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Published: July 26th 2016
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Hola Amigos! I’m here for nearly 5 months now, the semester is over and I still can’t believe how fast it went.
Already a month ago we visited Dos Pinos, the biggest food company and producor of dairy products. Very interesting, I’ve never seen a spray dryer of that size! There was literally a house, build for the machine. Then the last week of the university, my time was packed with presentations and handovers. I was studying for the final exams, two on Tuesday and one on Wednesday, the 29
th of June.
The last laboratory of this semester was just for fun. We made ice cream with three different toppings without writing reports, so it was more like a birthday party for some kids.
As the semester is nearly over, the first ones are already leaving. So we had the last dinner with Pierre, with him I visited Granada and Ometepe in Nicaragua. Saturday the whole exchange group went out together one more time, before life is leading us in all four wind directions.
After this weekend I finally started with the extraction of the carotenoids, so I spent most of the day in the laboratory. Thursday,
the 7th of July we made the last Aloe water ice for the final presentation and Friday morning Gina and I took the bus to Panama, mainly because my student visa was expiring.
And it was a weekend trip to Paradise - Bocas del Toro is amazing. Lots of little islands with mangrove forests, crystal clear water, reefs, corals, waves and a lot of animals. We joined a boat tour and saw dolphins, starfish, sloths, barracudas and a lot of other small fish. Incredible!
Also I saw Stefan again, the Austrian guy I met a few weeks ago at Playa Dominical. Sunday morning, I went with him to a spot on another island and it proved one more time - follow the surfers, they always lead you to the most beautiful places.
I would go there every coming weekend, if there is no boarder in between. San Jose – Bocas del Toro is usually an 8h journey, but the immigration border on the Panamanian side is a catastrophe. We waited 3h to get in and 4h to get out. First I missed the last direct bus to San José, then the last one with stopover. I had
no idea how else I could get back to SJo when the family, who were waiting in front of me in the line, showed up at the bus terminal and offered me a ride to Limón. From Limón I could take the bus. This family made my day! They even invited me to dinner on the way. This was soo lovely, something I will never forget.
Then followed a few long days in the lab, and the final presentation of the Paloé popsicle. Definitely one of my favourite projects this semester. A popsicle with the taste of pineapple, basil, turmeric and a filling of blackberry and mint. 15%!A(MISSING)loe Vera, Chan and Stevia are making it healthy and without additives – maybe one day we make our one popsicle business 😉
And then there was Friday, the 15
th of July. Two month ago Arturo, my classmate, invited me to a trip to Cerro Chirripo, the highest mountain of Costa Rica.
We started Saturday morning at 3.30 am and used the best hours of the day to climb the 14km to the base camp. Cloud forest, bamboo forest, burned forest, mountain plants, … the vegetation changed nearly every
kilometre. Amazing! We arrived with the first rain drops at the camp. Sunday we started again at 3.30 am for a long day. Cerro Ventisqueros, 3812m for the sunrise, Cerro Chirripo, 3820m for Lunch and the Crestones, 3721m at the end. We enjoyed every minute of the day and walked nearly 15h. We overslept the third sunrise, but still enjoyed the first sunrays of the day at one of the lagoons before we had to go back. Resume: I expected a lot, but this experience was overwhelming. Costa Rica surprises me again and again with its nature and its people. Thank you guys for this trip!
Then I went back to the lab, finishing the extractions before my mum comes next week and spontaneously joined Aroa. She visited the village, where she worked two months. The bus ride was tough, for my stomach, probably the most challenging journey. 3h of curves and dirt road through the mountains, but if you ask me, I'd do it again immediately. The view was amaaaazing. Mae, Costa Rica is soo beautiful. Then we arrived at Gamalotillo, between Jacó and Quepos, between Papayas and palm plantations, between puppies and baby cats - such a
A little bit of culture with Aroa.
Watching the University Choir and Sara singing. peaceful and calm place to live. Before Aroa lived for two months with a family and this weekend we stayed at this house as well. I felt so welcome! Thank you Deyanira and all the family for these two short but great days. Feliz cumpleños a usted 😊
There, my camera took a bath in the waterfall. I put it one night in rice and now it works again. I guess it won't be the last time I need this little secret.
As I just came back, at this point a few remarkable things about San Jose and Costa Rica which attend me every day:
In the rush hour, your always faster by foot unless you're falling in one of these massive wholes or rain drains along the pathway. If you want to take the bus in San Jose, just wait, the next one is coming soon. There are no timetables. But if you want to leave San Jose with the bus you have to be on time. They're never late - maybe our German train company should ask them for advice sometimes. Anyway, wherever you're going never go without an umbrella. The rainy season has started
and rain will surprise you everywhere at any time and sometimes it takes quite a while to find a place, because the directions are a little bit weird. Mine is 250m south, 50m west - and then you choose any kind of bigger building the other person might know, San Pedro. So unless you know all the significant things around - and the urban area of San José has nearly 2.5 mio people - you'll be busy for a while, finding something :D
So, two more days of peace and freedom and then comes my mum 😉
Therefore, keep calm and Pura Vida!
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