Using a small beach town as your home base, set out to explore beautiful Costa Rica. Enjoy the tropical white sand beaches of the Pacific coast, and immerse yourself in the local culture while working alongside villagers to complete community service projects.
- Dates:
- July 1, 2012 - July 22, 2012
- Eligibility:
- Students completing grades 7-8
- Focus:
- Foundations
- Typical Group:
- 36 Students, 8 Leaders
- Duration:
- 3 week(s)
Overview
Putney Foundations offers you the chance to be part of an active, engaged Putney community while living and learning in Costa Rica. We divide our time between a quiet beach-side town and our community service villages high in the hills above Lake Arenal. While specifically tailored to students completing 7th and 8th grade, Foundations combines many diverse elements of the programs we have offered older students for six decades.
While stationed in a quiet beach town on the Pacific coast, we take day trips to explore the national parks and coastlines for which Costa Rica is famous. Through staff-led enrichment seminars, we learn and practice Spanish, bond as a team, and explore Costa Rican culture from the perspective of travelers, not tourists. We stay in a quaint, family-run villa located just 100 meters from a long sandy beach at the edge of the Pacific Ocean. Rooms are doubles or quads, and all have private bathrooms, refrigerators and air conditioning. Meals are prepared by the friendly Costa Rican cooks at the villa’s open air restaurant, and are served cafeteria style, with many options available.
Help with reforestation efforts in one of Costa Rica's National Parks.
We split into two smaller groups for the community service portion of the program to ensure a more intimate experience. We work on our projects during the day and spend late afternoons and evenings getting to know our new friends in the community. Among our planned projects this summer are improvements to the elementary school and town soccer field as well as English lessons with the local children. After fulfilling days of work on our projects, we practice Spanish with new Tico friends, learn to salsa dance, and take a dip in a nearby swimming hole. Students who complete the Foundations program receive a certificate from Putney recognizing between 25 and 30 hours of community service.
While at the community service village, we either live in one big house with separate areas for the boys and girls, or in two different houses. Living conditions are basic but comfortable. We sleep in sleeping bags on camping pads on the floor. Our leaders stay with the group. We take turns helping local cooks prepare our meals; it’s a great way to learn how to cook some Costa Rican specialties!
Make Costa Rican friends while working in the community service village.
After our time at the beach and in the community service village, we head to the Arenal Volcano, one of the ten most active volcanoes in the world. We stay in bungalows at a sustainable eco-lodge tucked into a forested valley, a safe distance from the lava flows of Arenal. Spend an afternoon kayaking on Lake Arenal, ride horseback through the rainforest, and take a night hike to see the lava flows before returning to soak in the thermal hot springs. On a zip-line adventure, we sail high over the rainforest canopy on a series of secure cables.
We return to the beach for the final days of the program to relax, pack up, and prepare for the journey home.
“Annabel had a wonderful time in Costa Rica. I can only imagine how much effort, thought and experience goes into delivering a trip like this one; I really am so impressed. Andrew and I felt very well informed all along with the beautiful photographs and the interesting newsletters. Thank you so much!”
-Julia Janes and Andrew Gordon, New York, NY
Highlights
- Improve your Spanish skills while learning to prepare traditional Costa Rican food.
- Complete meaningful community service projects in carefully selected towns.
- Join a game of pick-up soccer with your new Tico friends in the village.
- Surf, fish, snorkel, and kayak on a tropical Costa Rican beach.
- Fly high above the rainforest canopy on a zip-line adventure.
- Spend a weekend exploring the Arenal Volcano and relaxing in hot springs.
Improve your Spanish skills while learning to prepare traditional Costa Rican food.
Join a game of pick-up soccer with your new tico friends in the village.
Surf, fish, snorkel, and kayak on a tropical Costa Rican beach.
Fly high above the rainforest canopy on a zip-line adventure.
Spend a weekend exploring the Arenal Volcano and relaxing inhot springs.
What to Expect
This is a physically active program! You should expect to spend most of each day outside. At the community service village, everyone participates in all of the group’s projects on a rotating basis, and everyone lends a hand in meal preparation and cleanup. Since we live in the community service village as the local people do, accommodations are very simple, with separate space for boys and girls, and basic bathroom facilities. You should come to the program with an open-mind, eager to participate in new experiences and interested in exploring another culture and way of life.
At Putney we take pride in our reputation for careful, thorough planning and attention to detail. The descriptions of our programs are based on our experiences in previous summers and our plans for this summer. It is inevitable that some things described here will not happen exactly as presented. To get the most out of the Putney experience, participants need to be flexible in responding to unforeseen situations, and creative in taking advantage of unexpected opportunities. We expect Putney participants to share responsibility for the success of their experience.
Fees
Tuition: $5,690
Itinerary
Click here to read last year’s trip blog.
This program begins and ends at Houston International Airport in Houston, Texas and at Newark International Airport in Newark, New Jersey.
Departure • Join your group and begin a three-week adventure in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. The group departs from Houston International Airport and Newark International Airport in Newark on escorted flight to Liberia, Costa Rica.
“I got the greatest sense of accomplishment by making friends with people that didn’t speak our language. What I gained from the program personally was the ability to put myself out there and try new things every day.”
