What I appreciate…

This last and final blog has been by far the most challenging. For the last several weeks, I have been hemming and hawing over what I should write about, and how I could deliver an exit as good, if not better, than my entry!

So, with all of my might, I have been trying to think of ways to discuss what I value, without sounding cheesy or cliché. I wanted to avoid speaking about superficial things we have in Canada that Costa Ricans just don’t have (like Doritos or Fruit and Nut bars, which by the way, I really really miss!). The truth is, Costa Rica is a really easy place to travel, and from what I gather from the amount of ex-patriots that have shacked up here, it is also an easy place to live.

So I have come to realize that my greatest appreciation is not something I have been deprived of (well, other than my boyfriend, Michael… I have a new found appreciation for him!). My biggest appreciation has been by far, just having the opportunity to be here; to work with locals; and work on a second language. I am so appreciative to Larissa and Natasha for giving me the chance to explore the skills I have only recently learned I had. I am also appreciative to Michelle Szabo for speaking the kind words that helped me get this gig!

Since being in Costa Rica, I have learned how to directly work with wildlife; how to navigate research; how to develop community profiles; and how to write and edit funding proposals. I have also (on my own), developed an environmental education pilot program framework, along with an activity guidebook for teachers. This learning experience has allowed me to embrace my ability to be versatile in a way I would never have expected. Looking back to where I was a year ago (working 16 hours a day in the kitchen), I can only be proud for how much I have grown.

Although there had been some bumpy patches along the way, I have realized that it is these times that are really character building (okay, I lied, I am all for the cheese and clichés!). If it weren’t for moments of frustration I wouldn’t have really put as much thought into my education goals, and might have ended up taking a path I may regret in the future. Recently, inspired by these experiences and tough times, I have even changed the direction of my degree. My internship has given me insights, which my last three years of University has failed to do. My international work has given me real practical experience, which theory and discussion simply cannot encompass.

So, in conclusion, I will once again thank YIIP for making this experience possible; for helping my build on my skills as well as my confidence; and for providing an all encompassing support system. For all my years of complaining about how our University is a factory; how students are just a number (hmmm, maybe more like monetary amount); and how not one of my professors knows my name… the York International Internship Program helps to make up for that in a serious way. It is my goal to return the favour, and encourage students to apply. Hey, I will yell it in the streets if I have to!

The best food experiences of the summer

The week before I left for Costa Rica, I had received a message from my good friend Ryan. When he realized I was going to be gone for the entire summer, he begrudgingly said to me “well… enjoy your rice and beans! It’s going to be a long summer!”   

Lychees! Yumm!

Despite being an exporter of many amazing fruits, and not to mention coffee, Costa Rica does have a bad reputation for poor quality food and variety. I have to admit, that I have grown to hate both rice and beans, however, I have decided to dedicate this blog to writing only about the good food experiences I have had. I am taking the theme of “best meal of the summer” and twisting it to better suit my own theme of “best food experiences of the summer”. This, because, there has not been solely one good meal, rather… many experiences that have inspired many foodie ideas I hope to spoil my friends and family with when I get back!  

Now, when I got here to Costa Rica, I spent my first five weeks in Tortuguero. As I have mentioned in the past, the area is very remote. I took a three hours bus, another two-hour bus, an hour-and-a–half boat ride, and another ten-minute boat taxi. Needless to say, the food brought in to this area is limited, sometimes half rotten, and damn well expensive. Lucky for me, I was staying at a research station that had an amazing cook from Nicaragua.   

She always donned a huge smile, and I think she especially like me because I was always peering over her shoulder asking “que eso?” (what is that?) and telling her “mmm, sabrosa” (mmm, delicious!). She exposed me to butter fried yucca, caramelized plantains, and salted chocolate flan. She always made salads with shredded cucumber and pickled hearts of palm. Every morning there was always fresh guanabana or cass juice, and jars were always stocked with chocolate covered cookies called “chickies”.  I especially liked staying at the Sea Turtle Conservatories (the name of the station, also known as STC) because every morning there was gallo pinto. Again, this is rice and beans, but served with scrambled eggs, plantains, and tiny pancakes (which they call panqueques!) that are covered in honey. When you are working hard from five in the morning, this meal is a godsend!  

Market in Turrialba

Later, when I went to work in the highlands, my co-worker and I were super excited, because we were going to be able, for the first time in over a month and a half, to cook for ourselves. I was thrilled because there was a wood fired stove/oven, and a gas burner. I had recently visited the WoodLot in Toronto, and was super excited to get the chance to make a pie in a wood fired stove, just like at that restaurant. What I didn’t realize was that it can be difficult to get wheat flour in the stores here, and I wasn’t about to experiment with corn flour pastry. I did however decide that I would make corn flour crusted fried chicken instead, and cook it in the wood fired stove. It was challenging but rewarding. As many of you know, I do enjoy a good challenge when it comes to cooking. I have been known to go overboard while camping, making ridiculous things many may not even attempt at home!

