Bullis Blog | Global Studies Trips

Greetings from our intrepid explorers! Today, Friday, March 24, is our last travel day in Costa Rica, and we’re packing our bags for home! We will make our way from the Pacific Coast, across the Continental Divide, and back to the Caribbean to our airport.  Our sixth day in Costa Rica was one of the most fun and bittersweet. We had another water-filled day, switching between an outrigger canoe trip with snorkeling and a visit to a beach, then some fun activities in the evening. I assigned a few student volunteers to recount their experiences today, to capture as many memories as we could before we say farewell. Here are their stories from their experiences and reflections:   Joao wrote about yesterday: “After lunch, we got ready to go snorkeling. The trip took a bit, we had to go out of the resort which takes a while, and arrive at where we were going which also takes a while. We're lucky to have buses. Once we were there, there were five teams made, each in a canoe. Our goal...

Bienvenidos Todos!  It's Wednesday, March 22. This was the fifth day of our journey across Costa Rica, and we had a leisurely ride, making our way toward the Pacific Coast and the beach of Punta Leona. Two student volunteers created their recaps of our day below, along with some images. Please enjoy! Lili noted : “Today, we left the hotel after we had breakfast with a beautiful view of exotic birds near the volcano. While the delicious pancakes were a highlight of my day, I also loved watching through the window as we drove through pastures of cows and fields of corn. At one point on our journey, we stopped to buy souvenirs to bring back to our families. I saw many of my peers purchase thoughtful gifts for their parents and siblings with bright smiles on their faces as they thought of giving the bracelets, wallets, T-shirts, and many other surprises to them! We also stopped at a market where we were able to buy traditional delicacies and snacks before crossing a bridge with many...

Welcome back attentive 8th grade followers, It's Tuesday, March 21! This was our fourth day traveling together to Costa Rica, (halfway through!) and students are settling in nicely to our travel routine. It’s been two glorious days, and our student volunteers were eager to paint a picture for you. Read below to see the summaries and photos of our experiences: Sebby wrote : "After waking up bright and early and having breakfast, we set off for the Asis Wildlife Refuge center. On our way, we stopped at a small fruit stand that had many tropical fruits like bananas, mango, and pineapple. We got to try a few that our guides bought for us. After the fruit stand, we continued on to the wildlife center; we met our guides who showed us around each enclosure. We saw many animals like Toucans, monkeys, raccoons (Coatis), and even Scarlet, Green, and Golden Macaws. We learned about their habitats, if they were nocturnal or non-nocturnal, and also who they prey upon and who they are pre...

Hello again 8th Grade families and Bullis community members, It's Monday, March 20. This was our third day traveling together in Costa Rica, jam-packed with activities and hands-on learning! Today’s overview will be a little different from the past two days since we divided our activities in half. For today, we’ll follow Bus 2’s journey, then Bus 1’s journey tomorrow! Here are the student volunteers’ summaries of our first “split” day. - Ms. Claire Holman Diyar reported: “For Monday, March 20th, my fellow peers and I went zip lining at Arenal Mundo Aventura. We first put on all our gear while watching a safety video and tutorial. Furthermore, we boarded the truck and headed towards the first zipline. As I went up the staircase, my legs started to shake — I was trembling in fear. Once I did the first zip line, all my fears went away and I had one heck of a time riding 6 different 100-meter and 500-meter-long zip lines and seeing all the amazing waterfalls. Additionally, at the ...

Buenas Noches! It's Sunday, March 19. This was our second day traveling together to Costa Rica, and what a blast we had! Two more student volunteers composed a rundown of events as well as their observations throughout the day, so please read below and see the photos for our adventures today. Emma shared: “Today we drove 2 hours to go White Water Rafting on the Sarapiqui River and rafted for about 2 hours. We got taught how to row and the rafting leaders gave us instructions like “lean-in” and we flipped our paddles upside down and faced our face to the bottom. The rapids weren’t too scary—-they were great for beginner levels. I had a lot of fun screaming and rafting with my friends while we splashed other boats. We also got a chance to jump off the boat and went swimming in the river. I had a great time, and it flew by extremely fast. After water rafting, we had soft tacos and chips. It was so scrumptious that I had to get seconds!” Katie also shared: “After white water rafting an...

Good evening from Costa Rica - Saturday, March 18! This was our first day traveling together to Costa Rica, and we had quite the action-packed day! I have asked student volunteers in the 8th grade to compose a rundown of events as well as their observations throughout the day, so please read a composite of their summaries below! - Ms. Holman, Language Arts Teacher Jenna shared: “Today we visited La Chimba coffee farm. Here, we learned about how coffee plants are grown, picked, and sold. We also learned about traditional Costa Rican culture and native animals, such as Albino Peacocks and Scarlet Macaws. As well as that, we had the opportunity to taste four different types of coffee, as well as a cold brew coffee.” - Jenna Karina also shared: “When we first got to the coffee farm, we had lunch that involved chicken, plantains, and rice. The lunch was new to me because I have never had this cultural dish before. I’m not a huge fan of plantains, but they were the best thing I tast...