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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (April 24, 2015)
OPINION 4A THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, APRIL 24, 2015 Experiencing Costa Rica This isn’t textbook learning AHS student tells of trip to Costa Rica. By RACHEL LERTORA For The Daily Astorian F or high school students, spring break usually means a week free from teachers, classes and learning. However, that was not the case for me and eight other Astoria High School and 10 Seaside High School students this spring. Personally, I had been counting down to spring break 2015 all year. The nine-day trip was organized by Garret Parks, Beth Cornell and Lee Cain of Astoria High School and Anne Lynes of Seaside High. In total, the group of 31 was made up of students, teachers, moms and in-laws, all eager to experience Costa Rica through the country’s beautiful land- VFDSHÀDYRUVDQGSHRSOH Even before the plane landed in San Jose on March 19, amazing sights of the Costa Rican landscape were visible as we ÀHZ RYHU WKH 3DFL¿F 2FHDQ &DULEEHDQ Sea and volcanoes. Beginning our trip on the Caribbean side in Tortuguero, we explored the shores RIWKHWXUWOHEHDFKHV2QWKHIRXUWKGD\ we kayaked on Lake Arenal at the foot of volcanoes. We also witnessed incredible views of Monteverde while zip-lining hundreds of feet in the air across canyons a quarter-mile wide. We even concluded our trip the last day by whitewater raft- ing 7 miles of Class 3 and 4 rapids on the Sarapiqui River. In addition to these bucket-list experiences, when it comes to experiencing the landscape of Costa Rica, my favorite activity was horseback riding. Going where no tourist would think a tour bus should drive, we arrived at a small farm on Day 5 and hitched a ride through the Costa Rican countryside. We rode by horseback for an hour to the bottom of a canyon with natural hot springs. As some of us dipped our feet in the springs, others photographed water spiders the size of an out-stretched hand. As the sun started to set, we gathered our EHORQJLQJV)LUHÀLHVÀLFNHUHGLQWKHWUHHV DQGVWDUV¿OOHGWKHVN\%\WKHWLPHWKH horses returned, the sun had set. Riding out of a Costa Rican canyon by moon- light is truly an once-in-a-lifetime expe- rience that I will treasure forever. As the PHPRULHVRI¿UHÀLHVÀLFNHUDWWKHFRUQHUV of my eyes, cravings for Costa Rican cui- sine make my mouth water. Tasty food hile in Costa Rica, a large por- tion of my souvenir money was spent on food, despite the fact that the tour included three meals a day featur- ing Costa Rican staples. Typical Costa Rican meals include rice and beans (served as one dish at breakfast, gallo pinto, and separately at lunch and din- ner, casado), plantains (served fried, baked, glazed and delicious any way), IUHVKIUXLWSHUIHFWO\ULSHDQG¿VKEHHI or chicken. Although the same main ingredients were often used, no two meals were alike. You would be amazed by the endless number of ways that rice, beans, plantains and meat can be transformed. However, my favorite meals were the ones unique to Costa Rica and foreign to me. W RACHEL LERTORA — For The Daily Astorian This collage highlights the spring break trip to Costa Rica that students from Astoria and Seaside high schools participated in. W riter’s N otebook NHAKIRA LAPOINTE — For The Daily Astorian Astoria High School senior Rachel Lerto- ra, center, poses with new school friends in Coast Rica. My favorite kind of food is new food. Thankfully, when in a foreign country, QHZIRRGLVQRWKDUGWR¿QGHVSHFLDOO\ when following a Spanish teacher who’s DQH[SHUWDWVQLI¿QJRXWORFDOIRRGDQ\- ZKHUHWKHEXVVWRSV2XWRIDOOWKHPHDOV I ate, my favorite dishes were lengua (beef tongue), pork chop glazed in a pas- sion fruit and, most of all, kebab tacos found in La Fortuna, my favorite Costa Rican town. 2QDVLGHVWUHHWRI/D)RUWXQDZDVD tent canopy with a barbeque, ice chest and a couple of chairs underneath. The simple set-up was a sign of authenticity ers. While visiting after introductions, to Mr. Parks and sparked my curiosity. I gave them friendship bracelets I made A couple was grilling chicken and pork beforehand. Actions spoke louder than NHEDEVPDULQDWHGLQDPHORG\RIÀDYRUV words when one young girl gave me a unique to that very canopy tent. We both gel pen. I was there to give, not receive. purchased a kebab for only 1,000 colo- Surely this scenario had not been out- nies ($1.89) each. They were wrapped lined in a textbook. Therefore, I had no in corn tortillas, topped with spicy ba- automatic reply memorized. Tongue-tied, I replied with a smile nana salsa and served and simple “gracias” on napkins. Food does New food is hoping she knew how not have to come from not hard to find thankful I was despite D¿YHVWDUUHVWDXUDQWRU not having the vocabu- EHVHUYHGRQ¿QHFKLQD when following lary to say so. As we all to be amazing. With a Spanish gathered outside to play QR ¿YH VWDU UHYLHZ RU teacher who’s soccer with a brand porcelain in sight, this new ball gifted by Mr. was the best way I an expert at Cain, I realized even VSHQW૿WKHHQWLUH sniffing out more how blessed I am trip. The kebabs were local food. to have experienced so so good that Mr. Parks many lifetime memo- and I circled the pla- za twice to buy seconds, our hands still ries with peers, teachers and new friends GULSSLQJ IURP RXU ¿UVW 7KDW HYHQLQJ that I will remember forever. In Costa Rica, I experienced much friends had been made under a canopy tent and the next day more friends were more than I can summarize in 1,000 words. Experiencing Costa Rica through to be made at a local school. WKHODQGVFDSHÀDYRUVDQGSHRSOHRSHQHG Language challenge eal learning happens when skills in- my eyes, mind and heart to the beauty troduced in textbooks are put to the of an amazing county. While I hope to test outside of classrooms. While visiting return to Costa Rica, I have also been a very small school of only 10 students, I inspired to experience other parts of the put my four years of high school Spanish world on my own as I graduate Astoria to work. When we arrived, each student High School in a few short weeks. Hasta shared their future aspirations to become próxima vez, Costa Rica, ¡pura vida! Rachel Lertora is a senior at Astoria policemen, movie directors, teachers, art- ists, soccer players and clothing design- High School. R JOSE COCOZZA — For The Daily Astorian JOSE COCOZZA — For The Daily Astorian Astoria and Seaside students kayak on Lake Arenal in Costa Rica on a spring break trip. T HE Astoria and Seaside students and chaperones pose near a waterfall in Costa Rica during spring break. D AILY A STORIAN Founded in 1873 STEPHEN A. FORRESTER, Editor & Publisher • LAURA SELLERS, Managing Editor BETTY SMITH, Advertising Manager • CARL EARL, Systems Manager JOHN D. BRUIJN, Production Manager • DEBRA BLOOM, Business Manager SAMANTHA MCLAREN, Circulation Manager