Day 8... Sensoria and Research Presentations

It’s been a crazy few days, but yesterday may have been the craziest. We journeyed up to a resort called Sensoria in the middle of the rainforest. To get there, we had to drive through bumpy roads in the wilderness for an hour and a half. Needless to say, the drive was exhausting, mostly because it felt like riding a small boat in a hurricane. It was fun too though, because the combination of headphones, great music, friends, and scenery distracted us from the jolts. We stopped, had lunch, and drove again.

 

When we finally arrived at the resort, it didn’t take long for us to get on the trails and out towards our mystery destinations. Most used the restroom, applied some bugspray, and were off. The hike wasn’t nearly as bad as the one we experienced early this week, mostly due to the presence of stairs and the lack of a muddy slope with a 45 degree angle (if you can’t tell, I’m still bitter over that hike).

The first destination greeted us with a massive roar of rushing water. We stepped down into a secluded enclave right next to a jungle stream, and in the enclave was a huge waterfall. It was 30, maybe 40 feet tall, and sprinkled anyone facing it with a fine layer of mist. I was mesmerized. I stood watching it so long that the mist had drenched me as surely as if I’d been swimming by the time I stepped away.

The next destination was a swimming hole downstream of the waterfall. Now, I didn’t get in it, because I didn’t want to get wet, but everyone’s insistent screeches about the water temperature being basically subzero let me know I made the right choice.

We then went to a swimming hole further up the main path. I didn’t want to swim, but I finally got in- and this one was a bit warmer. The water felt like heaven, and was incredibly clear. The boys all had fun roughhousing. Despite the joy of that one, our guides had saved the best for last.

The final swimming hole was a hot spring. I’ve never felt such a beautiful sensation. It felt like swimming in the nectar of the gods, like I was lounging in ambrosia. The hot spring was just amazing. We relaxed, wrestled a little, and then went back to the resort to eat some cookies and dry off. I changed into dry clothes and relaxed as best as I could on the bumpy car ride. I was so exhausted that I went through our science presentations on autopilot.

Side note: Olivia Simpson, Jacob Steele, and yours truly achieved success on our experiment! Our hypothesis was proven through extensive testing.

By: Jacob Romines

Last night was an extremely successful evening as each of the student groups presented their research projects. Mrs. Bohannon, Dr. Pinto, Juan, Ibrahim, Pablo y Ana, the other teachers, and myself were very impressed with how much they learned about planning, organizing, and executing a research project. Over the coming days, I will upload their research presentations for everyone to view. You should be very proud of their accomplishments.

We would also like to invite everyone to come see our students present their findings on Thursday, June 23^rd, at 7pm in Convocation Hall. Don’t miss a great time… and don’t miss a sample of Finca La Anita Chocolate.

Thanks,

Mr. Heintz