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Teacher braves Christmas in
rain forest
By Mike McWilliams
Iowa City Press-Citizen
While most of his colleagues likely will spend
today's Christmas Day in the comfort of home, teacher Stan Vander Linden
will rappel down waterfalls and hike the mountains in the Costa Rican rain
forest as part of an adventure school.
Vander Linden, a 52-year-old
third grade teacher at Coralville Central Elementary, boarded a plane last
Saturday for San Jose, Cost Rica. Until Dec. 31, he will spend 10 days and
nights in the remote rain forest - 40 miles from San Jose - with several
other participants in the Costa Rica Rainforest Outward Bound School.
"First of all, I'm a big
fan of the TV show, 'Survivor,'" he said. "I have no idea who is
going to be in the course, so that's going to be part of the adventure,
too."
The school is aimed at
promoting physical and mental fitness through several arduous and
dangerous tasks, such as crossing turbulent streams, hiking along rugged
and precipitous terrain and dealing with other inherent dangers in the
forest - such as the wildlife.
"This trip has just
enough danger to make it exciting ... I don't like snakes," Vander
Linden said with a nervous chuckle. "I guess I'll have to learn to
like them or not be bothered by them."
Vander Linden will be one of
several participants in the school. Teams are split into groups of between
seven and 12 members, some of whom may be at a crossroads in their life
and want to experience something different, he said.
Last year, his mother had a
stroke, and Vander Linden since has spent a great deal of time taking care
of her. This trip, he said, will allow him an opportunity to get away for
a short time and it also will be the first time the teacher of 29 years
has ventured outside the United States.
Besides snakes, a couple of
concerns Vander Linden has include the remote location of the rain forest
and the weight of the gear he must carry - a 45-pound backpack filled with
supplies. Though he abides by a strict regimen of exercise, he is wary of
an injured knee he hurt last summer playing basketball.
The other worry is the
remoteness of the rain forest from the modern world. He said it will be
interesting to spend Christmas with his host families in the thick of the
rain forest, but in the case of an emergency back home, it could take four
days before he could even be contacted.
However, Vander Linden looked
forward to the trip and the challenges it will present. He said he also is
interested in forging new friendships but said he will miss the atmosphere
of Iowa City as Iowa football fans gear up for the Orange Bowl on Jan. 2.
"The biggest thing is
meeting new people. They say you build lifetime friendships," he said
two days before leaving for Costa Rica. "I think I'm going to miss
the Orange Bowl hype, but once I get there, that will probably be the
furthest thing from my mind."
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