On the last day in Pacayitas, I woke up to rooster
sounds like every other morning this week (no alarm clock needed!). Doña Emilce was already up and
busy at work. We made tortillas together as she had taught me Monday morning.
Our first activity was with the nutrition board and other involved parents,
about nutrition programs and priorities in the school and in the community. It
was encouraging to hear about the importance they placed on nutrition and
nutrition education. The school leaders prioritized and saw the importance of
providing well balanced, healthful meals, along with nutrition education. The
group expressed that they had sufficient government support to maintain these
programs. They are providing an essential need while raising up the next
generation to be responsible and informed eaters and producers of food.
An
awareness and practice of a balanced diet is important not only for children,
but the entire community. There was a discussion about how alternative and
often “healthier” products (ie. low-fat milk and whole-grain breads) were not
readily available. One of the major reasons appeared to be because of a lack of
demand and higher prices of these items. The difficulty of obtaining these
products in the community struck me more personally because of a conversation I
had had with one of the mothers earlier that morning. She had expressed the
health concerns of her daughter and her desire for good nutrition for herself
and her family. She shared how difficult it was to obtain these food items that
had been recommended by a doctor. It taught me a lot about the need to analyze
the bigger picture and balance health concerns with important cultural
practices and dietary habits. 
One
important and special cultural practice and dietary habit, is the processing of
sugar cane for candy! As strange as it might sound to the conventional
nutritionist, learning about healthy food choices and then significantly munching
on pure sugar products, are the types of “contradictions” that cross-cultural
exchange and learning are all about. We were invited to learn from a family of
experts about the start to finish process of making sugar candy in a way that
maintains its traditional cultural integrity. Don Peto and Doña Maritza taught
us about the hard work of planting sugar cane without machinery, and the
expertise needed to grow varieties for the perfect combination for candy
making. Taking us to their processing facility, we came to appreciate how they
work with horses to power a machine to squeeze the cane to produce pure sugar
juice (it is as delicious as it sounds!). There is a long and careful process
of then purifying and boiling the juice to create a honey to then harden in
molds. Seeing how much the staff used intuition and practiced skill in creating
the candy made me appreciate how this process was more of an art form than a
mere production practice. They continue to produce sugar cane candy and juice
without machinery, mostly because they prefer it that way.
My
time in Costa Rica ended much as it began, learning and being inspired by two
of the amazing women of the community (all of the people I met during this time
were amazing and wonderful people!). Lindsey shared with us her greenhouse
garden and all the hard work and knowledge she has applied to grow fresh
produce for her family and possibly to sell. Doña Rosario invited us into her
beautiful home, introducing us to her family and gardens.
Running
late as usual, I finished the day with a high: eating dinner with my Costa
Rican family. It is an incredible joy to sit and chat with them about the day
and local news. As I looked around the table at Doña Emilce, Carolina and her
sister Marionela, Jimmena and Catalina, with Don Carlos in the background, I
couldn’t believe I got to be a part of this amazing family for a week. They had
welcomed me into their special unit of people and I will forever be blessed to
have known them.
As a
finale to the trip, we went to Fabian’s house for a party with our group and
host families in the Rancho. Each day I had greatly appreciated our reflection
time, but the final reflection of the trip and what it meant to each one as we
shared around a fire, was the perfect closing to the week. I really enjoyed
hearing how each person was processing our very special time in Costa Rica. Our
brilliant leaders, Paige and Elizabeth, came up with superlative awards for
each person that made us laugh and reminded us that each one brought something different
and needed to make the week what it was. Without being overly cheesy, I cannot
express my deep gratitude to each person that impacted me this week including:
our hosts Fabian and Alex, leaders Paige and Elizabeth, each member of our
group, our host families, and every community member we had the pleasure of
meeting. From each of them I learned about hard work and expertise,
determination, kindness, hospitality, and about pursuing dreams and goals that
don’t just benefit you but are a blessing to the community you are a part of!
Thank you Pacayitas, you will forever have a special place in each one of our
hearts!
No comments:
Post a Comment