Monteverde

Greetings from Monteverde in the Guanacaste province of Costa Rica. Unfortunately I don’t have the same quality internet connection that I’ve been lucky to secure in the rest of CR so this blog will be quite short and probably not updated again this week. So, unfortunately no photos, at least today.

The pace of our trip has increased a bit, and that’s saying something given the high pace prior to this point. On Tuesday we traveled in vans from the Arenal region of CR to Monteverde. As the crow flies it’s about 22 miles but we drive for 5 hours on super bumpy, rocky roads. Needless to say, we were happy when we finally arrived. Monteverde is famous for its cloud forest, a unique eco-region that houses some of the world’s greatest biodiversity. We at about 4700ft and hiked to over 5200ft up in the mist and thick forest. In addition to looking for all the critters in the forest, we also visited a K-11 Eco School.

We’ll be here in Monteverde till Friday when we head back to San Jose ready to fly back to the U.S.A. early on Saturday morning.
Pura Vida!

Arenal

A juvenile coati, relative to our racoon.  They are considered pests here in CR.

Colorful moth.

An eyelash viper, a venomous snake that didn't seem to bother me sticking a camera in its face (thanks goodness!).

Bright flowers.

Lake Arenal in the north-central part of Costa Rica.

Arenal volcano in the background as I sit on a old lava field.  

A 5AM shot of Arenal volcano from the doorstep of my hotel room.  A super nice looking stratovolcano reaching to ~5400 ft.

Beautiful butterflies everywhere!

Homestays

We got back today from our homestays, where a small group of us were staying with a traditional family that lives on a farm.  What an incredible experience, tremendously humbling and grounding all at the same time.  The family I stayed with lives on a 30 acre farm in the hills in the rain forest, calling cows, horses, a pig, a talapia fish pond, a mangy dog, and plentiful fruit trees their own.  Fernando, the husband, and Lydia, the wife spoke not a lick of English, similar to the 4 teachers that accompanied me on the homestay who spoke not a lick of Spanish either.  So, that left me translating everything that was said all 3 days, and what a time it was!  My Spanish has come a long way since high school classes and it felt great to use it in such a constructive way.  

We milked cows, fed the pig and talapias, built a 60m "live" fence, and toured his 30 acres of heaven.  When I compare my life in the U.S.A. with the life of these poor Costa Ricans it becomes apparent that many aspects of my life are just distractions, busyness that doesn't add to much value to my life.  

Arenal Volcano, the peak at ~5400ft obscured in the clouds.

One big iguana!

The family and fellow teachers I stayed with in the traditional Costa Rican village. In the back is Phyilllis from Rhode Island, the daughter of the family we stayed with, and me.  In the second row is Fernando, Lydia, Susan (ME) , Melissa (GA), and Jason (OH).  In the front row is the lovely grand daughter of the folks we stayed with, named Andrea.

 
Toucan.

Your truly milking a cow!

Hanging bird nests, arriba!

A ginormous beetle on the walk to my room. 

Dinner Video Post from Costa Flores

Dinner of a masquerade, a local band with costumed dancers from the local community. Yee ha!

Yet another sign of CR's environmental ethic...you find these recycling setups all over the country.

Banana plantation procession plant...monkey see, monkey do.

Banana plants (they aren't technically trees) with the bananas themselves under the blue bags for protection from insects.

Reflections from yesterday's School visit and more...

A walking stick that was walking near the door to my room.  Quite the camouflage.

Turrialba Volcano on a rare clear morning in the rain forest.  It's 10,958ft tall and part of the Cordillera Central mountain range.

A rather long iguana showing off his envious lifestyle.  

A heavy dew in the morning of the rain forest.

11:30AM, 87ºF, 1015.7mb, 70.2º Dew Point, 79% Humidity.

