The Brazil Course reports:
The Brazil class is now in Salvador, the heart of the Afro-Brazilian area. We did not realize our first day would be the day of Salvador´s most important religious festival, the washing of the steps of the Church of the Bonfim. The procession got started early right outside our hotel and the first picture is one of that gathering. Unfortunately, because of today´s celebration we were unable to visit the Church of the Bonfim, but we had a fabulous tour of the city, nonetheless. We also had another in a series of class meetings where students present their research on various aspects of Brazilian culture, politics, economics, geography, etc. The second picture is of the class during one student´s presentation.




The Costa Rica Course reports:
After a four-day weekend excursion, the group is now back in San Jose with three full days of classes in preparation for Saturday's final exams in Spanish and in the culture/history/ecology/politics of Costa Rica.

This past weekend began with a five hour bus ride to the Monte Verde ("Green Mountain") Cloud Forest Reserve. A cloud Forest, we learned, is like a rain forest except it is located at high altitude and gets its abundant moisture from clouds that come through from the nearby Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. It was amazing to actually be "in" the clouds as they blew through at 50+ mph. The abundant plant and animal species were seen and identified thanks to our expert local guides. Highlights of the day included a tarantula, chameleon-like lizard, howler monkeys, and the elusive Resplendent Quetzal.

We finished the long weekend with a day and night at the Arenal Volcano (about a 4 hour ride). As we arrived we were able to see the very top of the dual coned pyramid, which we later learned was quite a treat since it is normally covered by clouds. The clouds did come and we were unable to see the nighttime slow eruptions of lava and red hot rock.

Wednesday brought a brief trip to the local emergency room as one of our crew was a bit under the weather (but no worries, all are fine now except for a few sniffles). The experience was educational as we learned much about the health care system here. We were seen by a well trained, pleasant physician faster than it takes to even get your insurance info completed in most US hospitals. Within 15 minutes of walking in the door, the intake and triage were done and we were with one of the ER docs. The care was constant, competent, and thorough. And this good care came at a low cost... you could FLY TO COSTA RICA, be seen in a private hospital ER and fly back cheaper than most visits to an ER in the US. Some people even come down for elective surgeries because they are less expensive and the care is superb (they utilize current technology and top notch care in this particular hospital). The country also has universal public health care and universal insurance, although there are wait lists for elective surgeries and patient needs are prioritized by urgency rather than ability to pay.

Today the students are in class preparing for tomorrow's final exams. They have three hours of Spanish this morning and then one final guest speaker this afternoon. On Sunday we will head to the Irazu Volcano for a day and night and then on to end the course with some R & R at Manuel Antonio, on the Atlantic Ocean. We'll then be back in San Jose for one night before a very early wake-up and flight home on the 25th.