(Re)Creation of the OIHS Culture Travel Club

(Re)Creation of the OIHS Culture Travel Club

Published 1:30 am Friday, June 12, 2026

By Leela Griesemer

OIHS tenth grade scholar

For the primary time, post-pandemic Orcas Island High School college students shaped the Culture Travel Club.

And a bunch of 11 devoted college students and two mother or father/college traveled to Costa Rica, and I used to be a part of that great expertise.

The concept of forming a journey membership was a little bit bit on the market as a result of this was the primary time. We had no expertise and no cash saved up. To assist information us, we partnered with this program known as Arcos Learning Abroad/Journeys Abroad, which is an immersive examine and cultural program primarily based in Costa Rica. Centered within the small city of Atenas, this system paired experiential studying with Spanish immersion and home-stays with Costa Rican households. For our fundraisers, we did bake gross sales, a Costa Rica meals dinner fundraiser and designed T-shirts and sweatshirts to promote to the neighborhood. We additionally acquired beneficiant donations from neighborhood members, Island Market, the OIHS Associated Student Body and the Orcas Island Community Foundation by means of its GiveOrcas marketing campaign. This made the journey method cheaper, and with out such monetary assist, many college students wouldn’t have been in a position to afford the journey. The Orcas Island School District and the Orcas Island Education Foundation have been additionally essential logistical supporters of the journey membership, and its bold purpose of touring overseas the primary 12 months of its creation.

One of my favourite fundraisers that we did was the Costa Rica dinner as a result of we made gallo pinto, which is rice and beans blended with cilantro, onions, purple peppers and Lizano sauce, with eggs or plantains. Gallo pinto is a highly regarded dish in Costa Rica. I additionally liked it a lot as a result of all of us labored collectively. It was so cool seeing everybody cook dinner collectively. Another cause it was my favourite fundraiser was that the neighborhood right here on Orcas actually helped the membership out and was supportive of our fundraiser. Lots of people confirmed as much as the dinner. To the Orcas Island neighborhood and oldsters, I wish to say thanks a lot for all of the assist and love that you simply all have proven to our Culture and Travel Club. It actually means lots to every one among us.

The huge journey begins

The journey started in mid-April with a drive to Seattle, after which from there all of us met up and checked our baggage and flew to Houston at midnight. After staying on the airport for a pair hours, we flew to Costa Rica. When we arrived in Costa Rica, the very first thing I seen once I stepped out of the airplane was how sizzling it was and the way drained I used to be too. We went to immigration, and fortunately, the immigration course of went easily. After that, we met the information Catalina from the Acros program. From the airport, she took us on a bus to this little city in Costa Rica known as Atenas. Atenas was superb. Just by driving by means of the city, I might see a wealthy wildlife with attractive birds and totally different animals within the forest. Catalina and the van driver dropped us off in any respect of their housestays. My housestay was with a girl named Aida and her daughter Loriana, who goes to varsity in Costa Rica. My roommate was one among my good buddies named Wren, and collectively we had an exquisite time there. The meals that our dwelling keep mama would make was unbelievable, and we had a mango tree within the yard, so each morning we’d have recent mango. Our homestay mama didn’t know lots of English, so Wren and I must converse Spanish to her. For Wren and me, it was onerous, however I really feel like on the finish of the journey our Spanish was a lot better.

The actions/Costa Rica/departure

One of the superb program actions was ziplining, which was very, very enjoyable. We have been in a fantastic cloud forest with lots of animals, and it was so breathtaking to be in. When we ziplined, it felt like we have been flying by means of the sky. It was sooo superb. One time, we went on an enormous, big swing and swung by means of the wild like Tarzan.

On one other tour, we went to an natural espresso farm known as El Toledo within the outskirts of Atenas. There we discovered how espresso is grown on a permaculture farm, and we acquired to style all of the totally different coffees they made for us. We discovered lots concerning the challenges of making an attempt to run a enterprise in an environmentally sustainable method.

Another exercise was a cooking class with a farming household that maintains a conventional Costa Rican dwelling for guests. It is identical dwelling {that a} grandma lived in when she was a baby. It was a rough-shod picket constructing with grime flooring, a big kitchen, a small bed room and a big coated outside patio area for meals and socializing. Grandma discovered how you can make conventional Costa Rican meals like home made tortillas and gallo pinto. It was very cool as a result of we had made gallo pinto earlier than at our dinner fundraiser. This time, we cooked over a wooden range and hand-ground the corn for the tortillas. For our fundraiser, we have been simply going off a recipe from the web, however once we have been in Costa Rica, we really had a grandma serving to us and instructing us how you can cook dinner this glorious meals.

A couple of different actions that we did in Costa Rica have been browsing, dancing, portray, visiting a wildlife refuge and climbing. One of my favourite actions was browsing as a result of it was actually enjoyable, and although my buddies and I had gotten a extremely dangerous sunburn, it was value it trigger the water was as clear because the sky, and it was sizzling and sunny. The waves have been huge, however excellent for browsing, and every thing was similar to heaven to me. I additionally actually liked it as a result of once I was little, I used to stay in Kauai, Hawaii, and it jogged my memory of that a lot.

The journey again to Seattle was very tiring and unhappy as a result of on the finish of the journey, I believe I can for certain say that all of us didn’t wish to depart, and personally, it was unhappy for me as a result of I didn’t wish to depart my host household. I miss dinners we’d have and the superb conversations in Spanish that made my talking expertise skyrocket. This journey made an affect on me as a result of it confirmed me respect, accountability, kindness, love. I really feel like everybody needs to be in a journey membership since you stay to do new issues, and also you solely stay as soon as, so that you may as effectively see the world. It’s an unbelievable expertise to go to those lovely locations, apply Spanish and expertise the tradition.