Costa Rica might be a small country, but somehow it feels as big as the whole U.S. with how much it teaches you. In such a short time, it shared so much knowledge, culture, and heart leaving a lasting impact on me, hoping it will be carried into America with me like a souvenir. I have a quote tattooed on me in Arabic that says, ‘The beauty of life is lost when you look only through your eyes.’ And honestly, a perfect statement describing this trip. It showed me that those who don’t stop to feel the breeze and to smell the scent of a room once they enter, or even those who don’t stop to feel the soft drizzle of rain on their skin it’s almost like they are forgetting to live. Our eyes can only capture so much, and even then, the memories start to fade. But as I sit here in the North Carolina airport, I can still feel Costa Rica, it’s a whole different energy just from stepping off the plane.
Monteverde felt like it ended just as fast as it started. One second we were getting used to it, and the next we were packing up to head to the next place. Even before we stepped off the bus, the rich scent of freshly ground coffee hit us, and just like that, we knew we’d made it to the coffee farm. It was a simple farm from the outsider’s perspective, small and local. I later come to find nothing is simple about this farm, and with its size it’s somehow managed to advance farther than most in America. This farm, in my opinion, has had the best food since arriving in Costa Rica, and one thing that will always be a reminder of this farm is its scent. Once we unloaded all our luggage near the dining hall it had a strong scent of herbs. Even though the cute goats were less than a mile away, all I could smell was this strong sense of mint, parsley and another herb I couldn’t pinpoint but it was a sign of love. They use their gardens to cook in the kitchen and it was abundantly clear when I tasted the food. The tour came to an end and before I knew it I was on a bus to go to my homestay.
I found myself stressing about the idea of the homestays, what-ifs filling my thoughts. If there’s one thing I’d say about the homestay, is please don’t stress/overthink, just come in as open-minded as you can, because the second I stepped foot into her house was when I felt like I was coming home. This is the part where I touch on eyesight, it’s an essential part of life, tying every other sense together, but in this part of the trip, eyesight was essential to me. This home instantly reminded me of my house in Lebanon, the house itself being small but incomparable to the view and the size of the garden. Her garden is filled with so many plants and species!
The energy we place into the environment will be the same energy it will give back, meaning if we work with the ecosystem, it will work to give us good produce and a great environment. It was something I came to realise at the coffee farm when we began to tour, a piece of advice: pay close attention to the guides because their insight on sustainability is worth a listen. I remember Dianna telling us how she loves how the farm works with the forest instead of killing it off to build the farm, and it really stuck with me, because throughout the rest of our stay the forest was offering us so much good food from its vegetable garden, and amazing coffee from its plants. I was able to tell by the smell of the coffee how much richer it would be compared to American coffee. On our last day, we got the chance to taste all the types of coffee they made, making my taste buds confused by the total end of whether I was drinking light or dark coffee. One thing was for certain, I was definitely drinking good coffee, however, one thing that stood out to me was the smell of the ground coffee beans, it had a strong, distinctive smell of peanuts. It was so abundant, and so unlike American coffee and in that moment I began to realise how much Dianna was right about our soil showing us love when we shower it with care.
It was hard to say goodbye to the coffee farm, and our homestay but it eventually came to an end with lots of warm hugs and failed attempts at showing gratitude. It felt as if I was leaving home, a home that was created off of the environment of the people that surrounded me. So as I sit in the airport of North Carolina, a realization comes over me as I type, memories can be created through sight but unforgettable memories are made through our ears, our nose, our tongue, and our skin. I can still hear the bursts of laughter that my classmates would fall into, making my heart ache, the smell of the coffee upon arrival to the farm, or even the touch of the mist that would arise from Monte Verde.
This trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. This country opened my eyes to so much that I only hope I can carry it into my life in America. I made incredible memories with some pretty incredible people, and I can only hope whoever is reading this will feel the love and excitement I have for the people and the country of Costa Rica. To whomever has the next opportunity for this trip, I only wish you the best of luck in discovering what the country has to offer; good luck, Charlie!
-Fatima Amro
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