Soo much in such little time!

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Hello from Costa Rica!
I could not be more content with the program it is exactly and everything I wanted. I have the best host family ever, yes, ever - they are soo much fun and they live only a block and a half from a church and park so it’s really safe and central. My host-mom is really fun and she has a 15 year-old daughter who I get along with really well. Even though the apartment isn’t crowded there’s loads of family around, down stairs, on the other side of town, everywhere.

There are 13 girls total in my program and only 4 of us are in the field course program. This past weekend we went to Puerto Viejo, which is on the Caribbean side. We stayed in this youth hostel called Rocking J’s and the beds were hammocks in the open air - it was soo awesome. I bought some coconut water from a local and sipped it as a sat in a beach chair at the water’s edge - the definition of Pura Vida.

Monday September 15th was Independence Day for all of Central America. There was a parade around the town of all the schools either playing instruments, dancing, holding flags or little ones showing off traditional clothing. It was lots of fun especially since I have a lot of host cousins and nephews and nieces. The night before all the kids had intricately decorated lanterns shaped like houses to represent the torch that was carried from Guatemala to Costa Rica to symbolize independence.

Wednesday we went to an organic coffee farm and got to see the entire process from plant to beverage. We also got to talk to the owner Don Eherico, who implements mainly sustainable practices like integrating his farm with other plants and fruit bearing tress to harvest avocado, jocote, lemons, cas, etc. We also evaluated the land capacity of a steeply sloped area near his house that he uses for cattle grazing. It was really an amazing story that sons of these farmers are professional trained baristas and able to unite 35 families to directly sell the coffee to the major distributors.

Yesterday we got to hear from Oton Solis and he’s a presidential hopeful for the next election. He ran for president the past two elections as the leader of an emerging and now strong third party. He’s been the only candidate to consistently stand against CAFTA, but the country is split over the issue so he came really close last election but didn’t quite get it.

Today we got to hear from a Nicaraguan ambassador and it was incredible. My first real encounter with Nicaragua’s history was last night in the preparatory reading and I was floored. Today as she spoke I couldn’t help but cry as she recalled Somoza’s National Guard storming into their one-room house to take her father to prison and she considers herself lucky to have survived at all during the tumultuous times. We go to Nicaragua next week for an opportunity to see just how different life there is from Costa Rica and begin to understand how and question why things are the way they are. I can’t wait.

Off to more Spanish lessons now. I hope you all are doing well in the states. I hear there’s a bit of turmoil going on there too. I think it’s actually better for my nerves to be here instead. I love having a global perspective on economics, politics and the environment. Couldn’t have asked for a better program. Alright, I love and miss you guys. Talk to you later,
Sarah

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