Costa Rica: Last day in Providencia

Our last day in Providencia...
280 ecobricks
50 meters or road
over 600 coffee plants on their way to being organic
and a fresh batch of bucashi

This is also our last day of work. This is the day where we finally leave our mark in this community, literally. We hand mixed cement and lined the road with our ecobottles. This prevents the road from erosion. Afterwards we got to imprint our signature! I put Chinita, since thats really the only way the town will remember me. But I put my name next to it and a hand print too. So if you ever do visit beautiful Providencia... you know who that is if you see it. :)

It feels so great to be done but theres also a feeling of incompletion. My heart isnt content on leaving this place... I want to see this road done. I want to see it lined with ecobricks, however terrible of a job it was working with wreaking trash. I want to see all the farms organic. Even though I was sick and didnt get a wink of sleep, I could not miss this last day. My host mom was so sweet, too. I was going to sleep in and skip dinner last night but she came to bring me some lemon and honey and an unknown pill. I can proudly say that I worked my best and put in a lot of effort to this project. Im definitely going to visit this place again.

Coming into this trip, I was really worried about the language barrier. Usually when I dont understand someone, I just become stand offish and not really worry about interacting with them. But this town is so amazing. I find myself more motivated to learn from them and try to understand what they say. I actually teared up explaining this to the group, which was embarrassing. But this language barrier really made me grow as a person. I really feel like I{ve taken away so much from the people of Providencia.

When we got home, Louisa asked if we'd go with her to a friends house. We really didnt understand but went anyway. Actually it was Orland's other brother's house up the hill. I think it was his wife there but she weaves strips of newspaper into baskets, figures, wallets, etc. It was pretty neat. She brought us there to give us a present that we could pick out ourselves. Kristal and I picked out a cute mini wallet. Plus, I saw the only cat in Providencia! I've noticed - Costa Rica is really a dog town. When we returned home I gave her two of my jeans, t-shirts, a hat, a little needle/thread set, and a little hand soccer video game. Surprisingly, I think she is small enough to fit them. Later that night, the town prepared us a farewell celebration. We all dressed up NOT in work clothes. They prepared dinner and a couple skits, a slideshow of our past two weeks, and some final last words.
Now the skits... They were interesting... How would I describe it? Masked cross dressing doctor - pregnancy delivery role play using farmhand tools to deliver a bunny from the town whore. That was just one. The 2nd was a kid band with cross dressing back up dancers. One of the really promiscuous ones with his bra exposed to black boobie balloons is from Vietnam apparently, as Jon introduced. Keep in mind, this small community and most of Costa Rica are heavily Catholic so this behavior in seriousness is frowned upon but a reason for comic relief.

The mouse.

We got home and changed, tidyed up, then something shoots across the floor near Kristal's bed. It was a cute little mouse but we both kinda freaked... So Louis comes by our door cracking up laughing. I don't think I've ever seen him laugh that much. Probably the closest bonding moment we have had, sadly. Orlando comes in with a broom. Louisa comes in with a mop. We tear the room up but of no prevail. Ok - off to bed. But as Kristal goes to close the door, the mouse climbs down the frame and she screams! Louisa comes back with a broom and just starts smashing! Oh my... my mom would freak out. (She is Buddhist) So the mouse is dead and she just sweeps it out the door. Probably the most exciting thing to happen amongst us.