I´m here in La Providencia in Santos. It is a small farming community of just 200 people. The drive down was so beautiful! We drove through a nationally protected rainforest and cloud forest. Costa Rica is one of the world´s most biodiverse country because of it´s stacked ecosystems and with the help of the government´s protection. Providencia is in th e middle of nowhere. The trip was 3 hours long on a private bus. An hour into it, we stopped by a road restaurant, and I ordered beed, cheesy potatoes, and rice. This time, portions were larger and for only 1500 colones! So much cheaper than food in the city. Bussing up the tropical hills on the long winding rowds is truly reminiscent of Vietnam. I really miss it there... and cows lined the streets periodically, just eatin ´some grass... Ya know, the usual.
The great thing about Costa Rica is that most of the forests are protected. Driving through into town, you realize how rough it can be for the community, though. It´s two main forms of income are farming coffee and blackberries, which are both harvesting in the same season. So through November to March, they have the challenge to sell enough to cover the whole year´s cost of living. They can´t lumber, pollute the water, or anything that may damage the forest: which is great but makes life harder. They have to commute over an hour away just to get fuel or visit a hospital. Only every 2 weeks does a doctor come into town at the local clinic.
So transporation is very difficult for them. The muddy roads erode every rain fall (and it rains every day). Our first project starting tomorrow is a road construction on a very steep hill turning the dirt path into cement and lining the edge using ecobricks (which is literally cemented plastic bottles stuffed with plastic bags) to prevent erosion. ISV´s overall goal for Providencia is to help the community become wholly sustainable. My team is the 20th to come on the Santos project, so we´re going to work hard to make progress on improving their lives! I´m so excited to start work tomorrow!
Oh! Note on the weather... I didn´t take into account we´d be traveling into the high lands so it does get chilly at night, but nothign out of range of Seattle. I actually think I packed quite decently.
Once we arrived into town, they had arranged a welcome celebration for us. The men and boy6s unpacked the bus full of our heavy bags, the girls were dressed in adorable traditional clothing, a stretch of tables lined with white cloths, and prepared for us was fresh juice, chicken and rice, tortillas and salad. Then with a quick introduction, the girls performed a dance for us. Then another one included two boys reinacting a bull arena. After orientation, we met our host families. Myself and another ISV volunteer, Kristal, got paired with Orlando the father (57), Louisa (59) the mother, and Louis the son (17). After touring the house, Orlando, Louisa, Kristal and I took a walk down the road. I truly love it here... The streets are lined with tropical fruits and flowers. The river running through town is actually one of the cleanest in the world, too. It is absolutely great here. I can´t even think about when I have to leave.
About Me
- Kim
- Born in the year of the goat; I am like a goat, and I travel through life towards a journey that'll one day bring me home. Towards an unknown place of innate comfortability and peace.
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Friday, June 29, 2012
Costa Rica: II Heredia Day 1
I've finally made it to Costa Rica! It has been a long and tedious journey... but Dramamine got me through the plane ride. For once in my life, I was puke-free on the plane ride!
However, the end of Day 1 concludes with being locked inside my own hotel room.
Let's start off with some observations:
1. Pedestrians beware. The roads are sketchy and skinny! Even by Seattle standards. Try not to get run over, since-here-pedestrians aren't guaranteed the right of way as in the states.
2. Meals run around 5-6 USD. Food here is more on the bland side so bring salt and pepper for the trip. My 1st Costa Rican meal was at a restaurant called Mr. B's and I had rice, fried plantains, and this green bean/egg patty. It was good though and my stomach seems to be okay so far.
3. All toilet paper gets trashed, not flushed! That's right, when you swipe, there is a designated bin on the side. I am not sure why, but the sewage system simply operates that way. Might seem gross but when in Rome...
4. It rains heavily once a day in the evening. But the weather still remains hot and humid.
5. Their cold is Seattle's warm. I definitely packed too heavy. "Don't underestimate the cold," they say. Cold is about 65F. Yeah... I will have to cut my jeans into shorts later.
