Participant: Charlene Ward

My name is Charlene Ward and I am currently a 17 year old junior at City High. My interests include outdoor activities such as hiking and kayaking, mixed martial arts, and theatre. In my free time, I enjoy reading about world affairs and watching old movies. Something interesting about me that many would not expect is that I have a second degree black belt in Taekwondo. I’m a fairly passive person, but that doesn’t mean I don’t love to hit the bag after a long day of school.  Another passion of mine is traveling. One of my goals in life is to go to every U.S. National Park; so far I have one down, so I still have a long way to go.  My first National Park experience was with the SCA when my crew was stationed in Crater Lake National Park, Oregon. City Charter High School is a very interesting charter school. I was fearful that I would loath going to a school that had a focus on business, but now I understand that having experience in business will be more beneficial and practical to me in the future. It’s also a huge relief receiving a monthly bus pass and a computer; I would not be able to afford these materials otherwise.

The reason I am going on this trip is because I want to experience the Latin American culture firsthand. When I was younger, my neighbor hosted a foreign exchange student from Ecuador; she was one of the sweetest people I had ever met. After this experience, I became very interested in the Latin American culture. I envy their carefree and loving culture. Often times I wish Americans could act the way they do. Costa Rica is especially interesting to me though because of its varied eco-systems. There aren’t many places in the world that are as beautiful as well as diverse as Costa Rica. Some say I am a huge “tree hugger,” so it’s no surprise that I am eager to go to a place where almost half their land is covered in forest.  Also, you’ll most likely never hear a teenage genuinely say that they like working. For some odd reason I find enjoyment in making things, such as trails and other structures. I really want to make a difference on the lives of the people we will be helping in Costa Rica. A little bit of work from one group of students really can have an immense impact on a community.

The trip itself does not concern me at all. I cannot wait to finally leave the country for the first time. I am not at all scared by anything that we will encounter on the trip. I love the outdoors and nature, so I won’t freak out in the rainforest. I also consider myself to have a minimalist attitude about things, so I should fit in greatly with the rest of the country! I am a little bit worried about managing my work load when I am out of school. Not only will I be missing two weeks of school for Costa Rica, but ten days later I will be missing another two weeks of school to go to Alaska. I might just go crazy getting all this work done in time, but I know that it will be worth it. I hope to gain through this trip a new perspective on life. I know I have known several Latin Americans throughout my life, but I have never really been engulfed in their culture. I also want to create stronger relationships with my classmates and the people I will meet in Costa Rica. Some of my friends who went on the trip in previous years say they are still very close with some of the Costa Rican students they met. Also, I just want to experience the beauty of Costa Rica. I am so excited that my first out of the country experience will be in one of the most beautiful places in Latin America.