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I hold an adamant belief that travel can be an invaluable, life-altering experience. Families that have the means to travel often see it as a luxury, and take for granted the incredible learning that they and their children gain. I work in an alternative high school – most of my students are from families that do not have anywhere near those kinds of means. Their experiences have been, in large part, a struggle and the larger world is mostly an abstraction – including the potential wonder and hope that it can hold. Monteverde, Costa Rica epitomizes that kind of wonder and hope – blending the culture of indigenous inhabitants with that of the American Quaker settlers that arrived in the 1950’s, and balancing a model of conservation with becoming an international eco-tourism destination. The book, Walking With Wolf, tells this story in a remarkable way.
We are now in the midst of a year-long interdisciplinary class that will include Walking With Wolf, student blogs (which I hope you'll check out on the right), individual research projects, and a 10-day trip to Monteverde this Spring. The students are working hard and must fundraise their entire way there - they need your help. If you are willing to support their efforts, checks can be made out to “Lister Academy – Costa Rica Class”, and mailed to: Robert J. Lister Academy, Attn: Bryan Mascio, 35 Sherburne Road, Portsmouth, NH 03801.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Thursday 4-07-11


This post will be quite short again, since it was another full day. We started off with a real Tico (Costa Rican) breakfast with Reina and Leo, then the tour at the Quaker Cheese Factory. After that, we met Wolf, Lucky, Kay and Eladio - that was amazing. It would be difficult to really express how it was, but we'll talk lots more about in posts to come. We finished off by seeing the sloth sanctuary.

Friday we're horseback riding to the San Luis waterfall, Saturday we're having a guided hike in the Monteverde Cloud Forest, and then Sunday is ziplining and a butterfly garden - we have lots of excitement to come.

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3 comments:

  1. Ellen GApril 8, 2011 at 9:30 AM

    Hi folks,
    Wow! Horses, zip line, Cloud Forest, and butterflies all in one day. What was it like when you met Wolf? Did he sign your books?

    Today is a beautifully sunny day in NH. It was a bit cold this AM but the bright sun and blue sky made up for that-- this weekend is supposed to be warming up nicely too. We can definitely feel that Spring IS in the air.

    I look forward to your accounts of your trip.

    Ellen G

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  2. UnknownApril 8, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    Hello Lister Kids! It's Kat, your favorite techie. Ever! So proud of you guys, love that you're using the technology the world has to offer, and hope you're enjoying the wonderful adventure you worked so hard to make happen. See you when you get back! Miss you guys! ~Kat

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  3. i.d.CreationsApril 8, 2011 at 12:35 PM

    We are glad you are enjoying Costa Rica.. we here at RJLA have a few questions for you all:

    How hot is it? ~Maria

    What was the forest like? Is there a lot of bugs? Is it humid? ~Connor

    How are you guys adjusting to the time difference? ~Katrina

    How big is the San Luis waterfall? ~Sean

    What was ziplining like? Have all of you been horseback riding before? Did you hike all the way up the cloud mountain? ~Jasmine

    Do you have to climb the whole forest? ~Katie

    Did you get to try any of the cheese?

    Have you seen any wild animals: What does the Costa Rican flag look like?

    How hot is it in Costa Rica? ~Nathaniel

    How much hiking have you done? ~Skylar

    How was it seeing the sloths? Was the water from the waterfall warm? ~Chris

    Thank you!!

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