Day one quickly turned into day eleven in my journal, and it all happened within the blink of an eye. I quickly fell into a routine in La Selva, almost as if I had been there for months, so when it was finally time to adventure 30 minutes away from La Selva, I found that my mind had tricked me into thinking La Selva was all there was to Costa Rica. The way people live in this country is very blissful, with or without money, you will see kindness and gratitude in their culture. Thursday, we spent the morning at the pineapple farm, relying mostly on our sense of taste during the tour. To my surprise, the farm didn’t have a distinguishing scent that struck me like the banana farm; we mainly used our vision to distinguish different types of pineapples, and our taste to differentiate between sweet and sour. Our tour guide had a lot of pride in the way they grew these pineapples and just their country’s system in general, which later I’ll come to find most Costa Ricans take pride in their sustainable practices. After eating two whole pineapples at this farm, on top of all the pineapple juice we drank, I found the insides of my mouth ringing with this sensation that almost felt like the pineapple was eating me back. I’m sad to say I’ve been avoiding pineapples ever since, for some reason, my mouth still remembers the sour feeling after eating so many at once that it now avoids even the smallest bits.
On Friday, we woke up early, per usual, and headed to the banana farm, which I later found out was a family-owned farm and not nearly as big as the pineapple farm. Once I stepped off the bus and into the little kitchen area, I was hit with this strong scent of burning wood. I mentioned this earlier, but similar to stepping off the plane, this scent gave me a sense of feeling at home, almost as if it was giving me a hug, inviting me into the farm. Cliché, I know, right? But I was expecting to use our taste to test everything, yet at this farm specifically, I was mainly using my sense of smell. From seeing the mariola’s nest to how the banana grows to her welcoming us into her small but very beautiful home, there was a prominent sense of peace in this simple life she lived. On her farm, she grew so many types of species, some fruit, some vegetables, some even having medicinal remedies. From the scent to the format of the farm, it all came together to make a home, and when the scent of the grounded coffee that is absorbed by the boiling water began to fill the air, I found myself remembering my home in Lebanon.
In other words, what I’m getting at is my love for this farm and the owner came from the idea that this was a second version of my childhood home in Lebanon. From their traditions to their hospitality it all sprouted from a scent. Isn’t it odd how smelling something can make someone feel a million emotions all at once? We were really lucky because she taught us how to make Caribbean plantains and then even had us try them. I was by far the happiest person there, because if you know me, you know I am obsessed with plantains. Later that evening, we tied everything together in the classroom and had an open discussion on the differences in American vs Costa Rican agriculture, food systems, and diets. Which I loved (but it did get a little off topic) because one major point that was made was how little time we give to eating in America, which in cause of how goal-driven Americans tend to be, causes us to neglect how we eat and what we eat. Food is one of the main driving factors in how we function, meaning it’s really important how we eat and what we eat.
I promise you I don’t hate La Selva for the longest, I actually loved La Selva, but on our last day, La Selva didn’t love me. It was our last day both for data collection and being in La Selva, so I woke up, per usual, at 4 in the morning to observe hummingbirds. On this lovely Saturday, it was pouring like no other, and this meant all the mosquitoes were out and about. In the span of 6 hours, I had managed to get 24 different mosquito bites all over me, and when I mean everywhere, I even mean my forehead. By the time 11am came around, we had barely gotten any data due to the rain, and I was a walking buffet for the mosquitoes, while also feeling extremely fatigued from the humidity. It was an unfortunate way of ending La Selva, but I was the first one to load up my suitcase onto that bus and say goodbye.
It took an hour and a half to get to the infamous La Fortuna waterfall, and no matter how many pictures I took, it couldn’t convey how beautiful it was. From the slight breeze blowing in because of the waterfall to the slight sprinkles that would fall onto your skin, I was in paradise. Now, yes I was shivering the entire time, but it was probably the most alive I’ve felt this entire trip. Once I dipped into the water and felt the ice-cold water against my skin, it felt like a fresh breath of air in comparison to the sweat on my skin from the humidity in La Selva. At a certain point, Dr Libby had said that in moments where something so beautiful is in front of you, you tend to forget how to think, and it really stuck with me because he was right, I was doing everything but thinking in this moment. I was shivering from the ice-cold water gliding on my body, listening to the intense sound of the water falling, watching the water move gracefully, and somehow dropping with speed, everything but a thought.
It’s safe to say the Arenal Lodge was the prettiest place I’ve ever slept, as my bed overlooked the Volcano. The funniest thing has been happening to me in Costa Rica (which is rare for me in America), I’ve been naturally waking up at 5 am every day. So when I was randomly awoken at 5.07am to the sound of the birds chirping and the light slowly creeping up on the volcano, I almost thought I was dreaming (I definitely took videos to verify it wasn’t). The fact that I was able to snuggle under the blanket because of the cold made me even more ecstatic. It was sad to leave, but it came to an end with quickness, and later that evening, I found myself in Monteverde, shivering but yet very intrigued. All in all, in the short, quick days, I’ve learned that there is more than the eye can see. I can proudly say I have gotten so much better at spotting things in the forest only because I stopped using my eyes as a first resort. I’m learning to make better memories that feel longer-lasting when I use the rest of my senses first. Whether it’s the smell of Costa Rica, the taste of all the great meals here, or even the sounds of the forest, but regardless I’m really looking forward to the few days we have left here in Costa Rica!
-Fatimaaaaa 🙂
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