That Costa Rican phrase means ‘pure life,’ and this year’s TAHS Spanish Club contingent soaked in everything they could during their weeklong trip there
A group from Tracy Area High School’s Spanish Club agree that while the weather was far from perfect, their recent school trip to Costa Rica ranks right up there with one of the best times of their young lives.
“I rate the Costa Rica trip a 10 out of 10,” said Jonathon Reyes.
“Even though it rained most of the time, it was worth the views of mountains and the smell of fresh air from nature,” Brianna Duscher said.
Most of the trip was a soggy one, with rain falling consistently, but the group was able to enjoy some nice weather toward the end of their sojourn.
“Costa Rican beaches do not offer much in the way of swimming in the ocean,” Spanish teacher Pamela Anderson said. “The students enjoyed frolicking in the water, though, and a couple came back looking like lobsters after enjoying the 96 degree sunshine. All in all, this was the trip of a lifetime. Costa Rica is a beautiful country with lovely people. And as the ticos say: Pura Vida!”
Rain or shine, the students all agreed that the scenery itself was worth the trip.
“When we arrived to Costa Rica the first thing that hit me when we landed was the lush and warm environment,” Kevin Brown said.
“Here in Minnesota, we don’t have any jungles or volcanos so being able to see it in Costa Rica was a unique and exciting experience.”
“The 2025 Costa Rica trip opened my eyes to how much beauty we miss out on here in Minnesota,” said Reyes. “Here, the land is flatter than a pancake. In Costa Rica, the tropical mountains gave beautiful backdrops to both natural and manmade sites in any direction you looked.”
The group hit the beach as part of their trip, and were also able to take part in some activities that aren’t available in small-town Minnesota, namely zip lining.
“My favorite event that I did was the zipline,” said Brown. “We got to zipline over large parts of jungles and were able to see everything around us.”
“One of my favorite activities that we did in Costa Rica was the ziplining,” Duscher said. “We got to go high in the mountains and zipline across the valleys of rain forest and wildlife. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.”
Reyes returned home with a new appreciation of Costa Rican architecture.
“The low building heights, Spanish tiles, and a great skill in working seamlessly with nature,” said Reyes. “Just one building there had more life than that of entire towns here.”
With the weather clearing up at the end of the trip, the kids hit the beach and made even more memories before heading back to the States.
“Going to the beach in Costa Rica was really fun because the weather was nice and the people that were with us were fun to hang out with,” said Brown. “The water was very salty but the ocean waves were amazing.”
“At the beach, there were so many people having fun and enjoying the beautiful and sunny day,” said Duscher. “I would definitely visit the country again if I had the chance to just to enjoy the beautiful sights and take in all their culture.”