A few thoughts from yesterday's school visit.  Costa Rica has a 23% dropout rate which when compared to Alaska's at 40% is very good!  The kiddos in CR aren't forced into their classrooms for school; there's a national law stating that teachers cannot demand that students come into class, even if they're at school.  As such, there were many students out and about wandering the campus and not in a class per say.  The teachers in CR must buy all their own materials for their classrooms, from paper to books to glasswear and chemicals for science labs.  This is the reason that many CR schools have a commercial side where they actively sell a product produced at the school to contribute to the budget for such supplies.

I would have liked to ask to see a report card to see how their assessment is done in CR; ask about

parent involvement in the education of their young ones; inquire into how many students at the

high school I visited will go on to college.

A few bits about CR history:

1492: Moors expelled from the Iberian Peninsula (Spain) and start their evangelism of the New World.

1503: Columbus lands on the Caribbean coast of CR and spends 1 day before leaving, headed back

to Spain with a very good impression of CR

1524: All of Central America "conquered" by Spaniards (this was really the last of the European 

crusades)

1532: Incan conquered in South America

1560: Costa Rica is conquered and the indigenous peoples flee to the south of the country. The

Spaniards came into CR from the north through Nicaragua because they couldn't penetrate the dense

Atlantic slope jungles.

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We toured an organic and sustainable banana plantation today that is part of EARTH University and

sells their bananas to Whole Foods in the United States. When a banana plant first starts growing

from a seed it takes 9 months for it to mature and produce a bunch of bananas. These bunches

are grown in plantations, a common example of monoculture in the tropical regions. Once the banana

bunches are ready to be harvested the bunch is cut and placed on a rail that mechanically is conected

to the processing plant. Once it arrives there they are cut into smaller bunches like we see in the grocery

store. An organic chemical is then sprayed on them to rid the peels of the staining sap and a mild

dose of chlorine to sanitize the peels. They are then sprayed with another organic spray to deter

the growth of fungus before being boxed and shipped to Europe and the U.S.

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La Lecheria (Organic Integrated Model Dairy Farm)

Trench Junk (animal waste + water) --> sediment canals and BioDigestor

Sediment Canals --> dirty water is absorbed by plants and filtered by the soil. When it 

finally gets to the river it is clean.

BioDigestor --> performs anaerobic respiration the slurry of animal waste and produces

methane gas which is collected and used to cook with and generate electricity via a generator.

The whole mantra of sustainability, which is it clear that CR has embraced wholeheartedly, is

clearly an issue that requires planning and education. The education piece of this equation is

very important, acting to enlighten the next generation on environmentally responsible techniques

of agriculture. This is probably the hardest part, getting today's youth to see forward and not just

in the present. Kids often feel immortal and can't relate to the time investment needed for

sustainability.

School Visit

We had the opportunity to visit a rural high school today, the Colegio Tecnico Profesional de Guacimo, in Guacimo, Costa Rica, the heart of the rainforest.  It was very interesting to contrast their education system to ours in the states, from everything about national educational policy to how teachers teach and run their classrooms.  Students attend 200 days of school a year, from Feb through Dec.  School starts at 7am and ends at 4:15pm but many students travel from as far away as 2 hours, having to catch the bus at 5am and only getting home after 6pm.  Long days for sure!  

The school I visited had an emphasis on agro-ecology as well as ecotourism.  They grow many plants at the school and have the students oversee their care.  In so many ways though the students were just like my students in Alaska: love their iPods, some very shy, some very out-going and the life of the party.  A very worthwhile experience visiting the schools!

A nice moth right near the sleeping quarters...roughly 3" across.

This tree amazed me, so full, so lush and just a carbon dioxide eating machine.

Students out in the fields learning how to grow pineapple.  I loved the hands on learning and how practical it all is.

Just like my students, they all seem so eager to pose for photos.  

Costa Rican girls enjoying the distractions of having "gringos" visit their high school campus.

A typical classroom in rural Costa Rica with wooden desks and small group instruction.

