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Costa Rica - Summer Cultural Exploration

Program Details
Full Brochure

Explore

Do you want to do something meaningful and exciting with your summer? Brand new for 2008, Intrax Study Abroad is offering a truly inspiring 5 week environmental exploration and volunteer program in Costa Rica. After a week of Spanish lessons, you will spend 14 days volunteering and making a difference in local communities that need your help. Learn all about environmental sustainability through specialized outreach programs and work along with locals to help them build a better future for their communities. After your volunteer project you will spend 14 days traveling and exploring Costa Rica on an incredible adventure that includes amazing hikes through the Monteverde cloud forest, snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean, whitewater rafting down the Pacuare River and more! Join us this summer for a rewarding cultural exploration through one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Learn

Experiential learning is an integral part of the Intrax program. Students will learn about Costa Rica's people and culture while being immersed in it. Students will participate in interactive group discussions about the conservation and development issues facing the nation, while also working to make a real difference to the communities through meaningful volunteer projects. All students will keep a journal as they experience the intricacies and challenges of being immersed in a different culture.

Volunteer Projects

Our projects in Costa Rica are designed to help people and the environment by combining conservation work with community development. Our well-structured projects allow you to put your time and energy into efforts that make a lasting difference. By helping local communities instill sustainable practices in their work, you will help them preserve their natural eco-system so that it can support the lives of future generations.

Learn Spanish

To deepen your cultural understanding of Costa Rica and prepare you for the next month, you will take part in our 5 -day Spanish language courses. Tailored to your level of proficiency, you will have 20 hours of classes to learn key Spanish language skills. Language classes are held in the mornings; while the afternoons include fun activities like salsa dancing and cooking classes. During this time, you will have home-stay accommodations with a local family who will help you practice your language skills. We'll have you saying "Pura Vida" in no time!

Accommodation

During the first week while you are attending Spanish lessons, you will stay with host families living near the school. Your host family, most with children, will welcome you into the community as a member of their family, allowing you to experience the local culture on a level most tourists never would.

During the volunteer project portion, you will stay with other students in dorms on the project sites.

During the adventure portion of the trip, you will stay in hotels and nature lodges across the country.

Adventure Travel

After your volunteer work, get ready for the adventure of a lifetime, as we take you on the most extraordinary tour of Costa Rica's exotic ecosystems. From snorkeling around Caño Island in Corcovado (recognized by National Geographic as one of the most biologically intense places on earth) to white water rafting on the incredible Pacuare river, you will learn all about the ecological diversity of Costa Rica. Rappel, hike, swim and zip line through incredible landscapes. The adventure will include such optional activities as:

• Snorkeling in the Pacific Ocean
• White water rafting on the Pacuare River
• Treks through several ecological reserves, including the cloud forests of Monteverde
• Jungle kayaking in the canals of Tortuguero National Park
• Horseback riding through a typical Costa Rican farm and a private secondary forest with views of the Pacific Coast
• Zip-lining in cloud forests
• Observing one of Costa Rica's many active volcanoes
• Rappelling in La Fortuna

Requirements

• 14 – 17 years old
• 2.5 GPA or higher (4.0 scale)
• Flexible and mature personality; desire to be challenged, ability to remain open-minded and tolerant of cultural differences

Program includes:

• Round-trip airfare from a major international airport near your home (in the continental U.S.) including domestic and international flights
• Airport transfers on arrival and departure
• Homestay with a local family during first week of Spanish classes, dorm stay during service project and accommodations during adventure portion
• Intensive Spanish language instruction four hours per day, Monday through Friday of the first week with dance and cooking classes in the afternoons
• All excursions in the Adventure Travel portion
• Student health and accident insurance
• 24-hour emergency assistance
• Pre-departure and in-country orientations
• Supervision, guidance, and support during the application process and throughout the program including an Intrax On-Site Coordinator
• Intrax T-Shirt ( girls | boys )
• Intrax Student Handbook

Program does not include:

• Passport and any applicable visa fees
• Personal expenses (e.g., toiletries, clothing, internet, calling card, optional activities)
• Any other item not specified

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