After the adolescent Heifer trip, we went to an awesome country of Costa Rica. This trip was beyond amazing. Just the scenery alone made the trip worth it. We bussed around the entire country from destination to destination. We did a few sight seeing things but the teachers made sure we did some sort of work. When seeing the volcano we had to sketch what it looked like in our travel packet. We had to speak spanish only for a whole day and record our experiences. The most educational part, obviously, was our time at EARTH University. We learned about different ways to use resources more effectively, from soda cans in soil to fertilize it, to effective recycling. We got to see the trash compactor and how the workers sorted their recycling and trash the most efficiently. The students came from all over the world and learned how to help the agriculture in their community. We also got to experience the culture of the Bribri tribe and how they live. My group helped to plant trees in a treeless area to help the Bribri tribe. Overall the trip was a great true first emersion into another culture.

Costa Rica Trip

New Orleans Trip

The New Orleans trip was interesting. We had a great time because of the atmosphere and I made a documentary about food. It was pretty fun. Each group was in charge of a different aspect of the New Orleans culture, and like I said, I was in the food group. This means that during the entire trip we ate, and ate more, and then ate. It was great! We went around town eating all different sorts of food, filming and documenting as we went. Walking around New Orleans was a culture in itself. There were very interesting people around at all times. We even went to a Mardi Gras parade, where me and my fellow companions obtained as many beads as possible. My favorite part of the trip was the dinners each night. As you can see on the left, one of the nights we went to a dinner dance and I showcased my moves. Another night we went on a boat ride on the Natchez river where there was a jazz band playing music. Another aspect of the culture was the ghost tour where we were guided around the haunted areas of New Orleans. The entire trip I would take my trumpet around and share my talents with the city. The whole trip was a blast and every thing we did introduced us to a new aspect of the amazing city's culture.