We have official word from the travel agency that the Summex quote in the next post will hold until Dec. 10 if you register online. Please contact Liz Palmer with questions at liz.palmer@manualcma.com.
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If you’re interested in going to Summex 2012: China, the travel agent will still accept new enrollees for a limited time (that is yet unknown to us!). We have 21 enrollees but are excited to welcome more!
Here is the most up-to-date price information from the travel company. Please keep in mind the additional $50-200 Manual fees for equipment, DVD production, workshop training, t-shirt, and other miscellaneous expenses (rate depends on level of experience – see Ms. Palmer).
CHINA QUOTE – GOOD UNTIL DEC. 1
Please contact Ms. Palmer at liz.palmer@manualcma.com if you’re interested in enrolling, as she will need a written recommendation from a teacher or an email address/phone number of a teacher to contact. (Recommendations are not necessary for prior participants or CMA students.) After that, you can register through this link. Just click “Register Now.”
An amazing experience is about to happen, and you can be part of it!
Summex will journey to China in 2012 to traverse the Great Wall, sample dim sum and take a rickety ride on a rickshaw. Participants will train in digital SLR photography, videography, or travel writing (or any combination of the above) in workshops with the duPont Manual High School’s Communications/Media Arts program media advisers, then train on the go while experiencing the sights and sounds of China. Each participating family will receive the culminating multimedia DVD featuring the work of the entire group – an impressive addition to college resumés and fodder for discussion at family gatherings.
Embedded into our unique journey are authentic experiences with Chinese citizens (such as visiting local schools) and service opportunities, such as volunteering with a local orphanage.
Click here for more information about the trip, the duPont Manual workshop, and the goals of Summex.
Click here for our tentative travel itinerary. (We plan to add in several service opportunities once our group is established, based on the traveling students’ areas of interest.)
Click here for the registration booklet from ACIS. The registration form is on the LAST page – print and bring to Ms. Palmer in room 251 (or mail to Liz Palmer/Summex, duPont Manual High School, 120 W. Lee St., Louisville, KY 40208). When you register, please bring a check for $195 made out to ACIS.
Here is a Powerpoint (converted to PDF) used at the parent meeting.
IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO SIGN UP! Oct. 12 is the enrollment deadline – application and check must be handed to Ms. Palmer by that date.
Looking down from the small window of the plane we could see the green mountains enveloped in clouds, the small plantations, and the humble homes covering the land. Our minds were filled with images of tropical rain forests, sandy beaches, and happy people- and we couldn’t wait. However, our first steps out of the airport were greeted with a busy street, the smell of exhaust, and crowds of people speaking a language that none of us could completely understand. Where was pura vida? We had to find it. But how do we find something that we know nothing about or have no idea where to look? Thankfully, over the past 10 days, pura vida would find us just as easily as we found amazing food, interesting people, beautiful scenery, and an trip that none of us would ever forget.
Though our first hours with pura vida weren’t what we were expecting- with the busy mall, fast food, urban decay, and potato salad and spaghetti for dinner- we soon found we were just looking in the wrong place. Once we got out of the city, pura vida was all around us. It was in our coconut curry chicken served in half a pineapple, It was in the ox carts we found on the side of the road, it was on the zip lines across the rain forest canopy, it was in the faces of the children that we visited at their school, it was in our enthusiastic tour guide Antonio, it was in the black sand of the volcanic beaches, it was in the monkeys stealing our food, and it was in the class 3 rapids of the Sarapiqui River. Pura vida was all around us.
Finding pura vida was a group effort. Sixteen people from different schools and of different ages dropped 148 feet on a Tarzan swing, kayaked on the Arenal river, braved riding on a stick shift bus up winding hills, stayed up late murdering each other in Mafia, starting the limbo in the Tree House Cafe, survived mysterious pee on a hotel bed, and sang the bear song in a lake. Through all the adrenaline rushes, moments of tired impatience, awe-inspiring views, and bumps along the way, we returned home with a new found sense of pura vida – “pure life.” All of those amazing meals, interesting people, and beautiful landscapes along the way gave each of us a small gift- the gift of pura vida. I will say, with completely sincerity, that each of us will be eternally grateful for that gift that none of us could ever forget. Thank you, pura vida. Thank you, Costa Rica, and thank you to our wonderful tour guide, Antonio. Sincerely, all of the members of Summex 2011.
Today was the last full day in Costa Rica and it’s Kaitlyn and Julian to tell you all about it. We woke up this morning bright and early to eat a breakfast of eggs, pancakes, sausages, toast and cereal at the Hotel Villa Tournon. After breakfast we piled into our new bus to begin the two hour journey to the Sarapiqui River. The air conditioning on our last bus broke, so it was replaced, leaving us with a slightly smaller model. Everyone tries to make up for lost sleep on the bus rides, so they never seem to last as long as they really are.
The entire EF Tours group, posing just before entering the Sarapiqui River on inflated rafts.
