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Wayland is offering a study tour to Costa Rica next Spring. Many Wayland students are eligible. Students interested in going on the trip must have completed 2 courses, either Spanish 1401 and 1402, or English 1301 and 1302, to earn college credit for the study tour.

Dr, Joshua Mora, Professor of Spanish in the School of Languages and Literature, is organizing the excursion. Dr. Erin Heath, Associate Professor of English in the School of Languages and Literature, will be leading the tour along with Dr. Mora.

            Students interested in earning credit on this trip and meet the qualifications can gain either 6 hours in Spanish equaling SPAN2301 and SPAN2302 or 3 hours in English.

            “Those who are a minor in Spanish can also do an upper level [credit],” Mora said. “If they do upper level, they have to have the requirements all the way through [SPAN2302].”

            The trip will take place from May 9 through May 27. The group will stay in a beach house in Nosara, Costa Rica for the three weeks of the trip. Those who attend will get to try things like authentic food and coffee, ziplining through the jungle, learn how to dance Salsa, and experience various aspects of the culture.

            Costs for this trip are subject to fluctuating airline ticket prices, but the trip fees cover the majority of the experience. The last few days of the trip will include several tourist attractions, depending on the funds still available after travel and accommodations costs are met.

“Everything [students] pay includes the excursions. It all depends on how much they eat, how much the excursions are, food, and airlines. Everything is paid, minus their personal expenses and tuition,” Mora said.

            The school had offered excursions to Mexico until violence there forced groups to find other locations. Costa Rica has been the site for this Wayland study tour since 2009.

“The drug violence started in Mexico. It just so happened there was a shooting down where we were planning to stay. We met right before spring break. Some of the students had already paid, so they were disappointed. Then, one of the students mentioned Costa Rica,” Mora stated. “Thank God, everything went smoothly. Low and behold, we still stay in the same beach house and things fell into place. Here it is, 10 years later, we are going again.”

            Not only can this study trip help you right now, but in the future as you apply to jobs as well.

“Going on a study tour is a really good thing on your resume. Employers love that a student has traveled abroad, especially out of the country for three weeks long,” Mora said. “You open your mind culturally, you learned other cultures and lived amongst it. There is no tradeoff for that.”

            It would be best to contact someone as soon as possible if you are interested in going to Costa Rica next Spring.

“Generally, sign up ends once we start getting the airline tickets. The airline is pretty strict about that, and we go as a group. We have been able to add some people afterwards, they just had to pay an extra fee. Generally, we do the airline tickets before the end of the semester and that is the end of the sign-up period. The extra charge falls to the student” Dr. Mora stated.

For more information about the study tour or for meeting times, contact Dr. Mora at moraj@wbu.edu.

            “I would like to have everything done by the time we leave for Christmas break,” Dr. Mora said. “If there are people out there who have the prerequisites and want to come, please come talk to us.”