El Paso Community College 2016, Summer in Flamingo

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A small group from El Paso Community College arrived in Costa Rica a warm Friday afternoon to enjoy a few days in Heredia before going on to CPI’s Flamingo campus. They had a tour of the capital city, San José, saw the sights of the Gold Museum, National Theater, and had lunch at a local restaurant. The following day the group got up bright and early to have a good time at Café Britt. They learned about the coffee process; from the time the seed is planted to the time the coffee is poured into the cup. It was informative and fun! Lots of coffee savored too! In the afternoon the group got in the van for the long ride to Flamingo in the Guanacaste province. In Flamingo they met up with the rest of the group that had arrived that day and the adventure began in Flamingo.

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Monday dawned bright and hot and the CPI staff in Flamingo received the group for placements and orientation. The group was split into several smaller groups for Spanish classes and it was an entertaining and pleasant experience the rest of the week.

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Two of the experiences that highlighted the week were dance class and cooking class. The teacher was energetic and lively.

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For cooking class the group had to prepare a typical meal for lunch. This time it was casado con pollo; a typical Costa Rica dish consisting of rice, beans, salad, and chicken fixed up with lots of condiments. The meal was complimented with a natural fruit juice: cas. A little tart fruit, cas is in the guava family and is smaller and more sour.

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The week went by with Spanish classes in the morning and activities around the Flamingo area in the afternoons. Not everyone did all the activities together although it happened many times that people chose to the same things together. One afternoon Playa Conchal was chosen to visit. This beach is known for its beautiful white sand and broken shells. The name, “Conchal” comes from “concha”, or shell. The sunset was an amazing sight!

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In the evening the group ate out at a local restaurant. A bit of time was spent doing homework before calling it a day.

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Wednesday was the day chosen to do the catamaran cruise after morning classes. The catamaran set sail from the nearby town of Tamarindo. That afternoon was awesome! A sea turtle swam by and was seen by lots of people from on deck.

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There was music, dancing, and food was served. Snorkeling was an option as well as paddle boarding. The sunset was another spectacular sight, made more special by being on the catamaran.

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Playa Danta was another destination and this was spent exploring the beach, kayaking, and relaxing in the shade. The onsite restaurant was yummy!

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The week was going by all too quickly and it was time to go shopping and exploring in Tamarindo. Yet another beach to explore! Gelato (Italian for ice cream) was a popular choice of snack for the afternoon too! Friday was graduation day! Spanish classes continued in the morning as normal and the graduation ceremony was held near lunch time. The teachers had all kinds of nice and complimentary things to say about their students for the week and all who studied were presented their diploma.

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Saturday was full of fun and adventure. The activity planned was an all day trip to Rincón de la Vieja with horseback riding, river tubing, lunch, canopy tour, and finally relaxing in the volcanic mud baths and hot water pools.

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The day was overflowing with activities and the trip back to Flamingo was a quiet one since most everyone was happily tired.

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The week for El Paso in Flamingo was coming to a close and it was time to say “hasta luego”. It had been a pleasant week full of fun. Spanish classes had been engaging and filled with learning.

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¡Hasta la próxima El Paso! ¡Los esperamos muy pronto de nuevo!