6. Heredia has amazing icecream! Go to "Pops'' when in Heredia. I got a cono regular - leche condensada with this nut mixed in -- only 990 colones so about 2 USD.
7. Beware of traps. Day 1 we bokoed into Hotel America in Heredia. I shared a room with 6 others, each with our own bed. Whoever has the key controls the exits. I literally got locked inside and there's no way to unlock it. So I couldn't get out till the following morning!!
All in all, Costa Rica isn't the most wallet-friendly spot... But there's still so much more excitement to be had! The weather is great all the time, even during rainfalls!
That's the end of Day 1. What did we learn? Well let's recap.
1. Pedestrians beware. The roads are... just kidding. I'm not going to repeat everything haha!
Tomorrow, we leave for Santos so stay tuned!
Might be awhile until I get to update my blog with a new entry since I'm not sure what the internet situation there is... And as of right now, I can't upload any photos either, so I will have to do that on my return.
However, the end of Day 1 concludes with being locked inside my own hotel room.
Let's start off with some observations:
1. Pedestrians beware. The roads are sketchy and skinny! Even by Seattle standards. Try not to get run over, since-here-pedestrians aren't guaranteed the right of way as in the states.
2. Meals run around 5-6 USD. Food here is more on the bland side so bring salt and pepper for the trip. My 1st Costa Rican meal was at a restaurant called Mr. B's and I had rice, fried plantains, and this green bean/egg patty. It was good though and my stomach seems to be okay so far.
3. All toilet paper gets trashed, not flushed! That's right, when you swipe, there is a designated bin on the side. I am not sure why, but the sewage system simply operates that way. Might seem gross but when in Rome...
4. It rains heavily once a day in the evening. But the weather still remains hot and humid.
5. Their cold is Seattle's warm. I definitely packed too heavy. "Don't underestimate the cold," they say. Cold is about 65F. Yeah... I will have to cut my jeans into shorts later.
6. Heredia has amazing icecream! Go to "Pops'' when in Heredia. I got a cono regular - leche condensada with this nut mixed in -- only 990 colones so about 2 USD.
7. Beware of traps. Day 1 we bokoed into Hotel America in Heredia. I shared a room with 6 others, each with our own bed. Whoever has the key controls the exits. I literally got locked inside and there's no way to unlock it. So I couldn't get out till the following morning!!
All in all, Costa Rica isn't the most wallet-friendly spot... But there's still so much more excitement to be had! The weather is great all the time, even during rainfalls!
That's the end of Day 1. What did we learn? Well let's recap.
1. Pedestrians beware. The roads are... just kidding. I'm not going to repeat everything haha!
Tomorrow, we leave for Santos so stay tuned!
Might be awhile until I get to update my blog with a new entry since I'm not sure what the internet situation there is... And as of right now, I can't upload any photos either, so I will have to do that on my return.
Tuesday, June 26, 2012
Costa Rica: Introduction
I realized half way into this trip that I never explained what I was beginning to get myself into. Honestly, I didn't realize it till I got this trip.
Back in November at the beginning of the school year, a couple ISV reps came though my organic chemistry class pitching the program. Well I attended an information session. The International Student Volunteers is a nonprofit organization that combines a volunteer experience with an adventure tour/travel towards college students who want that experience. ISV is a host organization that sponsors individual nonprofit groups within different countries and categorized within community development, environmental conservation, animal habitation, and things like that.
Costa Rica caught my eye as I browsed through my options across the globe. Its culture is set up such that the community is so intertwined with its environment. Hence, their community projects are both about helping people as well as the environment-exactly my career goals. I am majoring in Chemical Engineering with a specialty area in Environmental Engineering as well. It might sound cheesy, but I want to change the world. I joined this because I thought it'd be a good way to get my foot in the door to making a difference. It might take awhile, but where there is a will, there is a way!
