Participant: Joshua Brown

Hello all, my name is Joshua Brown and I am a senior at City High. I am really excited about going to Costa Rica and I can’t wait to go. It probably doesn’t help that my sister went two years ago. All she kept talking about for the next month after she got back was how amazing Costa Rica was, so I want to experience that too. I have a lot of expectations for this trip and I have no doubts that this trip will fulfill each and every one of them.

I have a variety of interests in school, and even more interests outside of school. In the fall I plan on attending Bucknell University to pursue my interest in Civil Engineering. Throughout my many years of schooling I have always had an interest in math, and I am excited to have the opportunity to expand on that at such a prestigious school. Outside of school, I pursue many of the typical teenager interests. I have spent the past 12 years of my life between the pipes on an ice rink playing ice hockey. Hockey has always been a huge passion of mine and I have played at a variety of levels. Through hockey I have been able to travel across the Eastern half of the United States and Canada. I also have been playing soccer since I was four years old. Soccer kind of lost its interest to me when I discovered hockey, but I still like to go out and play with friends whenever I get the chance. On top of these, I also enjoy playing video games, watching TV and movies. Some of my all time favorite game series of all time are Diablo, Pokemon, Battlefield, the Legend of Zelda, and Mario. My favorite movie is always changing, but I am a huge fan of the Avengers, and most movies that star Will Ferrell.

City High is a very unique school in many ways. Some of the most interesting things, in my opinion, are the fact that the school runs on a trimester program. The trimester program seemed a bit weird to me when I first did it. School in the summer seemed to be a crazy idea; I think that it honestly is helpful. It allows a shorter break between school years, and allows students to maintain their information better. City High’s laptop program also something that is interesting. The idea of giving students laptops seems weird, but it has allowed students at City High to excel. We use the laptops in every class, and without them we wouldn't be able to get by.

In my opinion the biggest pro of City High in my opinion is the fact that the teachers are always pushing us. Without City High I probably wouldn’t ever think about going on a trip like this one. After hearing my sister’s stories about it two years ago, I had no choice but to try to experience it myself. I want to go on this trip because I feel like I will be a great learning experience for me. Understanding the culture differences and getting a better feel for the rest of the world is a key part in making me a better person. I want to be able to help other people and I think that this trip will allow me to do so.

Although I am really excited for this trip, I do have some concerns for the trip. I am not too sure on how I will handle the fact that there will be bugs bigger than my hand. I am not afraid of bugs, but idea of bugs makes me want to pull out a giant fly swatter and go hunting. I am not sure how well my training in bug hunting will hold against these large bugs. Also, I am very sure that I will be walking around the skinny bridge that we are supposed to walk around. It isn’t that I am afraid of heights, but I am just afraid of falling to an imminent death. There is a big difference, and I think that the 40 minute walk will fair me much better than walking across it.

Overall, I wish to gain a better understanding of Costa Rican culture, and the opportunity to help the locals out. I am a strong believer in helping others, and I hope that this trip meets my high expectations. In the end as long as I am able to help out the lives of the Costa Rican people and I am also able to feel like I understand them better I will be fine.