We reached the river in no time at all and were immediately greeted by a slightly puzzling sight: a red headed, freckled woman that spoke fluent Spanish. She was the first American-looking person we had seen that worked at a tourist destination and knew how to speak Spanish. She explained the rules of rafting to us and opened the floor to any questions we might have, so, naturally we asked about what brought her to Costa Rica. She said she was originally from Pittsburgh and came to Costa Rica for the first time on vacation. She fell in love with the country and moved back and has now been there on and off for four years as a raft instructor.
She gave us safety waivers to sign, which always means an activity is going to be fun, and we headed back into the bus for a short ride to the part of the river where the rafts were waiting for us. Once we were down by the rafts, we were each fitted with a life jacket and helmet and equipped with a paddle. When everyone had all of their equipment, we gathered around for a group photo that could be purchased at the end of the trip. We were divided into groups of six and assigned a raft complete with a guide. Kaitlyn shared a raft with Jared, Miranda, A.C. and two people not with Manual named Hunter and Jennifer, who were a grandmother/grandson pair who travelled on the same bus as us and shared the same hotel.
One raft is swamped with water as it plunges down the Sarapiqui River.
Our guide was very nice and talked to us about his life and taught us Spanish words while he also kept everyone safely inside the raft, uninjured. The river had class two and three rapids on a scale that goes to six, so it was pretty tame, but also very exciting at times. Every raft was in an unofficial race to the finish line, so every chance we got, paddles were not used just for paddling, but also for splashing people in the other rafts. There were also two safety kayaks that stayed with us just in case someone fell out of their raft and needed help. The guys in the kayaks would do tricks to amuse all of us when we weren’t in rapids. They would spin around and flip their kayaks around like they were doing underwater somersaults.
We stopped halfway through the river for a snack break of fresh pineapple and watermelon. When we were done eating, we disposed of the rinds by skipping them across the river like rocks before we piled back into our rafts and finished the tour. We went back to the hotel and got ready for our last dinner out before we headed home. We ate at a restaurant recommended to us by our tour guide called Lukas. The food was good, but the company was better. Our last night out was definitely a good way to wrap up a great trip.
Like this:
A.C. captured a quick group photo in front of a giant, traditionally-painted oxcart wheel.
Katie and Kate back once again reporting from scenic San Jose, Costa Rica. Today, after relishing in the opportunity to sleep in for the first time since we started, we boarded our new bus (with working air conditioning – hallelujah!) for a grueling five hour bus ride back to San Jose, the origin of the trip. To break up the monotony, we stopped halfway for a shopping/lunch break in Sarchi. While some roamed the streets purchasing ice cream and other local delights from makeshift corner stores, others chose to see various landmarks such as churches and The World’s Largest Ox Cart (painted in traditional vivid colors).
Having finally arrived in San Jose, we all were able to relax in our rooms for a mere hour before we loaded the buses once again for an elaborate, authentic Costa Rican dinner and dance extravaganza. Having wiped the grime off from previous days of adventuring, the group assembled in the hotel lobby looking quite classy: the girls in floral, ruffled dresses purchased in local stores and the boys in button-up shirts and slacks.
San Jose city lights captured by Seth.
Sitting down to a buffet-style dinner featuring rich local cuisine (plantains, rice & beans, beef in tomato sauce) in front of a breathtaking backdrop of San Jose’s city lights far below us in the valley, we gorged ourselves until we could no longer waddle back to the buffet line.
After dinner, the dancing began with a flourish of bright skirts and handkerchiefs and the audience was engrossed by the gyrating performers. Cassie, Seth, and Katie were brought on stage and held their own during solos in the middle of the dance circle.
Cassie was chosen to dance with a performer while Ms. Palmer snapped the photo.
(Katie here, I had a great time getting up to dance with the performers. I was definitely intimidated by their skills but I tried my best to keep up with the other dancers.)
As the performance came to a close, the students took the stage whooping and swaying to the beat of the Macarena. It was the perfect way to end a day of lounging on the bus by using our bottled-up energy to bust some moves on the dance floor.
We’re looking forward to whitewater rafting tomorrow on the last day of our journey with our excellent guide Antonio and our new friend Helmetcam.
Hello all! It’s Morgan and Hannah here, again. Time has flown by. We can’t believe our trip is about to come to an end but the pictures, videos, and writing will always remind us every great moment we have had while in Costa Rica.
After they stole our food, this mother and her child scurried away through the branches, but not before Seth snapped their portrait.
Yesterday, June 29th, we all had a wonderful time at the beach. We grabbed our packed lunches and took a 45-minute bus ride to paradise. The white sand, black rocks, and huge waves made the beach look like something from a postcard. Although we were disappointed to not see any monkeys on our 30-minute walk to the beach, within an hour all of our belongings were being sniffed and touched by monkeys! Jared Williams was the first to spot them and caused the entire beach crowd to gather around the trees. Everyone got within arm’s reach of the monkeys. We even saw a baby monkey perched on the back of its mother! No one was too sure on why he kept sticking his tongue out but it was great for our photos.