The organization is nonprofit so I did have to pay into the program. The standard program consists of 2 weeks of volunteer work and 2 weeks of an adventure tour across the country. One of my bucket list items is actually to travel to at least 3 countries on every continent. So I opted into the standard program. The bad thing about ISV is that they don't really explain the project agenda very well. All of us really had no idea what we'd be doing, just that it was in community development. Most of them wanted to work with kids, actually. I wanted to work with biodiesel and biodigestion.
Jonathan Cerdas is our project leader and founder of Green Communities - a branch off his originally company Santos Tour. He studied tourism but is truly passionate about sustainability. One of the great things about Costa Rica is their initiative on ecotourism. Jon has set up a nonprofit group to recruit volunteers on making communities here sustainable while still giving them a great cultural experience. His project we'll be working on in Providencia right now is working on paving an important hill for farmers and the community, recycling, and promoting organic farming for these two weeks. Other green projects he's introduced before have been biodiesel, biodigestion, ecostoves (gasifiers), ecolatrines, and the list goes on. You can find out more about his passionate goals at his new website www.greencommunities-cr.org :). You might see me promoting him here and there, just because what he is doing is such a great cause. I agree with so many, if not all, of his initiatives. He's changing the world a step at a time, and that's something to really look up to. This guy is a real inspiration, and its been such a pleasure to work with him!
Back in November at the beginning of the school year, a couple ISV reps came though my organic chemistry class pitching the program. Well I attended an information session. The International Student Volunteers is a nonprofit organization that combines a volunteer experience with an adventure tour/travel towards college students who want that experience. ISV is a host organization that sponsors individual nonprofit groups within different countries and categorized within community development, environmental conservation, animal habitation, and things like that.
Costa Rica caught my eye as I browsed through my options across the globe. Its culture is set up such that the community is so intertwined with its environment. Hence, their community projects are both about helping people as well as the environment-exactly my career goals. I am majoring in Chemical Engineering with a specialty area in Environmental Engineering as well. It might sound cheesy, but I want to change the world. I joined this because I thought it'd be a good way to get my foot in the door to making a difference. It might take awhile, but where there is a will, there is a way!
The organization is nonprofit so I did have to pay into the program. The standard program consists of 2 weeks of volunteer work and 2 weeks of an adventure tour across the country. One of my bucket list items is actually to travel to at least 3 countries on every continent. So I opted into the standard program. The bad thing about ISV is that they don't really explain the project agenda very well. All of us really had no idea what we'd be doing, just that it was in community development. Most of them wanted to work with kids, actually. I wanted to work with biodiesel and biodigestion.
Jonathan Cerdas is our project leader and founder of Green Communities - a branch off his originally company Santos Tour. He studied tourism but is truly passionate about sustainability. One of the great things about Costa Rica is their initiative on ecotourism. Jon has set up a nonprofit group to recruit volunteers on making communities here sustainable while still giving them a great cultural experience. His project we'll be working on in Providencia right now is working on paving an important hill for farmers and the community, recycling, and promoting organic farming for these two weeks. Other green projects he's introduced before have been biodiesel, biodigestion, ecostoves (gasifiers), ecolatrines, and the list goes on. You can find out more about his passionate goals at his new website www.greencommunities-cr.org :). You might see me promoting him here and there, just because what he is doing is such a great cause. I agree with so many, if not all, of his initiatives. He's changing the world a step at a time, and that's something to really look up to. This guy is a real inspiration, and its been such a pleasure to work with him!
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Costa Rica: I The Beginning
A week from today, I will depart on my first solo international traveling adventure! To this day, I've not left the United States besides to Canada and my birth place of Vietnam. Within the US, I've only traveled to Oregon and Pennsylvania. These 20 years of my life have been uneventful, to say the least.
