Learning, Service, and Fun at Global Works Costa Rica Trip

Teens having fun
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Mathew "Matt" Kafker was a high honors and high credits student at his former high school, Middlesex School. During his time there, Matt Kafker took part in a Global Works trip to Costa Rica, where he helped renovate a local school. 

Global Works is an organization that provides teens with travel experiences that also incorporate community service, cultural exchange, adventure, and language immersion. These travel programs benefit not only the teens involved, but also the foreign communities the teens visit. These communities receive assistance in funding and in completing service projects. 

During the trip to Costa Rica, for example, Kafker and his friends were housed by a family in La Lucha. They interacted with the family over meals and even helped prepare local delicacies like tortillas and picadillo. They also interacted with local children through games like tag, sack racing, and jump rope, and even taught the local kids some American football. 

For their service work, the team helped renovate a local school. They mixed and poured cement for the school’s new side walk, painted the school’s exterior with fresh paint, and covered its drainage system with dirt. They also assisted the students in planning for English lessons. In between all this, they got to tour San Jose, paddle in deep forest rivers, dance salsa and merengue, marvel at the hot springs of Baldi, and go zip lining across the canopies.

Belize as a Travel Destination

During his junior and senior years at Middlesex School, Matthew (Matt) Kafker earned several academic awards and was a National AP Scholar and a National Merit Commended student. Matt Kafker also participated in several international service learning opportunities in France and Costa Rica. This sparked his love of travel, which has taken him to Ecuador, the Galapagos Islands, and Belize. 

Belize is a country south of Mexico and west of the Caribbean Sea. Tourism to Belize has grown tremendously over the past 15 years. 

However, due to the high cost of imports, Belize is considerably more expensive than its Central American neighbors. Some of the country’s main attractions include its natural beauty, long coastline, and quaint villages. 

Because of a rise in American visitors and the popularity of Belize City as a cruise stop, many American air carriers now offer direct flights to Belize. English is widely spoken in the country, and travelers have many choices in accommodations, including secluded resorts with views of the rain forest or the beach.

When to Visit Barbados

Physics major Matthew (Matt) Kafker is a dedicated university student who earned several academic awards as a high school student at Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts. Passionate about travel, Matt Kafker has visited several other countries, including the island country of Barbados.

Generally, the climate in Barbados is warm, with daytime highs between 75 and 85 degrees. However, the area does experience wet and dry seasons that impact the things tourists can enjoy on their vacations. 

Typically, the best time to visit Barbados is between July and November. While there is rain during these months, prices are much lower, and visitors can enjoy several key events, including the Reef Bowl and the Crop Over Festival.

When winter starts, prices on the island increase. December through April, Barbados sees the largest number of tourists. Hurricane season is over in these months, so the improved weather draws even more people.

In May and June, temperatures are comfortable, but crowds begin decreasing. Hurricane season begins, which results in lower hotel and air travel prices and smaller crowds.

Two Must-See National Parks in Alaska

After graduating with high honors from Middlesex School and earning awards such as the Sibyl F. Cohane Prize, Matt Kafker began his university education majoring in physics. Alongside keeping up with his studies, Matt Kafker enjoys traveling around the world, internationally and to domestic sites of interest such as Alaska.

As you prepare for an Alaskan adventure, you face an extensive range of choices to view the state’s spectacular natural scenery. Two places in particular to consider visiting are Denali National Park & Preserve and Kenai Fjords National Park.

Denali National Park holds the tallest peak in the United States known as Denali Mountain (also called Mount McKinley). With 6 million acres encompassing everything from river valleys to alpine ranges, the park boasts more than 650 flowering plant species to view during the summer, 169 bird species, and 39 mammal species.

Kenai Fjords National Park offers breathtaking views of glaciers, fjords, and icefields across the Kenai Peninsula. Located south of Anchorage and relatively easy to reach, this park also affords visitors an opportunity to participate in dog sled races.