Costa Rica
Oregon International Education Consortium
Study
Spanish and Field Biology/Ecology in Costa Rica
June 20
– July 19, 2013
The Oregon
International Education Consortium consists of Central Oregon Community
College, Chemeketa CC, Clackamas CC, Mount Hood CC, Portland CC, Rogue CC and
Southwestern CC, offering programs ranging from 3 to 11 weeks in four countries.
The Program
In the summer Costa
Rica program, you begin the biology course studying two ecological zones, first
at the Palo Verde Biological Station on the Pacific slopes of Guanacaste
Province, followed by three days at the Caribbean-side tropical environment research
facility at La Selva, offering birding and natural history tours. Then you move to the Academia Centroamericana
de Espanol in Grecia, for two weeks studying intensive Spanish and earn 4
credits of college Spanish at your level of proficiency. While learning
Spanish, students will experience Costa Rican culture via their homestays,
salsa lessons, a cooking class, and tours of Grecia, nearby Sarchi, and the capital
San Jose. Field Biology classes also
continue in Grecia and are highlighted by tours to Zoo Ave, World of Snakes, and
INBioparque, After completing the
Spanish class, you finish your field biology study at the University of
Georgia’s tropical research station, Ecolodge, in the Monteverde Cloud
Forest. Earn 4 credits in Field Biology
(variously numbered BI 103, 141, 188, or 200). This biology course, designed
for non-science majors, is open to all students with an interest in learning
more about these three distinct ecosystems of the tropics. Optional trips (not included in program fee)
include a full day visit to Jaco Beach, an excursion to Poas Volcano and La Paz
Waterfall, and a canopy tour with a zipline in the Monteverde Cloud Forest. Program fee of $3500 includes airfare,
lodging, trip cancellation and medical insurance, all meals (except your
lunches in Grecia), transportation by private bus and taxis between study
sites, and National Park entrance and tour fees; 8 credits tuition is extra, paid
to the consortium student’s home college.
The Academia
Centroamericana de Espanol (ACCE)
ACCE is in Grecia, in
the province of Alajuela, about thirty miles northwest of the capital, San
Jose. Homes in Grecia have most of the modern conveniences you are used to. The
school is within walking distance from your homestay. It has some computer and WiFi availability.
Family Stays
Your host family will meet you at upon
your return from the La Selva Biological Station. They will help you become
familiar with the area, particularly the area around the school. During your
two weeks at the ACCE language school, host families provide you with breakfast
and dinner, but not lunch. You may either buy foods at a local grocery store
for making cold lunches, or purchase snacks at the ACCE cafeteria.
Language Classes
Before you leave Oregon, register for the level of Spanish that you have not yet studied (SPAN 101, 102, 103, 201, 202, 203, 211, 212, and 213 are available). Some colleges have placement exams if you are unsure, or you may want to speak with a Spanish instructor. At ICLC, you are also tested and placed according to Spanish language ability: Superior, Advanced, Intermediate, Novice. By Tuesday of the first week, classes are taught entirely in Spanish-no translations. This is total immersion! So prior Spanish study is recommended.
There are four students per instructor. Instructors are rotated, and groups can change as conditions dictate. Instructors utilize speaking, listening, music, video, literature and newspapers during the course of a day. Instruction is 4 to 5 hours per day, five days per week. You will accumulate more than the minimum 40 hours of Spanish instruction required by the Oregon college system for one term of college credit. In fact, you can accumulate over 50 hours of instruction, including the optional afternoon Spanish activities.
Extra-curricular
Activities
Costa Rica is
a safe country, and you are encouraged to travel on your own. In addition to independent exploration, optional
excursions are available. The first is
to Jaco Beach on the Sunday, July 7, after the first week of Spanish
lessons. The second trip, to Poas
Volcano and La Paz Waterfall, occurs on Saturday, July 13.
Palo Verde
The Field Biology course begins on the Nicoya
Peninsula, at Palo Verde—an Organization of Tropical Studies research and
teaching site. You travel from Hotel Los Volcanes to the Pacific-side
Guanacaste Province. Here, you will investigate some of the thirteen different
habitats, including mangrove and swampy forests, salty and freshwater marshes,
and dryland forests. The marsh in front of the field station is an important
feeding ground for 60 species of resident and migratory water birds. You will
also take a boat tour of the Tempisque River to observe nesting waterfowl.
Bring a small pair of binoculars if you have one!