A half a year ago, I discovered the opportunity to participate within a non-profit organization called the International Student Volunteers. I'll be sent to Santos, Costa Rica very soon; where my volunteer mission begins with promoting community development and environmental conservation. Great causes and exactly the things that inspire my education and career choice. I am a Chemical Engineering student specializing in Environmental Engineering. Changing the world by helping our environment and people are what I strive to do. But that's a whole nother story.
A half a year ago, I discovered the opportunity to participate within a non-profit organization called the International Student Volunteers. I'll be sent to Santos, Costa Rica very soon; where my volunteer mission begins with promoting community development and environmental conservation. Great causes and exactly the things that inspire my education and career choice. I am a Chemical Engineering student specializing in Environmental Engineering. Changing the world by helping our environment and people are what I strive to do. But that's a whole nother story.
For the first two weeks of my stay in Santos, I'll be building/restoring community facilities and working to gain ECOLOGICA certification for local organic farms. Other projects and duties are detail pending.
For the next two weeks after, I'll really get to have fun :). This leg of my journey will be packed with adventures all throughout the lands of Costa Rica. Hiking, white water rafting, mud pools, and horseback riding are just a few of the planned activities.
THE PREPARATION:
As I prepare for my trip, in which I have no idea how to do, there are some tricks I've been told to consider.
1. Bring lots of quick dry clothing. Fabrics like polyester, nylon, or fleece dry quicker than the bulk of fabrics we're used to wearing (cotton) which absorbs liquid and make you cold. Nylon is mostly found for pants; polyester for anything; and fleece for shirts that apparently, unlike cotton, keep you warm when wet. So just some things to consider when buying clothes for a long trip.
2. These fabrics are also very lightweight. A plus for backpacking or hiking.
3. Wool socks. They are actually amazing! They keep you much warmer than cotton, can absorb 1/3 of its weight before feeling wet, low maintenance and can be worn even a few times before washing if let out to air dry. Though I just read that you should hand wash wool socks with little soap then let it air dry. NEVER machine wash, apparently. Looking back to when I first bought some, I should have researched this earlier... I guess soap, heat and friction are bad for wool...
That's what I've gotten so far. Still figuring out any last minute things I need to pack, whether I am under packing or not for a month of travel.
Anyways, stick around :). I will be updating on my adventures as often as I can!
That's what I've gotten so far. Still figuring out any last minute things I need to pack, whether I am under packing or not for a month of travel.
Anyways, stick around :). I will be updating on my adventures as often as I can!
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Costa Rica: Bucashi
Gazuntite.
Alright. If I knew I'd be shoveling chicken shit... man.
Well it's all a part of organic farming. What we are doing is making grade A organic fertilizer called Bucashi. Before making a new batch, we had to bag and store the fertilizer made from the last group already dried. Jon quite literally picked the smallest girl to do the hardest job: carrying the heavy sacks up this hill and into the storage. My face was dripping sweat. Anyways. It is literally made of chicken poo and some other ingredients. We pretty much made a layered poo cake.
From what I remember the steps to making Bucashi are:
1. 10 bags of chicken poo (for maybe 250 colones a bag. Super cheap!)
2. 10 buckets of black soil (part of their land)
3. 4 buckets of water and molasses
4. 30 buckets of coffee cherry skins (recycled from coffee production)
5. 2 bags of charcoal (made from ecostoves)
6. 1 bucket of the powder waste from rice production
7. 3 buckets of a mix of water, molasses, and m&ms?? (Okay this I'm iffy about. Not quite sure what the heck else is in this liquid but it activates the bucashi so the fluid is essential to the process)
8. Then we repeated 1.5 more times
9. Add water till very moist until you can almost turn it into a ball
10. mix everything well
11. Each day mix and turn the bucashi to cool until the fertilizer is completely dry.
12. Pray it comes out well.
So this stuff is supposed to be the shit. Quite literally and figuratively. It is the best and most natural fertilizer you can have. For farmers, too, it provides all the nutrients to naturally make your plants strong without putting your plants on steroids, and its so much cheaper than what nonorganic farmers have to use that run around $30 a bag. It is just more work. The natural fermentation causes the mix to go up to 200F. So quite hot...
