Omar's Post Day 10 ( Jan 15th )

The last day in Providencia, is a bitter sweet moment. It was sad to say goodbye to families that you are just getting to know. It also feels weird leaving a place that is so beautiful with breath taking  views like in Providencia and a community that is doing its part ecologically saving the earth for everyone because we only have one earth.

Matt B.'s Post Day 9 ( Jan. 14th )

What a wonderful way to bring to completion our time in Providencia. Beginning the day by waking to the symphony of the forest life welcoming the day and walking into the dining area of our homestay where my olfactory system lights up as it is hit with a deep rich aroma of the most delicious freshly brewed coffee you could ask for, accompanied with a breakfast of rice and beans with scrambled eggs... I sure will miss this place and these lovely people. 

As a group we gathered together first down at a beautiful property for a personal reflection led by Johnathan. We thought about our relationship to our environment and specifically with water. Contemplating the ways in which we protect and save water as well as the ways in which we waste and pollute water. It was beautiful to see everyone thinking deeply about this important relationship we often forget about and too frequently overlook or put in the back of our minds because it is easy to do so, and more convenient to continue per usual. Before moving on we went down to a fresh spring on the property that provides some of the cleanest water we have left on the planet... water so clean we could drink directly out of the spring head. Talk about refreshing! 

From here we moved on to experience the extreme forest adventure park that is operated by a few of the locals here in Providencia, one of which is our homestay father Don Herardo. The adrenaline rush of the giant swing was difficult to top, but one of the coolest and most unique experiences was climbing up the inside of a strangler tree that had grown around a tree that previously lived in that spot before the strangler tree suffocated it, taking its place amongst the forest.

I would guess it was approximately a 75 foot climb up to the top of the tree where Don Herardo awaited our arrival so that he could belay us down to the forest floor below. It is crazy to think how this is an experience that will only be temporarily available, as Don Herardo told us that as the tree continues to grow, the opening inside will continue to get smaller and eventually close up.  After the previous days of working so hard to complete all of the projects, it was nice to see everyone having fun together. You could feel the bond between everyone growing even stronger as the pressure and tension of completing the jobs was replaced with a more jovial and playful tone.

Tami Lodge restaurant awaited us next with a delicious lunch of potatoes, a fresh salad, and locally sourced trout with fresh made juice and arroz con leche for dessert. Top that off with some of that delicious coffee and it is an experience of ambrosia :-P This is where we first sang Feliz Cumpleaños to Alia, as today was her birthday, one of three birthday songs sung. Before leaving we squared up with Arturo for the 152 bags of coffee we collectively ordered, beating the previous record of 79 bags from previous groups.

     After lunch we split up  between the biofabrica and the trout farm for final touches on everything so we could meet with our host families for a final farewell party and presentation of the work we completed. It felt rewarding get to that place of telling them about all of the work we completed, of course with some emotional expressions of gratitude all around.

     The party was intertwined with two more birthday songs for Alia, one in English and a second in Spanish. As we left the biofabrica, a few of us finally worked up to giving the barrel bull a ride... a 55 gallon drum at the entrance to the biofabrica with a cartoon face of a red bull painted on the lid, held up horizontally with three ropes tied up to about six inch diameter wooden posts and a fourth line tethered up into a tree. As someone sits on the bull, people around pull on the ropes, bringing it to life. Yuritzi and Patricia egged me on to try it out, so I sat on the bull and held on with everything I had. After several pulls of the rope, the bull came to life, bucking me forward and back, but the ride was shortly lived as one of the rear posts snapped in half at the base, nearly falling on Nate and lunging me forward where I landed on my feet. It was quite the comedic scene to witness, and fortunately no one was injured.

     Awaiting for everyone to head back to the village we watched the sunset as the clouds danced around the mountains in front of us down through the valley of Providencia. I was fortunate to be able to set up a time lapse of the scene and caught the show in action.

  The night comes to a close enjoying a wonderful dinner with the entire family and an opportunity for us to personally express our gratitude to the family for opening their home and their hearts to us. It has been such a pleasure to stay here and work with this community in their goal toward sustainable and ecological living. The time here has gone by in a blink of an eye, but within that blink it is densely packed with a wealth of enriching experiences that leaves the heart and soul feeling better about the world. It is funny how you can be far away from home in a foreign land with people you just met, yet so quickly feel at home.

How fortunate to have an opportunity and share such a beautiful experience with my fellow Engineering Abroad team, Arturo, David, Johnathan, the families and all of the Young Dreamers. With deep appreciation, Pura Vida!