All work an no play make Todd go crazy!

This brings me to visiting my fellow YIIP interns at their research station, the even more remote station Caño Palma (COTERC). Just to give you a little understanding of how remote this place is, it is even further into the middle of nowhere than the STC where I had been staying. It was another 30-minute boat ride to get to their station, of which little public transit goes, and a boat taxi will cost well over $20 (US). Needless to say, the interns there rarely left, if only to go across the canal to the small town (a bar and a hotel) called Vista Del Mar. Most people that spend a decent amount of time here go a little stir crazy (I am sure you could ask any previous interns, and they will agree to that!).     

Visiting this station is fun because the people are sooo happy to see a new face. It is rare not to be greeted with a big smile and a hug. It is no wonder I liked coming here, it isn’t very often when you a travel around a lot that people: a) know your name and b) are happy to see you! I especially liked hanging out here because everyone was so deprived; they were ecstatic if I got the chance to cook something for them. Luckily, I was finally able to bake that pie I wanted to make, but rather than a wood fired stove as I anticipated, it was in the tiniest toaster oven I have ever “cooked” with! It was a banana cream pie with roasted pineapple, and we cut mini portions for all eleven of the people there! This crew was definitely the best recipients of my food I’ve ever had. I chalk this up to eating only rice (umm, really badly cooked rice), and beans (even more disgusting) for an entire three months!    

Okay, so back to amazing food that I ate, that I didn’t have the pleasure of making myself! One of the most delicious things I had tasted in the entire summer was passion fruit juice my friend’s mother made for dinner. It sounds simple, but it was the most delicious thing that had ever touched my lips. In Costa Rica, there are a lot of synthetic fruit juices that are repulsive. However, I have learned that most people (maybe more the older generation moms) make fresh juices with whole fruits. They do this by peeling fruit and putting it in the blender with water and maybe a bit of sugar. If there are seeds or pith, you strain it after. It is really simple, but I have never thought to do this at home. Since I saw this, I have been making fresh juice everyday, and plan to make it a habit at home.     

I also have really started to like the bar food here in Costa Rica. The food is referred to as bocadillos (which is a word for sandwich, but means more a food you can hold). It is comparable to the concept of Tapas, which literally means something to top. In the past, in bars in Spain, people would put a piece of bread over their beer to keep the flies out. They ate it, and it became known as Tapas. Now these are foods that are eaten in small portions in bars, or more recently, in restaurants too. Bocadillos are similar. They are small portions of food that you are served while you drink beer. The most common is called Chifrijo, which is (again) rice and beans, but stewed in a tomato based sauce, also served with fried salted pork fat, guacamole and tortilla chips.

My favourite Bocadillo is nachos, which is completely different than we eat in North America. On a platter is a bed of fresh tortilla chips covered with slow braised chicken or beef (pollo or carne), it is topped with refried beans, and covered in fresh cream (like sour cream) and fresh cheese. The chicken is cooked in a sweet spicy sauce, similar to pulled pork. The whole thing is heated under a broiler and it comes to you gooey and delicious. The tortillas aren’t stacked high, but rather, a single layer, so each chip has a mound of meat, beans and cheese. It is freakin amazing, and I think about it every night as I drift to sleep. .. mmmm nachos.     

So, in reflection, I have eaten my fair share of rice and beans as Ryan had predicted, but I have also bean exposed to a huge variety of fresh fruits and vegetables I haven’t encountered before. I have also learned that because it is “growing season” here is year round, people base their planting rotations on the cycle of the moon. In fact, most things are based on the cycle of the moon, but we really aren’t exposed to this concept in Canada… mating rituals of animals, nesting of reptiles, migration patterns, and…our food!     

Anyway, stay tuned my friends, and if I invite you to a movie night soon, you’d better come because its go time with these nachos baby!    

Coming soon:

The last blog post of the summer (OOOHHH NO!)...

“What I value most”     

Some other pictures to share: 

Teaching my friend Roger how to roast marshmallows.

Yellow eyelash pit viper!

you can't tell... but this frog is freakin huge!

Me hard at work in my "office"!

Baby turtle!

Cahuita and Canadians (...and an African)! Good times!

Turning Point

In the last couple of weeks, I have experienced a turning point in my experience here in Costa Rica. It all began with planning a bird-banding workshop with my supervisor Pablo (AKA Chespi). Here, I was able to utilize my experience in planning, logistics, and shopping. I started to feel less “out of my element”, and a bit more confident that I would be able to walk away knowing I did a good job.  Since this is my first job in a new direction and a new career path, I have taken a few blows to the ego. My crash course in ornithology and living in a country of a different language has been challenging, to say the least.

