Hey Everyone!
So it´s day 4 in the rural stay and I´ve officially taken up walking as my favorite hobby, haha. Let´s just say that the pace of life is veeerrrry slow. I´m in a little town called Cahuita that is directly on the Caribbean shore. I don´t feel like I´m in Costa Rica AT ALL. I feel like I´m in a completely different country.
Unlike San Jose where it rains and thunderstorms every day, here it is hot, humid, and sunny constantly.Cahuita has a fascinating history because it was founded by people of African descent from Jamaica, Barbados, and other islands in the Caribbean and also by Afro-descendants from Panama and Colombia. So the people here have last names like Robinson, Simmons, Smith, and other British type names. The people speak Spanish of course but they also speak a Creole English (which is hard for me to understand). For example, they say "what happen" a lot but it sounds like "waipun".
Cahuita is absolutely beautiful, but surprisingly there is not that much tourism in comparison to other tourist destinations. Tourism is there biggest source of income but there are no big hotels, no vendors on the beach, nothing that you would think of when you think of a tourist beach. I go for a run along the beach in the mornings and I can see the monkeys in the trees throwing fruit down at me. Not that many trees have been cleared out so it looks very rainforest like everywhere.
There is a National Park here in Cahuita also. I found out that it is the only National Park in Costa Rica that does not charge. I asked my host sister about this and she said that the community fought against the Costa Rican government so that they wouldn´t have an entrance fee. The government wanted to charge $12 per person and then they would get that money. The community won and so now it´s donations if you would like to give them. These donations make up 80% of the community´s income!
My host family here is very chaotic. There are about 8-10 people living in the house and more people that come in and out during the day. My host mom and sisters are powerful leaders in the community and the phone is constantly ringing for them. It is a very lively household with tons of little kids running around.
Alright well I need to walk around some more. Ciao!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Last week in San Jose for awhile
As most of you probably know, this past weekend a group of 9 of us went to the Pacific coast to Manuel Antonio. It is an absolutely gorgeous location! We stayed at Vista Serena Hostel which was a really fun experience. The owners are from California and super chill and we met a lot of other really cool people. We went for a tour/walk in the Manuel Antonio rainforest park which was amazing. We saw all kinds of wildlife including a lot of monkeys! They were trying to take our stuff while we were swimming on the beach but Michala watched out for us. We also went to the public beach which was super fun but the tide was so high that it was too dangerous to swim so we just tanned instead. It was nice having the sun shining all day long which is something we don't get in San Jose with all of the rain and thunderstorms.
This week has been pretty busy handing in proposals and last minute assignments before we go to our rural communities. Yesterday we had another dance class from the same instructor as last time....and it was just as fun to see everybody have a good time. In addition to the usual salsa and merengue we also learned a dance that is unique to Costa Rica. This dance is called "swing criollo." This is a cultural phenomenon that is a mix between swing from the U.S. and cumbia which is a dance from Colombia. It's the latest thing here. Tomorrow is our last day in San Jose for 3 weeks so I think we are all going to hang out. It will be fun!
This week has been pretty busy handing in proposals and last minute assignments before we go to our rural communities. Yesterday we had another dance class from the same instructor as last time....and it was just as fun to see everybody have a good time. In addition to the usual salsa and merengue we also learned a dance that is unique to Costa Rica. This dance is called "swing criollo." This is a cultural phenomenon that is a mix between swing from the U.S. and cumbia which is a dance from Colombia. It's the latest thing here. Tomorrow is our last day in San Jose for 3 weeks so I think we are all going to hang out. It will be fun!
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Día de Independencia
Hello everyone. Since we returned from Tirimbina it's been pretty busy with schoolwork and such. Last weekend on Saturday nearly the whole group went out and had a great time dancing. Today we have no class because it is Independence Day! Last night and this morning there were parades and lots of activities for children. Yesterday in ACM we had an Independence Day celebration. We ate traditional food such as tortillas, Costa Rican coffee made the traditional way, picadillo de platanos, and many other things. Also, three professional dancers came and performed traditional dances and also taught us some dances. It was very fun. Also, yesterday was Stuart's birthday so we had a delicious tres leches cake that Ivette made!
Today we are all just doing our own things with our families or homework. We are all getting ready to go to our rural stays which is coming up soon on September 25th. Some of us will be on the Caribbean coast, some on the Pacific, and some more in the center of the country. Everyone's projects are very interesting. Some of the places people are staying include a pineapple plantation, medical center, cacao plantation, and elementary school. It's going to be a great experience for everyone!
Today we are all just doing our own things with our families or homework. We are all getting ready to go to our rural stays which is coming up soon on September 25th. Some of us will be on the Caribbean coast, some on the Pacific, and some more in the center of the country. Everyone's projects are very interesting. Some of the places people are staying include a pineapple plantation, medical center, cacao plantation, and elementary school. It's going to be a great experience for everyone!
