Exploring the Culture and Rainforest of Costa Rica

September 3, 2019
Author: Madi Green

From June 9-June 16, 2019 a Southern Utah University student, Madison Green, went
on a cultural experience to Costa Rica. While there she traveled with a University program
known as Partner’s in the Park. The group consisted of 13 students and 2 professors as well as
a tour guide. Together they traveled to three different regions and experienced vast differences
between the three. From the high mountains of the Juan Castro Blanco National Park to the
capital city of San Jose the trip showed the major differences between the American girl lifestyle
that Green knew back home and the poverty and diversity that exists in this Central American
country.

For the first 3 days of her trip Green was in the high elevated cloud forest of the Juan
Castro Blanco National Park. While there she spent her morning’s bird watching, days hiking in
the thick wet forest, listening to the thunderstorms and waiting for the evening to search for
nocturnal creatures in the dark. She also had the opportunity to participate in the reforestation
project by planting trees and clearing land the way native’s do-with a machete. The three days
that followed were spent in the lower altitude town of Sarapiqui at the Selva Verde Lodge. While
there Green felt as though she were a part of the jungle itself. Waking up each day to the sound
of howler monkeys, listening to the “ribbit” of the frogs, and the rush of the river nearby. Green
says the most memorable moment of this part of the trip was at a chocolate making exhibit
where they were able to see the process from the time the cocoa bean leaves the tree to the
moment the chocolate enters your mouth. The last day of the trip was spent traveling back to
San Jose where she was able to stop at the Toucan Rescue Ranch on the way. The ranch
exposed her to the animal cruelty that exists in both her own country and this one. However,
she was grateful that the ranch exists to help build awareness and protect these beautiful
creatures (the ranch was not specific to toucans and rescued any wild animal in need).

Green is a senior at Southern Utah University studying Biology with the hope of
continuing her education and receiving a masters in Physician Assistant studies. She said, “This
trip would not have been possible without the Honors Program at Southern Utah University in
part with the Partner’s in the Park program. Partner’s in the Park is a program designed to
expose students to the national parks that exist all over the country. This trip to Costa Rica was
the first international trip”. Green also noted that another motivation for this trip came from the
EDGE project of Southern Utah University, which served as the driving force to go on this trip.
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Contact Information:

Madi Green
(435)669-0313
madisonnicoleg@gmail.com
https://sociablyunsocial.weebly.com/