Dispatches
Central America Expedition 2010: Day 6, part 2 – School for Field Studies, Costa Rica
March 18, 2010
After a short flight from Tamarindo we arrived back in San José, where we were met by a driver from the School for Field Studies (SFS) Center for Sustainable Development Studies. From San Jose it was about a 45-minute drive into the Central Highlands to Atenas, a medium-sized town known for its fruit production. The SFS Center occupies a hillside spot overlooking the Rio Grande Valley a couple of miles from downtown Atenas.
SFS operates unique experiential study abroad programs for college undergraduates through its five field stations in Costa Rica, Mexico, Australia, Kenya, and the Turks and Caicos Islands. Each center has a different environmental focus. SFS programs provide students with hands-on learning opportunities in field research, conservation, and community-based development. In Costa Rica, students live in dormitories at the Center for Sustainable Development Studies and attend classes in the Center’s indoor or outdoor classrooms, as well as off-site in field locations. We stayed in the dormitory’s intern wing and took most of our meals in the Center’s dining hall with the students.
When we arrived at SFS we were met by Gerardo Avalos, the director of the Costa Rica program, and by Ola Russell, who had flown down from the school’s head office in Massachusetts in order to facilitate our visit. They gave us a tour of the Center’s grounds, including the orchard, organic garden, and chicken coop – all places where students have opportunities to participate in sustainable farming activities.