Patricia's Post Day 8 ( Jan. 13th )

Eureka!

    This morning was harder than usual, harder than the morning after the first day of work! Yesterday after work, we all went up to the waterfall to have lunch and most of the team decided to jump off the cliff while I hesitated, but ended up mustering the courage to do so at the last minute thanks to Jonathan, David, and Alia. I took a few deep breaths and leaped off the cliff, everything was going well until the very last moment when I, for no reason, decided to lift up my legs and ended up in the upward dog position and slapped my thighs on the water surface pretty hard and got some gnarly bruises that just got bigger and darker over night which led to soreness in the morning :-) Besides my inability to sit down (or walk) comfortably, the morning went on as usual, we had breakfast prepared by the wonderful Adriana, met up with the team, and walked up the hill to La Biofabrica. On the way there, I felt a slight sadness because it was the last time my commute to work would be surrounded by green mountains and accompanied by the neighbors' dogs running and playing around all the way up the hill. However, I was excited to finish our project, so we hopped on the back of the truck and headed the Trout Farm!

    Once we got there, we immediately grabbed everything we needed and picked up where we left off the day before. Everything was coming together, the tanks, the bioswale, everyone was so determined we didn't even stop for the usual break time. We finished all the piping, covered the tubes, and secured the tanks, and before we knew it, it was time for lunch. We hopped back on the truck, picked up our lunches, had lunch and went back to work! All we had to do was cut out the filters for the small tanks, build the inner sleeves for the big tanks, and plant the plants in the bio garden. Seeing the plants in place really brought the whole project alive even though we weren't finished. Once everything was done, Brandon turned on the faucet for the tanks and we waited patiently for the first drop to arrive...and EUREKA! Here it was, a flow of water coming through. I remember clearly everyone screamed with happiness and looked at each other with amusement and satisfaction knowing our hard work paid off! However, the water still needed to flow through the entire system. Due to the big tanks' volume, we had to wait another period of time for the water to flow into the smaller tanks, but alas it happened and that was another small victory for us, then the last step was for it to flow into the bio garden, which was done soon after and was followed by laughs and smiles of accomplishment. The best part would probably be seeing Janer, the owner of the Trout Farm, so happy and smiley (and almost teary!) after all the work we've done together. Knowing that a smaller farmer like him acknowledged his impact on the planet and cared enough to make a positive change by welcoming a group of strangers into his home to help keep one of the world's cleanest rivers, clean, gave me a lot of hope for the planet, and a new sense of purpose. Janer showed his gratitude with coffee, a hot cane sugar beverage, and pastries!

 

 

I forgot to mention the bio garden was filled with boulders, gravel, and volcanic rocks, and the water that flowed into it kept being absorbed, which is a good thing, but we weren't able to see the filled pond so we kept the overflow from the Trout Farm on so hopefully when we check back in tomorrow it's 100% done! 

Pura Vida! 

Matthew R's Post Day 7 ( Jan. 12th )

After a long day of work yesterday, I finally got used to the sleep schedule of the Costa Ricans. I went to sleep about 8pm and woke up around 5am and went outside. The sun was barely coming through the valleys of the mountains. I was greeted by a horse who was penned nearby and a couple adorable dogs! Perhaps they were hoping for some food.. After greeting a local in Spanish, with what little I knew, I noticed the mosquitoes and flies were exceptionally active and decided to go inside. I then spent the quiet morning reading the book of Ephesians from my ESV bible. About 6:10 I went outside again for some group yoga that started around 6:15. Half of us showed up and the view was awesome! Matt B. led us in some basic moves and luckely the bugs were mostly gone by then. Breakfast came around 6:45am by our amazing host families and it was off to work by 7:30.

Today was a really easy day working on the trout filter system. We cut and glued PVC pipes, tanks and whatnot as our design took further form! The work day was over rather quickly sense today was just a half day. After lunch we went to a local swimming area with some of the Young Dreamers. Normally we travel by standing in the back of a pickup with railing overhead to hold onto! We continued to travel to the swimming area like that as we packed about 4 or 5 of the Young Dreamers into this ~20 square foot space with us. That's about 16 or 17 people! and I think I overheard jokes ranging from a mosh pit to being sardines. Lets not forget how bumpy the dirt road is.

The Swimming area was beautiful, many locals were coming and going with us to this little spot. There was a waterfall and next to it a ledge about 25 feet up that many of us jumped from! It was very relaxing after a day in the dirt and heat.

