Reflection

The last week of my time here in Costa Rica could be separated into two distinct sections. First, following simple, humble practices with my host family, and second, learning that sustainability doesn’t always have to be followed by discomfort. The time spent with my host family was special and definitely tested my patience. Met with countless hours of sitting and staying present with one another in the living room, I was constantly reminded of what it means to relish a moment. My host family had three dogs, two cats, and two children. Anthony and Aniyah, both 10 and 1 year old respectively, brought so much joy into my short time spent there. With Anthony, I’d spend my time passing around a soccer ball and fighting to get one another off the ceiling steel beams. Although I don’t have a younger brother back at home, it really felt as if I was a big brother to both Anthony and Aniyah during my time there. Whether just by talking, spending time with him, or helping Anthony find his ball that he launched over the house, I felt, although small, a positive influence on his life. I’d spend my time much differently with Aniyah, repeating words that she found interesting like “gato” or “hola” and showing how to pet the dogs and cats. A noise engraved in my memory is her giggles. While playing with the dogs, she let out a burst of giggles whenever she got knocked over and licked by the dogs. These adorable and joyful kids, along with their ever-so-generous parents made a very impactful experience on my time in Costa Rica.  

During this time, outside of being home with our host family, we spent our days from 8am – 3pm at Finca Life, a sustainable coffee farm. Here we learned about their various processes, whether honey, natural, or full washed, and their distinct roast levels that came with each. We had days of diving deeper into their compost procedures and ingredient measurements, which I found very interesting. On the other end of learning came giving back which consisted of painting benches, murals, and shoveling compost. Although the painting was fun, I felt the best when we all banded together to shovel compost. To me, that laborious time spent in the heat filling bags of compost brought the most laughter and fulfillment. Our time in Monteverde was very different than the previous weeks spent. With less biodiversity, it was really a time for me to connect not with wildlife but with people. This week really solidified our class’s bonds with one another. This trend of interconnectedness between all of us continued until the very last second of the trip.  

After leaving our host families and making our way towards Valle Escondido for our last couple nights, an already occurring sense of wanting to learn more about sustainable practices was fostered upon. The owner of our hotel, Jonah, gave us an informative lecture on permaculture and a wonderful tour around the property. It seemed as if every little plant and material on the property had a purpose in bringing energy or food. His attention to detail in his agricultural projects and practices were inspiring to see and understand in person. Learning from Jonah and spending my time exploring the hotel resurfaced a similar feeling I had at my homestay. One of bringing back sustainable practices to my house back in Indiana. 

This last week, although split across two very different locations, still represented a bigger picture of wanting to learn how to be more sustainable as well as connecting with communities. Our dinners at the hotel were filled with laughs, shared memories made during the trip, and new stories told. Throughout this trip I’d felt moved all the way to my core every second of it. It had been the most transformative three-week experience of my life and I wouldn’t have changed a single thing about it. Still not knowing what I want to pursue in life and what exact kind of career and name I want to make for myself, this trip was very insightful in figuring more of that out. Whether it was talking with my peers, professors, or locals, I learned so much more about our world and what role I want to have in it. Over the course of the last days spent in Costa Rica, the reality of leaving and going home was finally setting in. It was a strange feeling. I was excited to go home and see my family but I also felt so connected to my current way of life. This trip showed me how much I enjoy living simply and amongst nature while also learning and discussing about current climate policies and food systems. Our UN discussion, followed by our resolutions, was a great way to end our time. 

Overall, I’d say the central theme of this last week is feeling inspired to bring sustainable practices to my life back home. Whether learning from my host family or from Jonah’s lecture/tour I felt shaken to my roots about changing my current state of living. This trip really was transformative in every way imaginable. The first week I felt my inner child awaken as I learned intenesely about interesting concepts such as rewilding. The second week I was filled with excitement every which way I turned, to swimming in a waterfall to seeing a red-eyed tree frog. And now this last week it feels as if everything is coming together. My three weeks here in Costa Rica have shaped me to think and act differently with the natural world around us. My time spent abroad these last three weeks were priceless and mean so much to me. All the knowledge and experiences I came across and the friends I made along the way. It’s necessary to learn about the health of our world today and how it’s being impacted. I enjoyed every second of this trip, and if you’re someone reading this, I know you will too.