The bird-banding workshop took place in the highland region of Madre Selva, a place I had previously banded, and have since fallen in love with. The attendees of the workshop were the students my co-worker and I have been working with at INBio Parque. They are a variety of wonderful Costa Rican people: some studying Biology; some studying Natural Resource Management; and some simple getting certification for jobs they already have.

During the week of this workshop, I was also given the heads up that I would begin working on the project I was hired to do, which was to help in the development of an education program for middle school kids to learn about birds and conservation. The first stage in this program required me to spend a day in the elementary school (of focus) and to observe the way in which classes are taught; and how the school functions as a whole. Luckily, I was able to steal one of the bird-banding students (who is proficient in both English and Spanish), to aid me in understanding the language. Without her, I know I would have been lost (Thanks Sara!).

Grades 4-6 getting an exam review

The school is located in the small town of La Trinidad de Dota (google it… I dare you!). This town consists solely of a school, a church, and a store. The school only has two classrooms, where 3 grades are taught at once.  In the classroom I observed, there were 16 students, which were grades 4 through 6.

Now I am not saying I had preconceived notions of what these students would be like, or what their level of understanding would be… but what I can tell you, is that by the look of the town, I knew that funding was surely an issue the school had to deal with on a regular basis. My mistake, was assuming that this would have an effect on the quality of education the students were receiving.

From listening to the students, and briefly talking with them, I realized they had been receiving a better education than I had received in Canada at their age. Children of ten years of age were able to name bird species by their scientific name, and discuss issues like alternative energy, or the pros and cons of our ability to clone. I was amazed, and proud of them for having a more rounded understanding of science, than I, an (almost) 30-year-old woman.

Students excited to talk to a "Gringa"!

I left the school completely inspired, and amazed. My world had truly been altered. I felt the most “in the right” in my life about refusing to accept the dominant idea of “development” that we are constantly force-fed in North America. That fact that there is evidence that money, and money, and more money isn’t necessarily what is needed for a functioning nation. That kids can grow up bright and strong without making everything in sight “marketable”.

Okay, so I know I may have lost some of you along the way, so I will do my best to explain. One of the most exciting things I learned about the school system here in Costa Rica is that there is a nutrition program that ensures that all the students get a healthy meal while they are at school. There is no coke, or band name juices. There are no contracts with fast food companies, and there is only unprocessed whole foods offered. At the Universities (which I had the pleasure of visiting), the government subsidizes the tuition, and for the remaining amount required of the students (aprox $125.00 USD) there are also a number of grants and scholarships that anyone can (and do) get. It was also really excited that, on campus, there are ALSO no contracts with fast food companies, and the food is made on sight and fresh. Not to mention… affordable. Breakfast costs about $1.25, and Lunch around $2.00. I have realized that education (and health) are the cornerstones of the nation. They have been able to give their children a well-rounded foundation, without the selling out to Coke for brand new gym equipment (they play outside!). In Costa Rica, there is a 95% literacy rate across the board (which is more that I can say for some areas of Canada...ummm Canadian Government, our reserves are part of our country too!). 

Leaving the banding workshop in the Highlands

So, this is all beyond the point of my story. I am writing to you, dear readers, about the turning point for me here in Costa Rica. Up until now, I have been not quite a tourist, and even less a resident. I have been floating from one bunk bed to another, not yet really knowing any Costa Rican people, or speaking the language… until now.

My week in the highlands had given me a chance to spend time with more people of Costa Rica. I made friends with several of the students, as well as a new coworker (from Nicaragua). They have so easily welcomed me into their lives and their homes, despite our obvious limitations in communication.

Dinner with Angie's Family in Turrialba

More recently, I had also had the great pleasure of spending the weekend with one of my new friends. She had invited me into her family home where she grew up and spent her childhood. This experience has been overwhelmingly heart warming. I sat at a dinner table with her entire family, and shared a home cooked meal. On the Sunday, I spent the day with them in a National park, and sipped wine near a waterfall. I really couldn’t believe the hospitality shared with a perfect stranger. To be in the family home of a friend, I have realized, is something I have yet to do with some of my closest friends in my home country.

Mid-afternoon rest in Guayabo National Monument

This turning point for me has been seeing the most beautiful side of the country that goes beyond the mountains, volcanoes and silky white beaches. The most beautiful part of this country is the people and their honest warmth, hospitality, their openness to friendship. It is the love and respect they express for their families and  neighbors.

Thank you Costa Rica, for giving me this experience.

Stay tuned…

Best meal (or general food) of the summer… I had been saving this one up!!

Can you name this fruit?