DAy 7: Fun DAy With A Side of Debate

Dear Diary,

The smacking of rain drops on our roof woke us bright and early. Everyone was in a groggy mood, and their feet pounded on the floor for the morning breakfast. We had fruit, yogurt, pancakes, and a side of speciality Costa Rican coffee and tea. The coffee will be an important factor for later. As we hurried to the bus, our shoes smacked upon the mud, and the fog blinded our eyesight. Never the less we pervailed. The bus ride was rocky, with twists and turns, but we made it to a family owned coffee plantation. The owner, Fettyrico, greated us with a smile and a sound of dogs barking with an anxious tone. First, we saw the growing coffee beans and taste tested ripe beans with a red coating. Though slippery, we made it to a shed with no scrapes upon our knees. He showed us the various tools and the process of transformations of the beans to the cup of coffee. The coffee upon the tongue was bitter but very rich in taste. We snapped photos that had all smiles and dimples popping out and crinkles upon the noses. Then, we hurried back to the bus to catch our next acitivty… soccer and volleball.

The field was large and conditioned, though the outside was riddled with puddles. We spilt up into groups based upon peference. Everyone got to enjoy a fun cooperative and competitve game. Our voices turned hoarse from constant yelling. Our bodies flowed with the movement of the game as each shot taken towards the goal turned into a cheer. We gave each other high fives and appluase. Of course the soccer player Edu moved through the defense and scored 4 goals winning the game in a sweep. Though tired, we moved again towards the bus heading to Turrialba for lunch. We sat in a revamped train car with nice air condtioning to have various sandwiches and juice that was based on preference The sandwhich bread was homemade, as well as the potato chips. The sandwhichs were delicious and very nutritious. After eating we went into the bakery to buy pastries. We cleared the whole bakery out and our wallets. We headed home for free-time before our Environmental Guest Speaker, Andres or Fofo, came. The guest speaker gave us a presentation on Environmental Justice within Costa Rica. To represent what was happening in Costa Rica, we had a mock-trial between local communtties and a luxury hotel development that was in a area of 2.5% of the worlds biodiversty. The government group listened to both sides and arugements before coming to a decision of going with the luxury hotel, but with added restrictions. This actvity gave us a glimpse into real world problems, specfically in Costa Rica. We appreciated Fofo’s time. To end the day after the debate, we had free-time where some took naps and others took to the grass to play volleyball. Everyone spread out around the lodge. Then we took our time to round them up for dinner. We had chicken salad with a cup of blended fruit juice. We talked, laughed, ate, and concluded the day with passing the torch to the next group after an awesome rap performance and learning German for “you are good enough”. The weather was inviting, so we had smores and a nicely lit fire.

To all the families, we are exploring such a wonderful country with a phemonal group of people. From us to you, til next time!!

Also for any photos that didn’t make the blog, click here! https://photos.app.goo.gl/mQKy5UQVSdVjCkgeA