-Spencer Overbeeke, Middlebrook Middle School, Wilton, CT
Settling In • Upon arrival in Liberia, we travel thirty minutes by chartered bus to our home base on the northwest Pacific coast. Spend the first few days practicing important Spanish phrases and getting acquainted with Costa Rican culture. Sail and snorkel in the bay, take salsa dancing lessons in the evening, and get ready for your week in the community service village.
The Villa • From our home base on the Pacific coast we explore the beaches, National Parks and villages of Guanacaste. Take surfing lessons at one of the best surf beaches in Costa Rica, play a game of pick-up soccer with local kids, and practice your Spanish during afternoon cooking lessons. Venture into the forest in search of monkeys, and lend a hand in reforestation projects. Continue exploring Costa Rican culture and practicing your Spanish during a series of staff-led enrichment seminars.
Learn to surf on Costa Rica's famous waves.
The Community Service Villages • Transfer by charter bus to a small village in the rolling green hills overlooking Lake Arenal. Spend a week getting to know the people in these small, rural towns as you work alongside them on projects chosen by the community. Construct a playground, paint a mural in the kindergarten, teach English to local kids, or try your hand at milking at the town dairy farm.
Arenal Volcano • Spend three days exploring the rainforest of the Arenal Volcano region. Soar through the forest canopy on a zip-line adventure, ride horseback to a remote waterfall, pay a night visit to a glowing lava flow, and soak in thermal hot springs.
Return Home • With your flight escort, depart Liberia to return to Houston or Newark, and continue to your final destination on a connecting flight.
This itinerary represents our best projection of the group’s schedule. However, we may implement changes designed to improve the quality of the program.
Destination
Background • In 1949, declaring itself a peaceful nation, Costa Rica disbanded its army, and has since enjoyed six decades of democracy and peace. It is well known for its astounding biodiversity, innovative approaches to ecotourism, warm and inviting people, and miles of tropical beaches. Although it is a tiny country, Costa Rica has incredible geographic diversity. Within its borders you can travel from tropical rainforest to deserted beaches and active volcanoes, all within the span of a day. Because nearly 30% of Costa Rica’s land is protected, it is an ideal destination for recreation, and also for learning about ecology, biology, conservation, sustainable development, and other environmental issues. Despite its commitment to environmental conservation and its reputation as Central America’s most stable democracy, Costa Rica suffers from widespread poverty, particularly in its more remote regions.
Spend an evening watching the sunset from the sand, just steps from our base in northwestern Costa Rica.
Population • Costa Rica has a total population of just over 4 million, with 1.5 million living in the capital city of San Jose. The province of Guanacaste, where the Foundations program is located, is the most sparsely populated of all the Costa Rican provinces, with a population of under 300,000. The seaside village where we are based and the community service village we visit are both small towns, with populations of less than 500.
Language • Spanish is the official language of Costa Rica.
Climate • A tropical country, Costa Rica has only two seasons: wet and dry. We are there during the wet season during which rain is common but intermittent and not necessarily a daily occurrence. It is quite warm–in the 80s most days–so occasional rain is welcome!
Paint benches as part of a town beautification project in your community service village.
Cuisine • Costa Rican cuisine is hearty fare with rice, beans and fruit offered at almost every meal. A typical lunch consists of gallo pinto (rice and beans), fish or chicken, vegetables, tortillas, and fruit.
Currency • The Costa Rican currency is known as the colon. An ATM card is the best way to access cash.
Voltage • Electrical outlets are identical to those used in the United States: 120 V/60 Hz. We have regular access to electricity.
“I loved the community service portion of the trip, connecting and interacting with the locals who were extremely kind and hospitable. I also loved the time back at the villa that allowed me to become closer with others on the trip. It amazes me how close I became to the group in only three weeks.”
-Staci Dubow, Welsh Valley Middle School, Merion, PA
The Foundations Costa Rica program is directed by Troy Shaheen. If you have questions, are interested in receiving more detailed information, or would like to talk further about the program, please get in touch!
Troy Shaheen
Troy Shaheen: Kenyon College, B.A., English, Spanish. Troy oversees programming in Latin America and Spain and coordinates Putney’s new media and web outreach. He has previously led Putney programs to Spain and Costa Rica and worked in bilingual education and journalism in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain, Quito, Ecuador, and Kerhonkson, New York. He enjoys soccer and the outdoors.
How To Apply
Step 1: Log On.
If you are new to Putney Student Travel, visit our Online Application.
If you are a Putney Student Travel alumni family, use your existing account information to Log In.
Step 2: Hold A Space In The Program.
You can hold a space in a program by completing the Online Application Form and providing the $700 Application Deposit by Mastercard, Visa, or Discover Card through our secure online system or by sending a check to our office. Our admissions staff is also available to take credit card information over the phone. We will hold a space in a program for a reasonable time, pending completion of the full application process. See Step 3.
After March 15, to hold a space in a program an application must be accompanied by full payment made by check or wire transfer and the signed Agreement Form.
Step 3: Complete the Application Process.
Before we can make a final admissions decision, an application must be complete. In addition to the Application Form and Application Deposit described above, a complete application includes:
- Applicant Statement
- Two Teacher References
- Signed Agreement Form
These documents are available as part of our Online Application. We review a completed application within a few days, and notify families of our admissions decision by e-mail.
For a full description of eligibility, admissions policies, and terms of payment, please visit our Terms & Conditions.
