At Sequoyah, every grade goes on a Field Studies trip. The Barefoot Times followed up on the tenth-grade Costa Rica trip orientation to discover what exactly the trip consists of and what students’ opinions of it are.
First off, what is the trip? Sequoyah’s tenth-grade class will visit Costa Rica for ten days, exploring neighborhoods of San Jose such as Alajuela, along with the small mountain town of Cedral.
Students will stay at Alajuela at the beginning and end of the trip, where they will have a scavenger hunt aimed at helping them understand the local culture; they will also have a trip debrief in Alajuela before their return.
Students will also be staying in a small town south of San Jose called Cedral, where they will sleep in residents’ homes. Students will enjoy various activities such as hiking, cooking, soccer, providing services for residents, visiting the local school, and learning about the local coffee industry.
The trip will really help students with their Spanish-speaking skills, as everyone they meet will be speaking the language. It will also provide opportunities for students to understand the operations of co-ops and their relation to the government in foreign countries. Additionally, the trip will incorporate the philosophies of SIP since the majority of activities in Cedral will help students apply their change-making skills to new industries and environments. Students will interview, take tours, and learn from local coffee farmers about daily life and business.
Now we know how the trip will play out, what are students’ opinions regarding it?
Among the sophomores, there is a general sense of anticipation for the trip. “I had lots of fun in Utah,” said Wyatt Muncy ’25. “I’m excited to have a new opportunity in a new country.” Saverio Fennell-Molinaro ’25 characterized his past trip experience as “pretty good,” and said of the upcoming trip, “It’s gonna be fun.”
Although there are students who have a positive outlook on the upcoming trip, students aren’t without their fair share of nervousness. Mateo Rodriguez ’25 has “had a mixed bag of experiences on Sequoyah trips.” He explained his nervousness about being in a foreign country without cell phone communication, as well as not speaking the language all that well. “I can’t say I’m excited for Costa Rica,” he noted. Likewise, AmyLynne Balangue ’25 said, “I’m kind of excited for it but I’m also nervous because we won’t have our phones, and we’re international.” She added, “I want to call my mom when I’m international.” When asked about a change she would make to the upcoming trip, she said, “I feel like if we had more contact with the families prior to the trip it would build a better connection.”
Though the general consensus seems to be resounding excitement for new experiences in new and foreign places, a number of students present feelings of worry, nervousness, and even disinterest.
Learning about coffee seems fun 🙂