The Costa Rica cultural exchange is a culmination of a Meadowbrook education, combining elements of leadership, community, discovery and diversity within a ten-day, one-of-a-kind journey.
Part of the Eighth Grade global studies curriculum, the Costa Rica cultural exchange enables students to connect with people from a different culture, recognizing not just the differences but the similarities to one another. Students challenge themselves physically and mentally through activities unique to the region, community service efforts, and self-reflection. Students also explore the science and transformative wonders of the rain forest.
The experience of the cultural exchange inspires and empowers our students with a passion they carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Our students have experienced...
Adventure - Zip lining through the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve 100 feet above the ground, relying on both teamwork and trust.
Discovery - Studying the ecological wonders of the Costa Rican rainforest, including many of the living creatures unique to Costa Rica at the Butterfly and Insect Gardens.
Confidence - Riding horseback to the Continental Divide through the Costa Rican rainforest.
Reflection - Discovering their own quiet space within the rainforest to think about and write about their experience.
Participation - Experiencing first-hand how cheese was made from cows they've helped milk.
Technology and Industry - Visiting the Dole Banana factory where they witnessed, from beginning to end, Dole's process for distributing bananas, a major export for the country.
Challenge - Hiking to a fully self-sufficient, organic farm in Punta Mona, where they learned about sustainable living, perma-culture, and the region's lifecycle.
Responsibility - Visiting the Kekoldi Indigenous Reserve where they were taught how to use herbs and plants for natural cures and the importance of protecting endangered species.
Friendship - Meeting, in person, their pen pals from a local school, greeted with songs of welcome and skits.
Sportsmanship - Playing soccer with their native friends and realizing that the rules remain the same all across the globe.
Leadership - Participating in community service projects to help support the communities they visited.
