Language teacher Laura Copenhaver has sultry summer plans for you! The well-travelled IB Latin and Spanish teacher has taken the initiative in planning summer trips many times before, and this year’s destination is the vibrant country of Costa Rica. To find out more about the upcoming excursion, read on.
The Colt: I know this isn’t the first trip you’ve planned, can you discuss previous trips?
Laura Copenhaver: We went to Spain, France, and Italy two years ago–it was a great trip! We learned how to cook an entire meal in Florence with real chefs. We made our own pasta from scratch and everyone participated in the entire meal. We visited the Vatican, the Roman Forum, the Tower of Pisa, Parc Guell in Barcelona, Nice in France and even got to go to the beach there.
TC: What motivated you to begin this program?
LC: I want students to experience other cultures and use the languages they are studying. I have lived in Costa Rica and Cuernavaca, Mexico and those trips have opened my eyes and let me experience other cultures first-hand. I enjoyed traveling with a large group to Mexico and I went by myself to Costa Rica. My husband and I have been to Costa Rica three times because we love the country and the people. It is an exciting place to go with jungles, wild animals, zip lines, beaches, and large cities.
TC: What aspect of the trips do you think has the biggest impact on kids?
LC: Using the language they studied, trying to communicate in another language even if you haven’t studied it. I took one semester of French years ago and some of it came back to me in France. It’s hilarious to try to order food when you don’t know what you are ordering! Do you think they help broaden students’ horizons? Yes, and I think it also makes people want to travel more. Most of the kids who went said they would definitely go to Europe again. I would do the same trip again in a heartbeat!
TC: How much do trips cost and where can one sign up?
LC: Europe is usually about $4,500, and this year Costa Rica is about $2,700. These student trips include everything except lunch. So airfare, breakfast, dinner, hotels and all other transportation is included.
TC: Why was Costa Rica the location of choice for this summer?
LC: I let my husband choose! And Spanish is the language most people at our school take.
TC: What is your favorite place you’ve visited so far?
LC: Surprisingly the parts of France we went to and I loved Italy.
TC: What kind of turn out do these opportunities usually have?
LC: It varies. When we went two years ago we had eight in our group but we combined with students from Lamar so we could get our own bus.
There is still plenty of room on this trip and they are extending the deadline to October 31. Anyone interested can stop by A208 or go to www.EducationalTravel.com/Login (Group Username: costarica2014, Group Password: laura).