Saturday, September 4, 2010
Sarapiquí
Today we just got back from our trip to Sarapiquí. Yesterday, our first stop was at a banana plantation that you all might be familiar with, it's called Dole. None of us knew we were going there so it was an exciting surprise. Of course the whole banana issue in Central America has been a topic of controversy for decades now, so it was really great to actually see first hand what is going on. The company gives jobs to about 200 workers. We learned a lot about how complicated the process is. The bananas need to be of the highest quality otherwise they cannot be exported. Therefore, there is a lot of use of pesticides. The bananas that don't "make the cut" are then sold to Chiquita and made into banana puree which is also exported. It was a great experience and we all received bananas as gifts.
After leaving Dole we headed over to the organic cacao plantation. We learned all about the process of cultivating cacao and turning it into the chocolate we all love. A group of women, wives of the workers on the cacao plantation, started making chocolate a few years ago. The dark chocolate is 75% chocolate which we learned is far more than your usual commercial chocolate which is on average only 10% chocolate. We all bought chocolate bars from them..mmm. Their brand is called Amazilia and they're delicious. The owner of the plantation explained to us the pros and cons of having an organic plantation, which means no use of chemicals or pesticides. In the case of cacao, the pesticides wouldn't hurt the consumer but they are a threat to the health of the workers. This was a big difference from the Dole plantation. Also, the purpose of the cacao plantation is to be sustainable which means that there are many other trees interwoven with the cacao trees and there is still wildlife that lives there so that the soil won't be completely wiped of nutrients when the plantation is too old. For example, there are many sloths that inhabit the plantation and we all got to hold one too!
We then headed on to Tirimbina, which used to be owned by the Milwaukee Public Museum. The Museum could not afford the expenses anymore so a few years ago it became a non-profit organization. It's a beautiful location with little cabanas and many programs and tours. The people there are also very dedicated to education and host many students groups. We walked through the rainforest which was absolutely beautiful. We also walked across a suspended bridge so that we could be at the same level as the canopy, which was very cool and fun since the bridge is really wobbly! Some of us also saw howler monkeys! It was amazing to hear all of the different sounds while walking. We also learned more about cacao and how to the indigenous people used to make it. We all brought home some cacao beans which used to be the currency in Central America amongst the various indigenous groups. The trip was a wonderful experience!
After leaving Dole we headed over to the organic cacao plantation. We learned all about the process of cultivating cacao and turning it into the chocolate we all love. A group of women, wives of the workers on the cacao plantation, started making chocolate a few years ago. The dark chocolate is 75% chocolate which we learned is far more than your usual commercial chocolate which is on average only 10% chocolate. We all bought chocolate bars from them..mmm. Their brand is called Amazilia and they're delicious. The owner of the plantation explained to us the pros and cons of having an organic plantation, which means no use of chemicals or pesticides. In the case of cacao, the pesticides wouldn't hurt the consumer but they are a threat to the health of the workers. This was a big difference from the Dole plantation. Also, the purpose of the cacao plantation is to be sustainable which means that there are many other trees interwoven with the cacao trees and there is still wildlife that lives there so that the soil won't be completely wiped of nutrients when the plantation is too old. For example, there are many sloths that inhabit the plantation and we all got to hold one too!
We then headed on to Tirimbina, which used to be owned by the Milwaukee Public Museum. The Museum could not afford the expenses anymore so a few years ago it became a non-profit organization. It's a beautiful location with little cabanas and many programs and tours. The people there are also very dedicated to education and host many students groups. We walked through the rainforest which was absolutely beautiful. We also walked across a suspended bridge so that we could be at the same level as the canopy, which was very cool and fun since the bridge is really wobbly! Some of us also saw howler monkeys! It was amazing to hear all of the different sounds while walking. We also learned more about cacao and how to the indigenous people used to make it. We all brought home some cacao beans which used to be the currency in Central America amongst the various indigenous groups. The trip was a wonderful experience!
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Week Two in Costa Rica!
As many of you probably already know, this past weekend there was a group of us that went to the beach in Jacó. It was a beautiful 2 and a half hour bus ride through the mountains. However, a few of us felt a little sick by the end. It only cost 1700 colones, or about $3! Jacó is located on the Pacific coast and the beach we went to was a black sand beach, which I guess is pretty common of the beaches in Costa Rica. It was a great experience!
Yesterday we all took a dance class from one of the country’s most famous dancers. His name is Ronaldo and he came to ACM to give a class. We all learned merengue, bachata, salsa, and reggaeton. It was extremely fun to see everyone show off their dance moves! There is a show here equivalent to “Dancing with the Stars” and Ronaldo has a couple that is competing in it right now so he told us all to watch on Saturday. You can also vote for them.
Tomorrow we will venture to Sarapiquí to stay in the rain forest and visit a cacao plantation. This is the plot of land that the Milwaukee Public Museum bought and is used for research and other things. It will be a great experience! We will see the sloths there that the director of ACM Costa Rica, Chris, has studied extensively. The Sarapiquí is located in the province of Limón which is the coastal region on the Caribbean Sea. We are all excited to go!
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