La Selva Reserve
You will bus to
Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui to a tropical rain forest reserve run by the
Organization of Tropical Studies in the Caribbean foothills. Species diversity
is amazing, including more than 1,850 species of plants, 350 of trees, 448 of
birds, and 500 of ants! La Selva is one of the world’s most important sites for
tropical ecosystem research, including projects on forest dynamics,
biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and native species reforestation. Tours include
an introduction to birding.
Ecolodge San Luis
For the final days of Field Biology tours,
you will visit a research station high in
the forested mountains northwest of San Jose. Ecolodge is a University of Georgia branch campus,
including student union, computers, library, dining hall, classrooms, group
dormitories or cabins, and lab facilities. You will spend five days here,
learning about tropical ecology. Ecolodge, located near Monteverde--Costa
Rica’s famous montane cloud forest preserve--also has its own pre-montane
forest, rich in plants and animals. Two terrific optional activities that yield
a bird’s-eye perspective on the rainforest are the Sky Walk Canopy Bridge Tour
and Zipline ($55 extra).
Itinerary
WEEK ONE: After arriving at Portland Airport,
United Airlines departures at 4:00 am Thursday June 20, the group will arrive
in San Jose at 8:40 pm. A courtesy bus
from ACCE will pick up the group and luggage for a trip to Hotel Los Volcanes,
a respite before the field biology begins the next day at the Palo Verde
Biological station in Guanacaste region.
You spend Saturday and Sunday June 22 and 23rd studying
ecology in the unusual dry tropical forest. The station provides a boat tour of birds in
the riparian habitat. On Monday, the
group travels to La Selva Biological Station near Puerto Viejo de
Sarapiqui. For four days, the group will
learn field biology, including a birding tour, natural history seminar and
research in the lab.
WEEK
TWO: Finishing the study of rain forest ecology at
La Selva, the group will take a four -hour bus from La Selva to Grecia, where
they will meet with their homestay families.
Everyone can ease into the new location with a Sunday walking tour of
Grecia. The language school will interview
and test you for placement purposes.
Spanish classes at Academia Centroamericana de Espanol begin on Monday
and run through Thursday from 7:30 AM through 2 PM with a lunch break. On Monday at 2 pm, there will be a dance
class, Tuesday and Thursday at 2 pm the field biology classes meet. On Wednesday, there will be a fieldtrip by public
bus to the World of Snakes. In addition
to practicing Spanish, the group will use Friday to travel to Ciudad San Jose. Saturday at 9 am, the group will go by ACCE
bus to INBioparque in Heridia. An
optional full-day excursion to Jaco Beach (a $55 cost) rounds out the week on
Sunday, July 1.
WEEK
THREE: Spanish Classes at ACCE and biology classes
with the OIEC instructor continue with the same schedule as the previous
week: Spanish classes Mon-Thurs. 7:30 AM;
Biology classes on Tue Thurs starting at 2 pm.
On Monday at noon, the group will travel via public bus to the artisan
village of Sarchi. On Wednesday, an ACCE
bus will carry the group to Zooave, and Thursday, between 12 and 2 pm, the ACCE
school will provide a cooking class to deepen the experience of the
culture. A farewell party on Friday,
July 12 at 6:30 pm will provide a last
opportunity for students and teachers of ACCE to converse. The following day, students may choose to
participate in a full-day excursion to Poas Volcano and La Paz Waterfall at a
cost of $85
WEEK
FOUR: Sunday July 14, the group travels from 8
am-12 pm to the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
The group will settle in at Ecolodge San Luis, a learning and research
facility run by the University of Georgia. You will spend 5 days here learning about the
tropical forest, and completing the studies for the biology class. Among the activities will be a guided tour of
the Cloud Forest, using pre-paid taxis for transportation. The optional zip line and canopy tour costs
$65.00, offering an unusual perspective on the tropical forest. On Friday at 5 am, the group takes a 5 hour
bus trip to San Jose Airport for the early international check in and a return
to Portland at 11:00 pm via Houston.
Questions? Contact your Oregon International Education Consortium Representative:
Sara Henson, Modoc 223, 541-330-4357, shenson@cocc.edu, or
OIEC statewide Coordinator, Jon Bouknight, Pence 223, 541-330-4394, jbouknight@cocc.edu.
Students wishing to apply must download and fill out BOTH the Costa.Rica.application form.doc (4 pages) and the Costa Rica Release and Conduct form.doc (Word Documents).