Sugar caning, what an interesting process from the field to your dining room table.  It takes about sugar cane 8 months to grow about 12 feet high and with a 2 inch diameter.  Because it grows so easily it can be harvested anytime of the year in the tropics.  When it reaches the above size the sugar cane fields are burned to get rid of the various snakes in the field, burn off the grass (leaves of sugar cane), and most notably to rid the plant of its super sharp edges so humans can go in and cut it.  Once a plant or field as been burned, the heat of the combustion actually starts the sugars in the plant to ferment, so you've only got 24 hours to harvest after the field as been burned and cut.  The stalks are then run though a pressing machine that acts to squeeze out all the sugary juices from the stalks.  About 200 stalks like the ones in the photo below produce about 10 gallons of sugary water, which is then boiled till about 75% of the water is boiled off.  This sugary molasses you're then left with is poured into wood molds and allowed to harden for 1 day before it's solid like the sugar cane we're all familiar with.  Sugar like this is equal parts sucrose, glucose, and fructose.

Sugar cane cut this morning ready to be pressed and made into sugar.

I thought this opportune image summed up Costa Rica well: super well known for it's wildlife in a country that is coping with the many challenges of modernity.

A nice scenic view of a church overlooking a broad rainforest valley.

Quite the colorful wagon used to haul sugar cane.

Double click on the movie below to see a quick clip of the leaf cutter ants in action!

Relief monolith made by folks from long ago...

A bird nest hanging from the tree...quite the home!

On the Road

Coffee plants growing beneath the shade of eucalyptus trees.  We saw a bazillion coffee fields today, in addition to bananas, avocados, tomatoes, pineapple, cacao and sugar cane.

A precariously perched home on a steep hillside, of which all the land seems to be.  Notice the fog rolling in as we enter the rainforest.

A catholic church in a village we passed through.

A sloth hanging  high up in the trees...didn't come out too well with my camera but he sure was lazy up there!

One of a zillion leaf-cutter ants making their way through the forest.

Howdy folks!  Yet another full day, yee ha!  We finally left the what were often stifling confines of San Jose and hit the road, and how thankful I was!  I was ready to leave the big city and see some of the countryside, what in my mind CR is really known for.  After a 2 hour drive east of San Jose we arrived in Turrialba, a tiny village at the base of Parque Nacional Monumento Arqueologico Guayabo, or Guayabo Archeological Site.  Costa Rica, despite it's strategic location connecting 2 huge continents, has not hosted many indigenous cultures at all.  Guayabo is the only national site that has been excavated as an archeological site.  Indigenous people lived in this location starting in 1500BC and mysteriously disappeared in 1500AD.  We toured their monoliths, petroglyphs, and numerous structures of foundations and roads.  It's amazing to see how much of it has been altered given the rate of decay of the rainforest.  Guayabo is at 3300 feet and is very much in the rain forest, receiving as much as 200 inches of rain a year.  Appropriately, it rained on us quite a bit.

The real highlight for me at this stop was the leaf-cutter ants.  They are these huge colonies of ants, numbering in the billions, that build colonies in the soil up to 3 stories high!  They cut leaves and are seen marking in a long row through the rainforest understory delivering the leaves to their colony to attract bacteria which they feed on.  Local peoples actually use the ants to stitch close wounds that they have.  The put the ant over their wound, the ant bits down with their super powerful mandibles, the locals tear the body from the head, and the head remains with the jaws clamped down to keep the wound closed.  

Tonight we arrived at and are staying the next 2 nights at EARTH University, a university with an emphasis on sustainable agricultural techniques.  The President and Provost of EARTH University were kind enough to talk us group of teachers tonight after we arrived.  This unique school is a private, international, nonprofit university specializing in educating leaders of tropical developing countries in sustainable agricultural techniques.  In addition to educating 400 students in sustainable methods, they also maintain a fully sustainable and organic farm selling their fruits to stores worldwide.  If you've ever bought a banana from Whole Foods you have bought a banana grown here at EARTH University.

