Another Spring Break in Costa Rica

Another spring break in Costa Rica! Back in 2008 when I was recruited to the UGA PhD program Professor Toma offered me the opportunity to be a teaching assistant for the Franklin Residential Hall spring break study abroad program to Costa Rica...an offer that eventually became reality. In 2009, I accompanied a group of students and the Toma family on the Costa Rica program. In 2010, not enough students signed up for the program to rationalize my attendance, so I went skiing in Colorado instead. This year I found myself taking more of a lead role in the program, as Professor Toma battles a terminal illness. Without Professor Toma at the reigns I had to convince (or just simply ask) a different faculty member to teach the course. Luckily, the Director of the UGA Costa Rica Campus, Quint Newcomer, stepped up as the faculty of record. With a great professor in place we recruited 19 undergrad students and began meeting regularly in January to teach students about the ecology and culture of Costa Rica before the trip to Costa Rica March 12-20.

The flight to Costa Rica was oversold with many spring breakers which meant that Charlie and I had to arrive a day earlier than the students...oh darn . Actually, it was very nice for just the two of us to travel to Costa Rica to ready ourselves for a week of herding cats (or undergrads). We stayed at the airport Hilton and began our Costa Rica adventure with warm tortilla chips, pico gallo, guacamole, and Imperial beer poolside.

The next day the craziness began...all of the students arrived and we loaded up on a mini-bus for a 4 hour bus trip to the beautiful and amazing UGA Costa Rica campus.