‘Unpacking’ the trip to Costa Rica takes some time
A debriefing seems necessary after a nine-day trip to Costa Rica with a STEMCivics Charter School entourage of seven students, one teen chaperone school graduate, and founder Leigh Byron.
The group spent Feb. 5-13 at El Buho Okhy Elementary School in Santa Cruz when they installed a septic tank, painted bathrooms, put in several new toilets and interacted with students.
So, here’s a hodgepodge of events, photos and thoughts about this magical trip with interesting students, plus, some insights that include interactions with Squads Abroad ambassadors. The ideas appear in no specific order of interest or importance.
What’s Squads Abroad? It’s a volunteer organization overseen by Cross Cultural Solutions. High school students and chaperones visit countries in need of support and then spend about a week working at a selected school. In the STEMCivics case, representatives engaged students at Buho Okhy.
Students worked about four hours per day then engaged in other activities with a goal to experience the cultural aspects of life in and around Santa Cruz as well as Costa Rica.
Franklin Torrez Ruiz could have stopped U.S. welfare: Well, sort of. Torrez handles the Costa Rica operation for Squads Abroad. He offered instructions before we visited Buho Okhy.
“We have a policy that prohibits giving money to clients. We don’t want them to expect to get something for nothing. Don’t want to create that kind of culture,” Torrez instructed.
Wow, if only Torrez had been around before U.S. officials started passing out all this free stuff. Don’t hate the welfare players, hate the game. Too late now, culture’s been created. Hard to put the genie back in the bottle.
How do you say scorpion in Spanish? Never mind. Just scream. Experienced something that billions of people have never or will never when a scorpion inside the shower during our stay at the Squads Abroad cottages, beautiful new accommodations built about one mile from Buho Okhy.
Mind you, these one nozzle showers are huge which left a lot of space between my body and the arachnid shower buddy although my spider senses tingled. Doused the small sucker with water. Covered it with a paper cup then slipped a laminated piece of paper in between the shower floor and cup. Voila! L.A. Parker: Scorpion hunter.
They went coast-tocoast in Costa Rica: The parents of students Melonie Chaves, Julio Grullon and Alexis Perez should be proud. These students carried the STEMCivics banner as participants in every activity offered from the moment United Airlines Flight 1442 touched down in Liberia.
Whatever appeared on the menu or manifest, Chaves, Grullon, and Perez were active participants. Wonderful to see students take advantage of this incredible opportunity to work, learn and play abroad. Bravo.
If they exhibit similar energy and initiative in their education and life pursuits, all skies above any UA flight will be available. There’s no limit to what they can achieve as senior decisions await them next year. These STEMCivics students made their mark.
The STEMCivics group included school Founder Leigh Byron, Ajia Mackins (Class of 2018 chaperone), Shanya Mcdonald, Ashanti Knox, Z’Emani Dixon, and Stephen Peprah.
Another debriefing scheduled for Wednesday and a final one on Friday.