Katie: Fear is Only Momentary

“Hope will always be stronger than fear. Fear is only momentary.” –Dennis Banks

This is the last quote I had written in my journal since last year when I was with the Ojibwe in Minnesota. It is so fitting seeing as where I am today from where I was a year ago. Those small moments of hope overcame the overwhelming shadows of fear. Holding on closely to those moments of hope has brought me to a place in my life I never expected –a place where happiness and awe completely consumes me. Where laughter and love are stronger than fear, than anxiety, than language barriers. Love, kindness, gratitude, laughter and music are universal languages. My host family and I do not speak the same language and yet we have been able to connect and grow comfortable around one another. Last night we shared music back and forth and had spontaneous dance lessons in the living room. It is incredible to see how language is not necessary to make a real connection with a complete stranger. I am so humbled and in awe of the warmth and sense of family in this amazing culture.

I am also in awe of the passion and ingenuity of the community. The past two days we have experienced so many examples of the passion of these people and their love for their community and their work. Today at a meeting with the Tourism Association they told us “If you want something and you have a passion for it that will overcome all weaknesses.” This quote spoke so many volumes of the community and how much they have invested in each other. Everyone from the coffee producer to the jalapeño farm shared how their hope is to help take care of their community and offer jobs and opportunities.  Repeatedly they tell us that their first goal was never to make money; it was to help the community.

Since I hope to go into International Development when I graduate in May, this really resonated me –what does development mean to the communities we work with? The tourism board explained how simultaneously they work to grow tourism while preserving their culture. In the public meeting area of the community there is a picture of the two oldest and the two youngest of the community. This was there to remind the community that as they grow they must respect the wisdom of their elders while thinking of the future of their children. The definition of development here is so all encompassing of the community –they make sure they benefit the elders, the children, the farmers, and the businesses together. It has only been two days and my eyes have opened to so much.  I am eager to see where the rest of the week will take us.

Peace & Love,

Katie

Terresa: Bienvenidos a Pacayitas!

Yesterday was our first official day in Pacayitas,Costa Rica. After a 5 hour flight from NJ and 4 hour bus travel from San Jose yesterday, we have finally arrived. Unfortunately, one of our classmates, Jack, wasn't able to stay on the trip. Before I begin, I want to dedicate this blog post to Jack. Your presence is greatly missed and we all wish you were here to share in this opportunity!

Today, was a very action filled day! First of all, it was National Women's day. This is holiday not really celebrated in the USA but in Costa Rica, it is a pretty big deal. Everywhere we went people were reminding us of the holiday and praising the roles of women.

We started our one week adventure at a coffee plantation in the heart of Pacayitas. The head head of this coffee plantation was a woman named Rosario. I found this activity particularly interesting because we did a lot of hands-on activities. Everything from, picking the coffee beans, to packaging them in the bags is done at this site and we all got the opportunity to experience each step.

Step 1: Tie a basket around your waist. Then, grab a branch from the coffee plant and carefully yet, efficiently pull off all the ripe berries. Since it wasn't picking season we didnt get the full experience. However, a few of us got to try on the basket!

Step 2:  Place the berries in the water to weed out all the bad ones. If they float, they're bad. If they sink, they're good.

Step 3: Dry the berries. This process takes months so we fast forwarded to already dried berries.

Step 4: This was probably the most entertaining  step of them all. We all got to check our flexibility skills by climbing on to the trunk of a semi hollowed tree and smashing the berries. 

Step 5: Skillfully, sift and blow the beans in order to get rid of the skin. This is much more difficult than it sounds! 

Step 6: roast the coffee in a giant pot. This also takes hours so we were presented with already roasted beans.

Step 7: Grind up the coffee beans! 

Step 8: Package and distribute. In our case, Rosario prepared each of us sample cups. 

I don't personally drink coffee, but according to my classmates it was rich and flavorful! Now, we can all say we produced our very own Costa Rican coffee, sort of. 

After a short lunch break, we were all pleasantly surprised with a hike up to the Water Conservation plant. Although, the hike was a bit difficult, we all used our energy from the rice and beans we had at lunch and successfully made it through. The beautiful trees and plants were also inspiration to keep moving. Once we reached the Water Conservation site, we met Hernando. As the head of all things water-related in Pacayitas, he taught us about how he supplies and maintains the communities water supply.  

