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Forever Young

Finca Update: Week 6-7

So, this is my seventh week in Costa Rica, and I can’t believe things are winding down so quickly. These past few days have actually been the most stressful for me since there has been a lot to do in preparation for the class visit on Monday. I am making a few information boards to go up in the nursery, but instead of focusing on the material, I have had to work on cutting, priming and painting the boards, which was a bit frustrating.

I have a serious issue with the paint that they use here, and the difficulties there are of disposing chemicals—and this has made me think of how every house in these area uses this paint but has no means of disposing of it properly. Pouring thinner out onto the soil can do great damage to aquifers and soil quality due to leaching. It’s frustrating that even though people here have a much smaller carbon footprint than at home, it’s still hard to get around pollution because of the products that are being used throughout the world (globalization!) [End rant]

In other nursery news, we’ve been selling lots of baby trees which is exciting, and plans to have a compost bin and sand box (for an erosion demonstration) are underway. Last week I was able to attend a meeting at the nearby botanical gardens with researchers and other local environmental groups about environmental education in this area. It was really fascinating to see what has been done and how important it is to work together on such a large task. I’m hoping that the future community outreach interns can make connections with these people as we go about doing the same work in the region.

As for the weekend, a few of us took a trip to the Osa Peninsula, originally hoping to stay at a beach called Cabo Matapalo. Unfortunately, there was really no place to stay because it was such an undeveloped area (and because of that, it was beautiful), so we ended up back-tracking to Puerto Jimenez (where they have the best coconut ice cream ever) and traveling to another beach called Pavones (which has the longest left-hand breaking wave in the world!). It was a long weekend of traveling, but we got to see some awesome wildlife—monkeys, lizards, and macaws—as well as some beautiful scenery. We had some great weather all weekend, and I’m glad we were able to see so much of the coast.

I have little under a week left in Copabuena before heading up to Punta Renas to meet my highschool church youth group, and there is so much to do and see before I leave (i.e. milk a cow, learn how to ride a motorcycle, etc.)

I’ll let you know how things go. ;)

Xoxo,

Candice

FINCA Update: Week 5

Finca Update: Week 5

Week 5 began with construction of the greenhouse in the new nursery, and Harold and Jóse were awesome about getting it done fast! In just two days, we had a standing nursery and I’m really excited to bring students in to learn about the greenhouse effect and germination.

We also took a visit to a nearby city, Ciudad Neily and went to the border of Panama, to a place called Paso Canoas as a day off from work. I realized how much nicer the weather is in Copa Buena since the elevation is much higher than these cities. It was so terribly hot and humid, so I have learned to be much thankful for the weather in Copa.

We had a really interesting seminar about Slow Food this past week, and I am more determined than ever to get a partnership set up with Princeton’s garden and the co-op. We also had a really interesting conversation about cultural sensitivity and what our presence in Copa Buena should be like. I hope that we are not viewed as a bunch of gringo/as on vacation, and that we are truly making a difference in the area. Overall, I think it’s important to conduct our business and interactions with humility. I have definitely learned a lot from the locals here, and I hope that they see our presence as beneficial to the community.

We ended the week with a much anticipated trip to the beach, and I was in heaven. We went to Dominical, this small little surf town (though it has definitely been gringo-fied), but I was able to get to know a few locals, and I really love their way of life there. Surf+local,organic foods=amazing. I really hope to return there and maybe one day have a place of my own to live there and give back to the community (hopefully I wouldn’t be like the other Americans there who are really looked negatively on by locals).

More updates coming up…only 2 weeks left, and I’m back home, but this is the final push before we bring in a class of students to the nursery!

Xoxo,

Candice

FINCA Update: Week 4

Week 4 went by quickly and we got a lot of prep work done for the greenhouse including measurements and pricing. Eliot (the founder of Finca Project) left early in the week and has passed on the reigns to Ariana and Kate, our project managers, so they’ve moved into the house on the farm, and it feels like a much smaller working group.

This week I’ve also had many a confrontation with farm animals, and the result is that I feel much better around them! There are three goats on the farm, and one of them is a really nasty male goat with ferocious looking horns. Thankfully, we were able to get the goats out of their shed without any injuries, and I feel like I can handle farm animals a bit better. We also had the lovely job of cleaning out the goat poop, and then picking out the red worms that eat the goat poop and turn it into really powerful fertilizer (compost). [Side note: I really want to build a compost bin for my house and for the co-op at school!]

