Week 2 – by Paola, Ethan, Bear, Molly, and Leo
This week was full of many different excursions and activities. We began the week with a visit to Volcano Irazú. We left Cedrela Eco Lodge at 6 am and went on a two-and-a-half-hour bus ride to the volcano. The view was really pretty although it was chilly and windy due to the elevation. The mist surrounding the edge of the volcano obscured the distant landscape, which created a mysterious atmosphere.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, we went to two different farms: Finca San Francisco and Camino a Los Santos. The food was phenomenal at both farms with lots of fresh fruits and homemade goods. We learned about agroecological farming which exposed us to many new ideas. It widened our perspective past the single story of a farmer and taught us that farmers are scientists who have many different creative ideas. We learned how compost is made through trial and error with many different components: animal manure, plant material, honey, forest microorganisms.
The next day, we visited Laguna Don Manuel. It was very peaceful, as we were the only ones there, and it was refreshing to be in such an open space. We began the morning with a session on design thinking which led to the beginnings of our hypothetical community development projects. Afterward, we went on different hikes to explore the area. For lunch, we ate at a restaurant next to a river with a waterfall. We returned to the lodge to have a workshop on the effects of colonialism and Spanish class.
We ended the week with a variety of workshops. During the morning, we worked more on exploring the root causes of the problem identified in our community development project. In the afternoon, we had a session from Bean Voyage where we learned about food justice and coffee bean production. The session ended with a taste test of different coffee types and brewing techniques.
Overall, this week was extremely enjoyable. We had many more activities this week than last week, and although it may have been a bit hectic it was definitely an interesting and new experience.
Esta semana tuvimos excursiones y actividades. Empezamos la semana con un viaje a Volcán Irazú. Salimos a las seis y fuimos al volcán. La vista era bonita. La neblina estaba en las montañas.
El martes y miércoles, fuimos a dos fincas: Finca San Francisco y Camino a Los Santos. Las comidas eran buenas. Aprendimos mucho sobre las frutas y verduras que nos dieron nuevas ideas y perspectivas. También aprendimos que los agricultores son científicos y sobre cómo hacer abono orgánico.
El próximo día, visitamos la Laguna Don Manuel. Estaba muy tranquilo porque no había otras personas. Empezamos la mañana con una sesión sobre pensamiento de diseño y proyectos de desarrollo comunitario. Después, hicimos una excursión y tuvimos un almuerzo próximo a una catarata. Volvimos a Cedrela para tener un taller sobre los efectos del colonialismo y una clase de español.
Cerramos la semana con varios talleres. Durante la mañana, exploramos las causas fundamentales de un problema. En la tarde, tuvimos una clase de Bean Voyage sobre café y justicia de comida.
Generalmente, esta semana fue muy divertida. Tuvimos mucho más actividades esta semana que la última semana y aunque era un poco loco, era muy interesante.