SCC pupils immersed in Costa Rican culture

SCOTTSDALE - For many Costa Ricans, pura vida is an expression of satisfaction often used to indicate good spirits, good life and good times.

For John Ellis, a Spanish instructor at Scottsdale Community College, and his 13 students who recently visited the Central American country, the experience of pura vida was one of the many takeaways from an intensive, four-week program in Spanish language and culture.

During the trip, Ellis and his students were immersed in the culture. The opportunities to share food, leisure time and events with host families - and to do so within a Spanish-speaking context - were invaluable.

"The goal of the trip was to become aware of the context in which the language is used," Ellis said. "The experience cannot be easily replicated by learning Spanish in the U.S."

Ellis said the exposure to other cultures, and overcoming any fears, was as valuable as the linguistic benefits. Another benefit of the program was to help students become confident interacting with people of other cultures and traveling to other countries.

"It was a safe setting. They felt they were taken care of," he said. "After the trip, they all expressed a desire to travel to other places, such as South America."

International Latin American Studies Organization, a Costa Rican organization that administers education abroad programs for high school and college international education programs, coordinated the teaching facilities at Universidad Latina de Costa Rica in San Jose.

Academically equivalent to a Spanish 201 course, classes were conducted four hours each day Monday through Thursday and most often used to prepare for the day's upcoming experiences in the city, as well as to share experiences of the previous day.

Planned guided activities often produced exciting topics for discussion in class, such as the hike up Arenal Volcano, Costa Rica's constantly active volcano.

"We saw smoke, but they had to evacuate tourists the following week," he said.

The group visited Manual Antonio National Park and the Guanacaste region - both areas known for their beautiful beaches. Next on the list was a coffee processing plant in San Jose, and a gold museum that produces indigenous artifacts made of solid gold, such as miniature jaguars, frogs and crabs.

"By traveling, living, studying and simply experiencing life in an environment different from one's own, most students come away with an increase in self-confidence, tolerance for ambiguity, empathy, flexibility and a lasting impact on their world view," said Jen Sydow, SCC education abroad advisor.

Students had an opportunity to use their "survival" skills, as well, participating in a customized version of TV's The Amazing Race. Students were divided into several teams armed simply with instructions and bus fare. The goal: Go downtown, follow the instructions, complete the task and return to base camp.

Unplanned activities also allowed students to sharpen their language skills, such as the day they happened to meet with the university's English as a second language students.

Share your news and happenings, and we'll publish them in print and online. To find out how you can contribute information specific to Scottsdale and the Northeast Valley, check out "News By You" at scottsdale.azcentral.com and click on "Citizen Reporter."