Surprisingly, it didn't stink as what I was expecting. That is because the chicken poo was already mixed with some soil at the farm to reduce to smell. I wore a friend's large farm overalls he lent me and got compliments from everyone all day!
Community Building...
Later we had a community BBQ later that night. Jon had a few surprises for us. We also had a surprise for the community. They made dinner but we made dessert! Kristal had the idea of making dirty snowballs:
Crushed oreo cookies mixed with cream cheese and covered in chocolates
We danced a little, played a game of hot potato, and this newspaper dancing game, and we didn't have to come into work until 8am instead of 7:30am the next morning! Thank. You. Jonathan. Tonight was a blast. The newspaper game was one where you have a partner and have to dance in the newspaper. Every song you fold the newspaper in half and repeat till your feet fall out and you lose. But I... WON!!! Myself and Gustavo. Granted we were the smallest in the group... All strategy, yo. The little boys broke out their break dancing skills (under 10 years old!!) I played with the kids, but accidentally made one cry when I put him on top of my shoulders...
Alright. If I knew I'd be shoveling chicken shit... man.
Well it's all a part of organic farming. What we are doing is making grade A organic fertilizer called Bucashi. Before making a new batch, we had to bag and store the fertilizer made from the last group already dried. Jon quite literally picked the smallest girl to do the hardest job: carrying the heavy sacks up this hill and into the storage. My face was dripping sweat. Anyways. It is literally made of chicken poo and some other ingredients. We pretty much made a layered poo cake.
From what I remember the steps to making Bucashi are:
1. 10 bags of chicken poo (for maybe 250 colones a bag. Super cheap!)
2. 10 buckets of black soil (part of their land)
3. 4 buckets of water and molasses
4. 30 buckets of coffee cherry skins (recycled from coffee production)
5. 2 bags of charcoal (made from ecostoves)
6. 1 bucket of the powder waste from rice production
7. 3 buckets of a mix of water, molasses, and m&ms?? (Okay this I'm iffy about. Not quite sure what the heck else is in this liquid but it activates the bucashi so the fluid is essential to the process)
8. Then we repeated 1.5 more times
9. Add water till very moist until you can almost turn it into a ball
10. mix everything well
11. Each day mix and turn the bucashi to cool until the fertilizer is completely dry.
12. Pray it comes out well.
So this stuff is supposed to be the shit. Quite literally and figuratively. It is the best and most natural fertilizer you can have. For farmers, too, it provides all the nutrients to naturally make your plants strong without putting your plants on steroids, and its so much cheaper than what nonorganic farmers have to use that run around $30 a bag. It is just more work. The natural fermentation causes the mix to go up to 200F. So quite hot...
Surprisingly, it didn't stink as what I was expecting. That is because the chicken poo was already mixed with some soil at the farm to reduce to smell. I wore a friend's large farm overalls he lent me and got compliments from everyone all day!
Community Building...
Later we had a community BBQ later that night. Jon had a few surprises for us. We also had a surprise for the community. They made dinner but we made dessert! Kristal had the idea of making dirty snowballs:
Crushed oreo cookies mixed with cream cheese and covered in chocolates
We danced a little, played a game of hot potato, and this newspaper dancing game, and we didn't have to come into work until 8am instead of 7:30am the next morning! Thank. You. Jonathan. Tonight was a blast. The newspaper game was one where you have a partner and have to dance in the newspaper. Every song you fold the newspaper in half and repeat till your feet fall out and you lose. But I... WON!!! Myself and Gustavo. Granted we were the smallest in the group... All strategy, yo. The little boys broke out their break dancing skills (under 10 years old!!) I played with the kids, but accidentally made one cry when I put him on top of my shoulders...
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