Finally, we ended our day with a meeting with the local community government, The Community Development Association. We learned of each of their roles and responsibilities in the community. It was interesting to learn about how much work goes into this association. We also had the opportunity to ask them questions pertaining to difficulties with their roads, healthcare and national government. 

After our meeting, we were given snacks and gifts ( more snacks). We also had the opportunity to purchase local, handmade souvenirs. These souvenirs were especially sentimental because they were created by women in the community. Since it was National Women's day, the males made it a point to praise the hard work and perseverance of these women. Their creations are beautiful and we wish them continued success. 

Overall, today was a very educational day! It made us think about how many things we take for granted. Although, the people here have to work extra hard for what they have, they are extremely happy. We can't wait to see what the rest of the trip has in store for us! Please stay tuned. 

Bienvenidos a Costa Rica

Yesterday afternoon, after a very long day of travel, we arrived in sunny Costa Rica! Our new hosts have made us feel very welcome and we are excited to start our exploration of this friendly rural town! 

Chrstine: Dear Future Self

Dear Future Self, 

Right now I am rapidly, I say rapidly! approaching the day that I will depart for my trip to Costa Rica! Isn’t this exciting? I know it is! And I bet you do too, because when you read this you’ll probably have just gotten back. Everything is fresh in your mind and you are overwhelmed by new experiences. I just wanted to write to you to remind you about all of the things past you hoped that you would learn on this trip, so that you can reflect on them now. Think of me, ripe with anticipation for this trip and all of the new and exciting things I will get to do and learn. And think of future you, someone who is going to want to have something to take her back to those warm activity packed days. Don’t be selfish now… I know you’re feeling lazy. Plus why would you need to write this stuff down? Of course you’re going to remember it! And you’re tired… and you have school tomorrow… but no more excuses! Past you knows better. I know that future future me will want to have something to read in 5 years when something reminds her of this trip. And I know that she isn’t going to remember all the details that are so fresh in your mind right now. But they’re really important! And she’s going to want to remember them. So I need you to think of future you. And here are some of the things I think future you would like to remember. Yes, please get out a pen and paper now. Don’t worry; you can keep me off to the side for reference. 

About Costa Rica:

Talk about the weather, and the landscape. What were the views like? What did it sound like? Were there birds? Where the planes? How is living in Costa Rica different from living in the United States?

About your host family:

What were their names? What did the house look like? Did you make a connection with anyone particular in your host family? Are there any funny moments or things that you learned that stick out in your memory right now? Talk about what types of clothes they wore, and how the house smelled. Were there customs that the family practiced that were strange to you? If so, what were they? How is this family different, or similar, to your own?

About new things that you tried:

What kinds of foods did you eat? Did you try anything new that you loved? Or hated? How do Costa Rican’s view diet and nutrition? Is there anything new that scared you, or made you nervous? Did you do it anyway? Are you glad you did? 

About new things that you learned:

Which of the activities was your favorite and why? Is there anything that you were taught that made you think differently about something that you do in your regular life? Maybe there’s something that you would like to change about your daily habits now? Were you inspired by anything in particular that you learned?

So there are my ideas for what to reflect on. Feel free to use these, or talk about anything else that you will want to remember later. Don’t let future you down! Past you is counting on it.

-Christine-

Jack: Before the Trip

It is always fascinating to dream about the trip to Costa Rica in a few days, during which I can finally have a glance at the tropical forest and what the agricultural economy looks like.

Being abroad is no longer a new experience for me.  Before becoming an international student studying in the United States, I had already been to several countries outside of China.  Most of them, such as Japan, Australia, the United Kingdom and Singapore, are highly developed countries like the United States, in which I gained a general sense of what a developed country looks like and what trends a developing country are undergoing.  Besides China, which is the country where I was born and raised, I don’t have any cognition of how a developing country may look like and what development means to developing countries with different developmental levels.  In order to generate such a basic sense of development for countries, not only do I need a clue of what development looks like, but also I need some views of the general trends for development.  In order to do so, more references from developing countries are indeed needed, and thus this trip researching the local rural development in Costa Rica comes right on time.