The excitement of the monkeys died down when raccoons were spotted sneaking around our towels and box lunches. Mr. Miller named them Rabies and Scabies. While they didn’t cause any harm to us, they did steal a few of our lunches. Even so, we didn’t let that get in the way of our fun. After playing in the water for a while we al gathered in a circle to play our new favorite game called “Mafia.” It’s a game to test our lying abilities and we have to say that some of us are creepily good at it.
Morgan, Kate, Katie, Christina, Cassie and Kaitlyn concentrate during the Mafia game.
After a few rounds of Mafia and a ton of laughs we had to head back to our bus. During our long walk we heard the screeches of howler monkeys and we got drenched by the usual Costa Rican afternoon rain – even through our raincoats.
Sometimes driving in the bus can be annoying but most of the time it provides some nice time to enjoy all that we have been doing. Also the scenery and the people we get to view on the bus rides are just as beautiful and kind from looking out of a window. “Everyone waves to us here. They are all so friendly,” said Ms. Palmer.
Jared and Miranda took a break from dinner to capture the electrical storm visible from the restaurant's patio.
When we got back to our hotel we were hoping to go out to see the town but once the rain started pouring and bolts of lightning lit up the sky and ocean, we had to cancel our plans to go to town. But the beautiful scene of the ocean and the storm from our comfortable dinner deck made up for our shopping loss.
Close encounters on a beautiful beach on the coast of western Costa Rica.
This is Andy and Seth blogging today (despite the constant threat of chafing for Seth and the other danger of giant versions of common American insects).
After waking up at six in the morning, knowing we only had an hour to get on the bus and away from our ill-functioning hotel room, we were excited to be heading to a new destination. Our two-hour bus ride winding through the mountains to the lowlands was tiresome, but accompanied by verdant landscapes and breathtaking views.
To break up the monotony, allow us to stretch our legs, and refuel the bus at roughly five dollars a gallon, we stopped halfway through our morning drive. At POPS, a Central American ice cream chain, Andy got a chocolate milkshake for 2000 colones, which was very tasty. They used actual ice cream, syrup, and milk, as opposed to simply pouring it from a machine. Seth got an ice cream cone which he said “tasted like birthday cake ice cream, but not artificial. A legit birthday cake with exotic nuts. Like I had a Central American mother who baked me a cake and put it in a blender, then turned it into ice cream.”
Adjacent to POPS was a souvenir shop which sold a variety of handmade chotchkes such as decorative wooden carvings of cats and roosters. There was a beautiful life-size carving of an octopus that cost $900. Seth bought a couple of carved cats for his mom and a friend.
A photo from Jared showing Santiago feeding a crocodile raw chicken after carefully stepping onto the crocodiles territory.
After our pit stop we resumed our ride to a crocodile safari area and were excited when we finally arrived. According to our EF tour guide, Antonio, many of the crocs had been tagged and moved to different locations in order to protect the locals, but the crocodiles had gone back to where they originally were from within a couple months. We saw a variety of birds and many crocodiles of all sizes. Some of the various ones we saw had been given names by the guides, such as Tyson and Osama bin Laden. There were lots of large crocs that swam right next to the boat, making great photo and video opportunities. Our tour boat’s captain, Santiago, even made some of them do tricks by feeding them raw chicken.
Following that, we made our way to the hotel, which everyone was very impressed with. We ate lunch almost immediately after our arrival, and were very pleased with the food that far surpassed any of the previous hotels. The hotel rests on a black sand beach, with clear waters and strong riptides that prevented us from swimming. This did not prevent them from having fun on the beach. Most of the girls set out their beach towels as far as they could from the waters and tanned.
Seth took pictures of Julian and Christina, with the theme of them being stranded lovers on an island. He used a lot of driftwood and pools on the beach as locations for his shots. Julian attempted to get coconuts, and tried several different trees and techniques to get the coconuts down from the palms. They met a man from Florida, and Julian attempted to climb on the man’s shoulders in order to get the coconuts. When this was unsuccessful, the man climbed up and got the coconuts from the tree himself. Jared and Miranda made a makeshift shelter out of bamboo and palm leaves on the beach as well.
Miranda captured an indigenous Costa Rican bird resting upon a rock.
Soon after that, dinner began. It was a buffet-style dinner in which traditional Costa Rican food was served, such as rice, beans, and fish, in addition to some not-so-traditional dishes like penne pasta. We learned that pasta was introduced to Costa Rica by the Italians who worked on the railroads a long time ago but then abandoned their contracts when they found the climate and insects of the lowlands to not be to their liking. The night ended with card games.
Tomorrow we visiting a national park and going to a beach where we can actually swim. Adios from Costa Rica, and don’t forget to check the blog out tomorrow!
