MADISON TOWNSHIP — Just a few weeks into summer, Madison Comprehensive High School teacher Laura Phillips was reunited with her Spanish students — only this time they met in an airport not a classroom.
On June 13, Phillips, along with parent chaperone Susan Eckenwiler, led a group of six students on a nine-day trip throughout Costa Rica.
The travelers included Lindsay Eckenwiler, Jayden Gerhart, Mackenzie Mullins, Rylie Shaffner, Ciarra Tackett and Emily Traicoff. Pupils ranged in experience from third-year to five-year Spanish students.
For some it was their first time flying and for many, like rising senior Rylie Shaffner, it was their first time out of the country.
“Flying into San José, it looked just like the movie ‘Rio.’ It was picture perfect,” Shaffner said.
She has been a student of “Señora Phillips” for three years, but has been studying Spanish for five years.
“Señora is really outgoing and she is always in a good mood,” Shaffner said of Phillips.
Shaffner said she was very thankful to have a teacher like Phillips and the experience of traveling to Costa Rica.
Their exploration began in San José, the country’s capital, then a tour guide led the group through landscapes both modern and rural.
“Much of the trip was nature-oriented,” Phillips said “We stayed in some hotels that were very modern like in the United States, but we also stayed in one that was very rustic in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t even television.”
Rather than relying on technology for entertainment, they came together in the evenings to chat and reflect on the day’s adventures.
The day-to-day agendas were full of excursions. Students zip-lined through the rainforest, went horseback riding, explored cities and hiked across bridges suspended above the rainforest canopy.
Phillips noted that during hikes the group caught glimpses of some of Costa Rica’s most exciting wildlife. Their observation list included two types of sloths, various monkeys, colorful birds and even the Great Green Macaw, which is on the endangered species list.
For Phillips the highlight of the itinerary was a cooking class taught by the son of a local restaurant owner. The students donned aprons and hairnets, rolled up their sleeves and learned to knead dough to form “prestiños,” a traditional fried pastry. To complement their dessert, they made “horchata,” a cold rice milk that is popular in many Hispanic cultures.
“Many students did things they wouldn’t normally do,” Phillips said.
Shopping and interacting with local residents were other activities travelers enjoyed.
“It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, when you’re there its almost easier to speak Spanish,” Shaffner said.
The students used their language skills in casual conversation and learned to bargain with shop owners. In Costa Rica, where both local and U.S. currencies are used, this can be quite confusing for non-locals. However, these are real-world learning experiences that Phillips values.
“I think it’s important to learn that everybody is a little bit different, there are different ways of thinking and many different cultures, and that’s okay,” she said. “The more you travel the more it opens your mind to other people and cultures.”
Phillips added that travel hasn’t just strengthened her appreciation for world cultures, but it also has helped remind her of the things she enjoys about American life.
Though this was Phillips’ first time to Costa Rica, it was not her first time traveling with students. She previously took a group of students to Spain.
Where to next? Phillips said she isn’t sure but she is considering Peru. Until then, she will return to the classroom with tales of the rain forest (told in Spanish, of course).