We visited the farm of one of the members of the coffee cooperative, Roberto, and it was really cool to see all the variety of fruits, vegetables and plants he has on his farm. Roberto has one of the best examples of a sustainable farm, and he seemed to take great care of how everything operated together. It’s such an experience to eat food straight from the ground (we got to sample fresh sugar cane and pineapple cut with Roberto’s machete).

Also! I am finally 21 years of age now as of this past weekend. I was severely disappointed that our beach trip got cancelled due to the weather, but because I was home for the weekend, I got to see one of the cows give birth! What an experience—I will have to show you the sweet pictures I took of Gilbert pulling out the calf from the mother. Also, Gilbert took me to some hot springs which are apparently heated by gas from a nearby volcano. It was a tiny water hole with the rainforest on one side and this raging river on the other, and when we got there, it started to pour. It was an interesting experience sitting in a warm pool while being rained on with cold water, but it was kind of Gilbert to take such a long road trip.

For my actual birthday, the gang went to a nearby waterfall that was absolutely gorgeous. It was a beautiful day with very little rain, and I was so happy to see some blue skies. Later, we had a great night out at a bar called Dos Locos (referring to two crazy Canadians) with some cake, dancing, and of course, some tequila. I guess I’m a “proper” 21-year-old now that I’ve had my first tequila shot. ;)

This week has been a busy one, so I’ll have more to post soon. [Sorry for the lack of pictures; I’ve tried uploading, but it won’t work! I’ll try to post some after I get back home…]

Lots of love,

Candice

Finca Project Week 3 Update

Greetings!

It is pouring like crazy outside. It’s the rainy season right now, so it is wet ALL the time, and sometimes it gets so bad that the rivers flood over the bridges that cars and buses need to cross. [As I was writing this, my homestay brother, Gilbert, told me to come outside and take a look at the river that I have cross every day to get to and from work. There is so much water, and it is rushing by FAST. I’m so glad that they finished building the new bridge last week!]

Aside from that, it’s been an interesting week and a half here in Copabuena.

We opened up the nursery and had a grand party/cookout, though the rain hindered some people from coming. We have a lot of work to do to beautify it and make it a welcoming educational center for the community, but at the least the sign that Kate and I designed and painted is up and it looks great! My project will focus largely on the nursery, so I’m excited to see what we can make of it.

We also celebrated the Fourth of July with some traditional Latin American fireworks (more like firecrackers), but also had some good ol’ hamburgers and mac and cheese!

Another exciting event of the past week was going to Cotón, a natural reserve about an hour away, which neighbors the largest contingent rainforest in Central America. It rained a lot while we were there, but we were able to have a rain-less trek into the rainforest by leaving at 6:30 in the morning. It was so peaceful, and we were able to collect a few seeds even though it’s not the proper season to do so. Unfortunately, we didn’t see many animals, but we were attacked by some monkeys while we were leaving. Apparently, when these monkeys get mad, they start throwing things, and it sounded like they were some pretty big things. Some of the trees are really amazing though, and some of the vines try to “strangle” these trees, creating some really cool twists and turns. We got the chance to sit alone by ourselves in the forest for a bit, which was such a humbling experience. The forest is so alive!

Also, the grandkids of my home stay parents came over to stay, and it was great getting to hang out with little kids again. It made me think of Charlotte and home, especially as they are celebrating birthdays and anniversaries without me. But, the time is passing by much faster, and I have to remember to enjoy the time that I have here. It’s hard to condense everything I’m experiencing in this short post, but I hope it gives you an idea of what’s going on.

Hasta proxima semana,

Candice

Costa Rica/Finca Project Series: Wk 1-2 Update

We are gearing up to open the new nursery behind the Finca Project/Coope Pueblos offices, and a lot of the past week and a half has been dedicated to building, painting and getting the nursery ready to hold the baby trees we intend to sell.

It has been an interesting past two weeks as far as what I’m learning and the surroundings I am in. My host family has been very kind to me and continues to help me improve my Spanish. My host mom, Rosa, also prepares delicious home-cooked meals—I didn’t realize how much I enjoy eating rice and beans!

I’ve also had some quality conversations with my host dad, Roman, and my host brother, Gilbert, about Costa Rican farm life and culture. I’ve been soaking in the food, the music, the soccer games, the news, and especially the language, and I feel like there is more the grasp each day. I’m also learning a lot of Spanish, and while I understand more and more, I feel like my speaking skills need a major boost.

As for the environment here, it’s unbelievable. Aside from living on a beautiful finca with a river down the hill that I have to cross each day, I got to experience the beauty of a waterfall nearby and as we swam in the river and trekked through the forest growth, I began to really marvel at the natural beauty around me. However, with that amazing scenery comes new insects that are not so amazing, but I think that’s the biggest annoyance I have here thus far (mosquitoes galore and enormous roaches).

