Global Navigator Perspective: Zipping through the Rainforest

This session of Climate Change Mitigation (CCM) is full of students wanting to change the future of our Earth through learning about Costa Rican culture. Riva Kogan, is a student that is always participating and enthusiastic about learning. Riva has written this weekend's blog: 

Coming from the Midwest of the United States, so far my trip to Costa Rica has been a fascinating adventure. This past weekend did not disappoint. It was unforgettable, from beautiful views to invigorating adventures and group bonding time.

Our Saturday began early when we persevered through a difficult but rewarding 8K hike on the El Tigre trail. The forests of Monteverde enveloped us as took awe in the lush Costa Rican landscapes. The highlight of the hike was the 4 waterfalls. Everybody appreciated these waterfalls not only because of their beauty but also because of how they cooled us all with their refreshing mist during our long hike. Our climate change teacher - Luis Dumani - who accompanied us on our hike explained to us that this trek acquired its name from a Costa Rican saying that indicates that the tiger lives far away, or isolated, similar to the waterfalls. While near the waterfalls our group took a break from hiking to have lots of fun swimming in the refreshing water from the waterfalls. After our swim, we continued our hike and eventually reached a spot for horseback riding. This was one of my first times riding a horse, and it was both exhilarating and nerve-wracking. The horse ride let us experience some of the most breathtaking scenic trails and gave us all a good laugh when a horse started to gallop unexpectedly. By lunch time we had definitely worked up a substantial appetite. It was just our luck that we had already planned to eat at the El Tigre restaurant. The food there was delicious, many of us got to try Costa Rican dishes that were bursting with flavor. After dinner we had a blast at our group karaoke session. We sang classics like "Party in the USA," "The Climb," and "Fly Me to the Moon." Everybody sang and screamed their hearts out, and I can vouch for the fact that no one missed a single note. It was the best way to end our first Saturday in Costa Rica. 

Sunday we dove head first into adrenaline driven adventures. We woke up at the crack of dawn to drive to the Monteverde ziplining tours. The ziplines were so much fun and provided such beautiful vistas of the foggy lush forest below us. We got to zip through treetops, some of us overcoming our fear of heights. For everyone every ziline provided such a rush of excitement as we soared through the air and got to see the place we are living in for these three weeks from above. The real test of bravery came later in the ziplining tour with the Tarzan swing. All of us were pushed off of a tall platform and swung over a cliff with a beautiful view as our backdrop. That night, after all the excitement, we settled down and had free time. We went on hikes, studied, hung out and most importantly rested after a packed couple of days. 

As I continue my time in Costa Rica, I am feeling more and more connected to my fellow global navigators and our natural surroundings everyday. As someone experiencing the joys of Monteverde for the first time, I have learned so much about all there is to offer and am so excited for the learning opportunities to come in the next two weeks!