After a while there, it was off to more sweat and heat as we made our way to the futbol field. Just like we figured, the locals played circles around us in soccer. We managed to hold our own, but we were exhausted! Later, we gave our gifts and salutations to the Young Dreamers. Our guide, David, led us in some personal and group reflections about this immersion experience. It kinda felt like group therapy as I connected with the honestly and community of our team. For me, it can be bonding, or in painful moments, isolating, when I hear how other people deal with social connection. You'll have to ask us in person how the rest went.

Mattyahu

Zac's Post Day 6 ( Jan 11th )

The day started out well, almost a full week into our Costa Rican  schedule the routine is becoming more enjoyable. The 6:30am wake up courtesy of the roosters all about the town is a great snooze alarm clock as Nate affectionately pointed out to me. Breakfast is always an ever evolving affair. Best coffee on the planet every breakfast, my host family diligently puts milk and sugar out for it as well but I wouldn't dare insult the taste of the coffee by adding anything, it's just that good. Additionally to the coffee sometimes it's eggs, sometimes it's small little tortillas fried with cheese, sometimes you get lucky and have pancakes for breakfast. Regardless of what is served you get the impression that everyone is super thankful for us to be there and that love and care went into everything made for each of us.
    As we get our bellies full we turn to our work; today was an all hands on deck kind of day. We had a large list of parts that were needed for every project, and thankfully those parts arrived to us right before lunch. However, we still had plenty to do before those parts even arrived. For the portion of the day that I worked, Nate and I took to finishing up the remaining connections to the solar equipment, cables still needed to be made, and cable still needed to be ran. As we devised our plan of attack the ever prolific carpenter Matt took to continuing rabbit hutch improvements that could be made with the remaining bit materials still on hand. These tasks lasted us for the majority of the morning as before we knew it, the sun was high above us and Johnathan had arrived with the parts requested.
    This allowed Nate and I to firmly place the goal in front of us to complete the solar project today. Lunch was ate, but all I was concerned about was finishing the project. After lunch Nate made his way up the ladder to the underside of the roof to run cable for the solar project and David and I helped with what we could in assisting him from the ground. As the cable slowly made its way to the shed where the solar parts resided I took the ends of the cable and started running them through the shed. With the final large portion of the solar project done, Nate and I added the final bits of cable and connectors that needed to be installed courtesy of the newly arrived parts. The shed was sweltering hot without any degree of ventilation so the eagerness to be done was growing with each crimp.
    Final parts in place, take a deep breath, and... Everything worked first try! We were so happy to see everything doing its task first try without hiccup. Nate showed David how to work the newly acquired solar system to ensure proper usage and I went to go help Matt with what little I could. After several more audible cheers of delight to have one major portion of our project complete Nate, David, and I finished the day helping Matt with the rabbit hutch upgrades from the previous year. And before we knew it, it was time to wrap up the day and head back to our homestays. I got home, showered up, and met the group over at the community center at 5:30pm.
    Johnathan and David had a small video for us to watch about consumerism and the linear path that resources take within that process of consumerism. This was used as a metal lubricant to help spur our discussion on regarding what impacts each of us individually can do in our home communities to stem the tide of such rampant consumerism. We all left the meeting feeling a little more directed in what to do and how to accomplish the goals we have back home. Brandon and I walked back to our homestay and just took in the fresh, warm Costa Rican evening. Brandon excitedly pointed out each firefly he would spot lighting up just a pin prick of light in the dark blue sky. Life here is much more direct and free of meaningless riff raff, and I am ever appreciative that I have gotten the chance to experience even just a fraction of life here and had the opportunity to make a positive change and work with such beautiful vibrant people

Sergio's Post Day 5 ( Jan. 10th )

Starting off the day was horrible for me. The night before I had really bad allergies. All night I was sneezing and blowing my nose. I finally was able to fall asleep like around one in the morning and that definitely did not make waking up at 6:30 am easier. My throat was killing me in the morning, which was quite frightening because that is usually the first thing that happens before I catch a cold. Lucky my engineering abroad family packed for situations like these. I was given an allergy pill and powdered vitamin C. This definitely made me feel way better and ready to take on the long and exciting day. 

Walking up to the biofabrica in the morning is always hard for me. Especially because the road up there is so steep plus adding the high altitude leaves me very winded, but it's definitely not because I'm out of shape. Once getting to the biofabrica the view always leaves me speechless. The village of Provedencia between the vibrant green mountains and within the clouds is truly an unforgettable site. At the biofabrica we plan out the daily tasks for the team that stays at the biofabrica and the team that works on the trout farm site.