I am majoring in applied mathematics and electrical engineering, and most likely, I will devote my career to industrial and technological development.  In my opinion, technology development is one of the most important factors that determine the level and the rate of development in a country.  As a developing country, Costa Rica has a lot of potential in further improving its technological development to accelerate its overall development.  In this trip, I am looking forward to find out the current situation of technology in Costa Rica and extrapolate its development trends, and hopefully, some chances can be spotted for me to make contributions. 

So far, as we learn about Costa Rica development, even though Costa Ricans have a sophisticated techniques in agriculture, the country may be able to improve its infrastructure.  Studying the development in Costa Rica, we learnt that mud roads are still covering some of the country, especially in rural areas.  Roads, the symbol of transportation, can be related to the development of a region.  I think  that civil engineering can be improved in Costa Rica, and also the technology level in average citizens’ life can be improved, because transportation infrastructure can be linked to automobile usage.  In this way, I think that technological and engineering development can be brought to Costa Rica by improving civil engineering.  Also, since Costa Rica is a country with an agricultural economy, technology of improving agricultural development, such as increasing production rate and reducing labor force, can also be brought either into or from Costa Rica depending on its level of development in agriculture.  The visits of the production factory and farm in Costa Rica are the most fascinating part of the trip for me to gain some inspiration of technological development in Costa Rica.

In a few words, in addition to experience the tropical climate, rainforest and the rural life in Costa Rica, I am really looking forward to some inspiration on technological and engineering development in developing countries.

Terresa: I've heard so much about you

Dear Costa Rica, 

I’ve heard so much about you and I can’t wait to experience you for myself! Your fresh air, vibrant wildlife and lushes vegetation will sure be a sight for sore eyes. I am originally from the Caribbean so I expect that this experience will feel a lot like home. I am also looking forward to many new experiences and can’t wait to emerge myself into the unique culture and lifestyle of your beautiful people.   

As a junior studying International Politics Major with an International Political Economy Concentration, I am looking forward to researching the political environment/attitude in Costa Rica. My research will be specifically focused on the uniqueness of your democracy and if your people feel as if their voices are actually heard. Based on this information, I also hope to conclude whether the development in Costa Rica is matching up with the expectations of the Costa Ricans.

I’m looking forward to learning new things and letting this experience enrich and change my life. I also hope that I am able to share memories and leave an impact on the people that I meet. 

See you soon,

Terresa Adams 

Molly: Someplace I've Never Been

“Once a year go someplace you’ve never been before” – the Dalai Lama. 

As a junior in college majoring in Animal Science, living the typical crazy college life, this quote reminds me to keep travel and learning new things in the forefront. This quote just simply resonates a lot with me. The travel bug has bit hard and all I can think about is different places to see, different people to meet, and experiences that are yet to be had.  Traveling can be as planned as you want it to be or as spontaneous as you want it to be and I think that that is the beauty of traveling. Going somewhere new, you never know what will happen and the experiences/adventures that you are going to have.  

Traveling through an embedded course opens up so many interesting opportunities that may not come with leisure traveling. From getting to talk to specific people about the things that they are passionate about to touring different farms which typically aren’t of a family trip. For example, staying with a host family. For me this will be a first and I couldn’t be more excited. I always hear from people who have traveled that their favorite part was living with their host family. To me it is such a great way to get integrated into a new culture and to learn the most. 

My dad always asks a question whenever anyone gets back from a big trip to somewhere new or different. His first question is always “Did it change your life?” I think that this is one of the coolest things about traveling. It has the power to change your life in such an interesting way but its up to YOU to make the most of it, no matter how long of a trip it is. Traveling can open your eyes to things you never even knew existed even if you’ve done all the research you could possibly do. There will always be something unexpected and surprising about going somewhere new. I don’t think many things can completely change your life but I do think that traveling can do just that. It may not completely alter your day-to-day life but I do think that it will make you think differently and possibly impact your choices in the future. 

I want to go into this trip with that question on my mind. I think that it’s a reminder to say yes to every opportunity that comes along and to not let fear get in the way of trying new things. With this thought in mind I hope to go into the trip seeking out the experiences presented to us and being fully engaged in this awesome opportunity.

I wanted to wrap up this blog post with this quote, 
“Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all of one’s lifetime.” – Mark Twain. I think that this quote is a great reminder as to why we travel, to learn new things and to open our minds to all the world has to offer. 
A few more days until we are off Costa Rica!

Until then, 
Molly