First Weekend in Costa Rica

Sorry for the lack of an update! It is difficult to update the blog with the weak internet connection at the field station, and we also had a field trip to La Tririmbina from Thursday to today, which meant no access to my computer or the internet during those days.

On Day 2 we had orientation, which included a tour of the field station and a visit to Atenas, the town nearby.  There I was able to exchange some money for the local currency colones and purchase some school supplies.  I am nervous about speaking Spanish to the Ticos (locals) because I am not at a proficient level.  So far I am usually forming sentences in my head before I speak to them.  I hope our Spanish classes will start soon.  While in Atenas I also visited the park and the church.  That night a small group of us watched Toy Story 3.  This is the first chance I’ve been able to see it and I enjoyed it a lot!

Every morning we now we have breakfast at 7am and then RAP at 8am. RAP means Reflection, Announcements, and Physicality. The student of the day must find something reflective to share with the group plus an activity or exercise.  The only days we do not have RAP is when we are on a field trip or on our day off, Sunday.

On Day 3 we had our first classes and swim test, which was two laps in the small pool at the field station.  While a group of us were relaxing on the hammocks, a stranger came up to us and began to ask questions about the field station, which was very strange because visitors are not allowed and anyone who enters the center must come through the gate and past the guard post.  He was an American tourist who was genuinely curious about the center, but we informed the office after he left that the gate was unlocked. 

We have also begun to make use of our soccer field.  I have not played soccer since middle school so I’m enjoying playing it again.

The weather at the field station is gorgeous. Although it is hot during the day, it is dry and often breezy, with the temperature becoming cool at night.

Day 4, 5, & 6:

                On these days we had our excursion to La Tirimbina, which is in the Limon Province of Costa Rica.  We got up at 5am to have an early breakfast and get onto the bus by 6.  We toured the Chiquita banana plantation, and learned the process from planting to harvest to packaging.  At lunchtime one of the women working on the plantation showed me a puppy that was just born on Monday!  It fit perfectly into the palm of her hand.  After lunch we watched a presentation on the corporate responsibility practices of Chiquita, including social and environmental efforts made on the plantation.  Although their efforts were admirable, including teaching women micro-business practices, planting forest corridors to connect rainforest habitats on Chiquita property, and obtaining certifications, such as the Rainforest Alliance, the speaker was clearly biased to speak highly of Chiquita.  Also the monetary contribution by Chiquita to these efforts is only a tiny percentage of their profits.  They donated around $100,000, and that included contributions from partners, such as gtz.  In comparison, Chiquita makes an annual income of several billion dollars.  Chiquita has discussed building schools for local communities, but only with the help of government aid.  It is good though to see that large corporations are at least beginning to feel the pressure to make social and environmental improvements.   

After visiting to Chiquita we went to our overnight stay, which included the bus going over the bumpiest roads I have ever been on and a tiny rickety bridge to cross a stream.  Also, all the showers here are freezing cold water, which I have yet to get used to; I mostly just stand outside of the stream of water and splash myself.

The next morning I got up at 6am to learn how to mist net birds, which is a method that has been used to catch birds since ancient times.  Mist nettings was first inventing in ancient Japan in order to collect birds for the King’s amusement.  Today mist netting is used to conduct research on birds by drawing samples, writing down observations, and/or banding them for future recapture.

Afterwards we had classes and hiked through the rainforest of La Tirimbina. There we crossed the longest hanging bridge in Central America, and saw howler monkeys, bullet ants, a lizard, and a bird called the Roufus Motmot.

 Later, we had another hike at night to find frogs.

The last day it rained, which delayed the bus so we only had a short time to spend on our last destination: a heart of palm plantation owned by DEMASA.  Unfortunately we did not have time to go out into the field to see how the palms were harvested, but the agricultural manager did tell us about their sustainable practices, including composting using palm debris and microorganisms.

Today I'm planning on relaxing in Atenas, and trying to watch the superbowl tonight in a sports bar.