As he prepared dinner, we watched as a close family an emotional picture slide show with music of our entire adventure in Virgin Islands. Once we laughed and reminisced about the trip, we finished our top-notch dinner.

Next time: what we all took from the week …

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During the 2012 Winter Term (January 3-19), Dr. Ken Ayers is teaching a travel class in the Virgin Islands called Leadership Through Sailing. Five students are taking the class and are sending updates and photos for the KWC blog. If you missed any entries, you can also read their adventures from the beginning.

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Clunk … Clunk … Clunk … As the generator abruptly comes to a screeching seizure of operation at o-dark-thirty (4:30 a.m.), Captain Ayers and the boys jumped into action to see why the boat had become exhaustingly hot and uncomfortable (the girls remained in bed…unbothered). Captain Ayers coached John to grab the flashlight to look over the stern of the boat to see if we were extracting water from the generator; as the Captain suspected, a propeller was broken inside the generator. The Captain told the crew to turn on our fans to stay cool, go back to bed and we would fix it in the morning.

After the generator problem was solved, we headed east to the Sir Francis Drake Channel. Under sail we traveled a total of 22 nautical miles. The Captain allowed each of the crew to take the helm (the driver’s seat). Once you take control of the helm, everybody’s life is in your hands! Your decisions at the helm must be quick and logical.

While we took turns at the helm, Captain taught us many lessons, from being able to read the wind to holding our heading. When the wind is at 90 degrees to your beam (directly at your side), that is the fastest point in sailing.

We learned a lesson in life today — if we had taken the easy heading at 090 degrees, we would have sailed back and forth and never made headway. This is much like many in life who go to and through, but never get anywhere. As they grow old they realize they are as they have always been and have never received from life what they were capable of achieving. We learned we must take a heading that, at the end of the day, will get us to our destination.

Once arriving at the Indians snorkel area, we swam with hundreds of fish around the protruding rocks. It was definitely one of the better snorkel adventures we have experienced. We swam to the three gigantic, dark and spooky caves. Adventures like these have transformed us into pros at self-timed photos with our waterproof digital camera. Thankfully none of us were attacked by the ravenous sea urchins and barracudas.

We celebrated our snorkel with a delicious dinner of salmon, cheese grits, cornbread and cole slaw, finished off with the best key lime pie we have ever tasted. Captain Ayers is definitely a top-notch chef. After dishes were cleaned up, we began our lesson on tying knots. We watched the captain’s demonstration and tried our hardest to do exactly what he had done.

Tonight we are at the far southern end of the British Virgin islands at Norman Island. Tomorrow we head back to the US. We will finish off the night with a little bit of a jam session, which includes blasting our music and dancing the night away. We will hit the hay with our eyes on the prize — another twenty miles!

Goodnight!

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