8th Grade Trip to Costa Rica 2026
Dispatches from Costa Rica
Chris Chun: Friday, May 22nd
We had a long drive to the river, then put on safety helmets, life jackets. Then, we got a training session before getting into the rafts, 4-5 students per raft and one guide each. They did great! We even stopped and hiked to waterfall. Students were wet and beaming at the end, proud of what they had accomplished together.
We had a meal at a restaurant together that night, and some kids got up to take advantage of the hotel pool as early as 6:30 a.m.! Some, like me, timed their breakfast buffet visits to have a hobbit-inspired second breakfast. Some visited the hotel gym! At the airport, we had the kids use the kiosks themselves, individually, to print luggage tags and boarding passes—a useful skill.
We encourage you to ask your child about any times when they were out of their comfort zone, supported a friend, or were supported by friends. Ask them if they learned anything new about themselves or a classmate, or if they grew closer to someone they didn’t know as well before the beginning of the trip. Ask them about how their trip might have been different if they had been allowed to keep their tech, or if the trip wasn’t in a Spanish-speaking country.
Chris Chun: Thursday, May 21st
We went to a turtle conservation site yesterday! We started with doing some service, specifically a beach cleanup. We got to see where a sea turtle had come onto a beach to lay a nest, and we learned about the conservation efforts that have successfully brought tow species off the endangered list. Our cleanup was abbreviated due to a storm, but we took cover and learned about the Panama Canal and its relationship with scientific research, turtle conservation, and ecotourism. We also got to try tamarind juice!
We had lunch during a torrential downpour, which ceased so that we could take photos and look at Panama across the water.
We went to the beach again but apparently didn’t get enough aquatic time so we went to the pool. After dinner, Max took those of us who weren’t packing on a night hike. We saw tiny amphibians, a well as a venomous snake!
Chris Chun: Wednesday, May 20th
The wifi is spotty and so is my cellular connection! We’ll see if this posts.
We went up and over the mountains yesterday! We stopped for views, birds, and our guide’s favorite coconut flan. Max told us about the history of Costa Rica after the World Wars, as well as the Cold War in Central America. The students talked me into a Spotify playlist for the long ride, with the compromise of adding songs for “old people” (me). “Old”—by their measure—spans Sinatra to Nirvana, in case you were wondering. We learned about palm oil farming along the way, and then participated in a tour about chocolate history and cultivation. We tasted the fruit of the chocolate, along with unroasted and roasted cacao, and then the cocoa powder. We also saw a sloth and a bunch of monkeys! We headed to the beach to cool down but were too tired for the pool after dinner. Maybe today after we do the beach clean-up and learn about tortugas!
Chris Chun: Tuesday, May 19th
Yesterday, the kiddos went to a local school. They started the day by building a concrete sidewalk, then played yard games with kids—I love that these 8th graders still enjoy playing. They performed their play and engaged in conversations with younger students. Lastly, they gave students backpacks full of school supplies donated by TBS. One common cultural element was “seis siete”!
Chris Chun: Monday, May 18th
Yesterday we went to Tapanti National Park and learned about efforts preserve the ecosystem from youth not much older than our students. They taught us about a specific migratory bird, and then our guide told us about the rainforest and the different classes of vegetation, which are not categorized the way we categorize them (deciduous, coniferous, perennial, etc.). We are in a lodge and farm in the mountains! It’s much chillier here, but they have string instruments, dogs, a horse named Bonita, and a pull-up bar—something for everyone! Today we will go to the school to do service and perform the play!
Chris Chun: Sunday, May 17th
The Wi-Fi is a little flaky, but we wanted to let you know that everyone—and all luggage—arrived at the hotel safe and sound late last night. The 3-D printed crown of the King of Hearts got a little busted up going through security, but that is the only casualty, and it seems more fitting for the character. We’re about to head off for our buffet breakfast and then a national park. Then, after lunch, we’ll go to a farm tour.