Not only am I learning a lot about Costa Rican culture, I am also getting some great ideas for my thesis next year, all revolving around agricultural policy and international economics. The readings we have had for seminar, as well as other books that I have found in the Finca Project library have helped shed light on the way cash crops are being produced and sold in developing countries like Costa Rica. In particular, we are learning a lot about how coffee is produced and sold, whether through coffee cooperatives or huge conglomerate food producers. Most importantly, I realize more and more the impact our consumer choices made in the U.S. have on global economics, especially on small-scale farmers that I have now begun to place faces with. (Next time you have a cup of coffee—think about where it’s from and who you’re buying it from. The way coffee is produced has huge environmental impacts on both wildlife and the land, and if you’re buying from a large chain, such as Starbucks, chances are that their growing practices are not sustainable, as they often sell coffee beans produced from sun-grown plants. The alternative would be to buy organic from smaller specialty retailers that purchase from small-scale farmers, but that has some drawbacks as well…)

Overall, I’m glad that I made it down here, but as with all my other long-term travels, it is difficult to be away from family and friends and familiar conveniences. I feel like a have a large challenge ahead of me, and it is also challenging to think that what I am doing here can actually help make a difference to what has been so ingrained in the way things are currently operating. I think that if I can focus my efforts on something specific, I will have an easier time justifying my stay here (in other words, that my presence here is actually doing something good for the community).

Pura vida,

candice

bounce

tunnel vision

Princeton daffodils

Princeton in the spring =

William Wordsworth's

"I WANDERED LONELY AS A CLOUD"

I WANDERED lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay: 10
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed--and gazed--but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood, 20
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.
1804.

tap tap tap ching!

I would like a typewriter.

Duty or Charity?

"...I begin with the assumption that suffering and death from lack of food, shelter, and medical care are bad. I think most people will agree about this, although one may reach the same view by different routes. I shall not argue for this view. People can hold all sorts of eccentric positions, and perhaps from some of them it would not follow that death by starvation is in itself bad. It is difficult, perhaps impossible, to refute such positions, and so for brevity I will henceforth take this assumption as accepted. Those who disagree need read no further.

My next point is this: if it is in our power to prevent something bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance, we ought, morally, to do it. By "without sacrificing anything of comparable moral importance" I mean without causing anything else comparably bad to happen, or doing something that is wrong in itself, or failing to promote some moral good, comparable in significance to the bad thing that we can prevent. This principle seems almost as uncontroversial as the last one. It requires us only to prevent what is bad, and to promote what is good, and it requires this of us only when we can do it without sacrificing anything that is, from the moral point of view, comparably important. I could even, as far as the application of my argument to the Bengal emergency is concerned, qualify the point so as to make it: if it is in our power to prevent something very bad from happening, without thereby sacrificing anything morally significant, we ought, morally, to do it. An application of this principle would be as follows: if I am walking past a shallow pond and see a child drowning in it, I ought to wade in and pull the child out. This will mean getting my clothes muddy, but this is insignificant, while the death of the child would presumably be a very bad thing.

The uncontroversial appearance of the principle just stated is deceptive. If it were acted upon, even in its qualified form, our lives, our society, and our world would be fundamentally changed. For the principle takes, firstly, no account of proximity or distance. It makes no moral difference whether the person I can help is a neighbor's child ten yards from me or a Bengali whose name I shall never know, ten thousand miles away. Secondly, the principle makes no distinction between cases in which I am the only person who could possibly do anything and cases in which I am just one among millions in the same position..."

From an essay, "Famine, Affluence, and Morality" by the controversial Peter Singer.
One of the few things I can agree with him about.

Downtown Ditties

I am in love with the series of books called "Petit Pattern Books," published by a Japanese company BNN. Basically, books with tons of designs, complete with attached CDs of the different patterns in that book so you can manipulate them (if you want) using Photoshop. The creative possibilities are endless, and each book has a unique theme! (See some examples on Amazon).

I found them in the MOCA store after seeing the Murakami exhibit, as well as some really intriguing works by Gordon Matta-Clark. Really enjoyed both exhibits, and the happy colors Murakami used made me quite cheery in turn. How can you be sad when you see something like this?



However, my favorites were definitely Tan Tan Bo Puking and the animation, Planting the Seeds starring Kaikai and KiKi.

Kiki looks exactly like my sister, it's hilarious (minus the third eye).

Overall, a splendid day exploring Los Angeles and museum-ing. Time to go make some stuff.