Once at the trout farm it's time to work. Most of the team has had their focus on the bioswell aspect of the project, but Maria, Matthew and I have taken charge of the surveying aspect. The surveying of the land was doe to indicate us where and at what elevations the filtration system had to be placed in order to work properly. On the third day we finished taking elevation points and began to dig on the forth day to start creating the terrains for the filter system to sit. Today before lunch, we finally finished creating all the terrains ar their proper elevations and sat the tanks for the filter system. After lunch, I began to create trenches the water piping will be placed, while the rest of the team filled the bioswell with gravel. Overall we got a lot done on the trout farm which feels amazing, but was very physically exhasting. 

After a long day of working hard, David and Arturo gave us an amazing tour of the coffee process. We began at the biofabrica where David explained to us the intital stages of the coffee plant. The coffee plant must be allowed four years of growth before beginning to pick them. When ready for picking the coffee plant gets picked three times in the summer before entering the winter, when the picking season is over. Thousands of immagrants from Panama abd Nicaragua come during the picking season for three months to pick the bright red coffee bean.

Once picked the coffee is taken to be weighted and tested before being processed to the wet-meal. At the wet-meal the coffee bean is cleaned out by extracting the pulp and mucus, creating borsa. Borsa used to be thrown in the river because nobody had no use for it, well not until Arturo found a perfect use for it. He began to use it at fertilizer, now everybody in to region uses the borsa instead of contaminating the river. After the Wet-Meal the bean is laid out on the ground to dry. If there is no room on the ground anymore they send the bean to dryer machine that dry's the bean in 12-14 hours. It was fascinating to see how much work goes into something I drink almost everyday. This tour really opened my eyes to appreciate farmers that are going the extra mile to farm organically.

Yuritzi's Post Day 4 ( Jan. 9th )

   Physically getting out of bed today was so difficult, but mentally and emotionally I was so ready to finish what we started yesterday! Day three was intense for me, I have a whole new definition of exhausted now. Myself and a few others shoveled what it felt like mountains of dirt and rocks. Our task was to dig a bioswell that was at least a meter deep. Leaving the worksite yesterday I thought that we didn't even dig that deep, it felt as if we kept shoveling dirt and rocks and got no where. But going back this morning you can clearly see that we dug a HUGE amount, which made me eger to start because you could see how close we are to finishing the bioswell.

Besides being incredibly  sore in the morning, it was a great morning. My home-stay family is so amazing, they really do make you feel like you're at home. I truely thought that home-stay part of this trip was going to be the most difficult when it turned out to be easiest part. They're so passionate about their town and extremely close withone another and also the rest of Providencia; its inspiring. The morning is probably one of my favorite parts because Adrianna my home stay mom makes us the best breakfasts. AND the coffee is literally the best coffee I have ever had in my entire life. Mornings here in Providencia are great.

Once we've all eaten breakfast and are set to go we walk to Biofabrica, where we discuss that days plans. In this case, seven of us go to the trout farm and three of us stay at the biofabrica. For the trout farm we discuss more as we're working, which I actually like because I am visibly able to see what were talking about. So today we finished digging the swell because we weren't quiet done yet, we still needed to form and flatten out the swell. Which we did before lunch, it was difficult but we did it. Standing above the swell was such a great feeling once it was fully dug out and had it foundation, we all felt so accomplished. But we weren't done... we needed to add the boulders at the bottom of the swell before we fill it up with gravel. 

We had our lunch before resuming to anymore work. Lunch was delicious like always thanks to Adrianna. Once we finished our Lunch we drove back to the trout farm. The drive is one of my favorite things on this experience. I have always wanted to ride in the back of a truck because my parents grew up riding in the backs of trucks in Mexico, I just wanted to experience it too. I'll definitely remember today's ride though, almost getting my ribs broken by Brandon and Sergio, it was great. Jonathon hit the breaks fairly hard and Brandon flew to the front and then flew Sergio but luckily I was there to support the weight of two full grown men with my 120 lbs body.

We got the trout farm and resumed our work. We finished placing the boulders in the swell by the end of our work day, so we're all super anxious to start the next part. The swell looks great as of right now, I haven't felt this proud of myself in awhile. It was just a great feeling today walking away from the job site knowing that were making so much great process and we're really doing something that going to affect more than our grades but something so much bigger. I can't explain how grateful and blessed I am to be on this experience with such a diverse group of individuals and two outstanding leaders. Super eager to see whats going to happen tomorrow. 

Pura Vida!