Go Devils!

Hoping everything is well back in the USA!

We visited the University for Peace today, a very interesting college that offers majors regarding peaceful conflict resolutions throughout the world.  Here's their charter.

Today we visited two very interesting places near San Jose.  This morning we visited the world's first and only certified carbon-neutral airline.  Nature Air flies throughout Costa Rica and has many innovative techniques for reducing their carbon footprint on the world.  They buy offsets of forest on the Oso Peninsula to absorb the amount of carbon that they are releasing into the atmosphere in the form of carbon dioxide.  In addition to this, they run all their vehicles on biodiesel and have started a huge recycling program in the airport which serves as their hub.  A company representative spoke to us for about an hour describing their business plan, why they've made these decisions to be carbon-neutral and how it all fits nicely into the context of present day Costa Rica.

This afternoon we traveled to the University of Peace in the hills surrounding the Central Valley and San Jose.  This university was started for the promotion of peaceful resolutions to various conflicts around the globe.  It seems a basic tenet of everything from the board games Risk and Settlers to the how international conflicts start in the real world that resources are often a the focal point of disagreements.  A professor spoke to us about how natural resources are often at the root of many global conflicts.  

All for now, feeling quite tired with all this travel.

A very neat palm frond looking straight up.

Not so sure what this colorful little plant is...stunning though.
This statue was is the Peace Memorial at the University of Peace.  
Nature Air is the world's first and only certified carbon-neutral airline.  They also make sure all their fleet vehicles run on biodiesel.  Quite the company vision and mission!

Javier from Nature Air showing us the used cooking oil that is converted into biodiesel.

"That's Tight Yo"

It's been really interesting learning about the other teachers on this trip; funny how we're here to learn about CR and it's culture, environmental and conservation ethos and witness a bit more of our global village but I find I'm also learning so much about my own country.  Traveling with 24 other teachers from the U.S. has been a really eye-opening experience.  Sure, I've traveled to 48 of the 50 states but I sure haven't walked away with an intimate sense of place of each state from my own travels as I'm now getting from the teachers of many states on this trip.  Educators from CA, KY, TN, NH, NJ, OH, GA, TX, ND, VT, MD, NM and MO are along with me on this trip.  It's been great to hear of their experiences in the classroom and life in general living where they do.  They do have many curious questions about Alaska and how we live up north and sure, I have played with them a bit telling them I live in a igloo, take a dog team to school in the morning and have a pet polar bear but then the conversation quickly turns to politics and our news-making Governor.  

Despite our differences between states and school districts alike we do share many of the same challenges and successes in the classrooms.  Don't worry Team Cardio students, I assure them that I have the best students.  I'm even teaching them the lingo you all have taught me: "That's tight yo", "Get some!", "Sick yo."  

I've rambled on long enough for this posting...till next time.

Costa Rica City Culture

 I spotted this sign on a random city wall.  I think my students would agree that I should start posting my number around Anchorage trying to sign-up students that require tutoring in matematica (math) and fisica (physics).  

A group of Ticos (Costa Ricans) that I befriended in a city park.  They are university students that were in the park with their class acting out a play.  They were super friendly and wanted to know all about Alaska.  I said that they should come visit and they said "OK, when do we leave."  After thinking about the cold they wanted to reconsider.

This is a corner of the National Museum, an old fort that has taken its fair share of bullets (notice pock marks in the cement).  

Another super busy day soaking in the local color and sights and sounds of Costa Rican culture.  We visited the Museo Nacional (National Museum) this morning where they house most all the country's interesting artifacts.  It was here that the government of Costa Rica formally abolished their army and military in 1948.  The museum is housed in an old city fort that actually sustained artillery attacks during the country's civil war in the 1800s.  

Following a very yummy lunch of tuna steaks and unlimited limonada we were admitted to the  US Embassy here in San Jose.  We sat and listened as 3 very crusty US diplomats talked to us about their jobs and how the US is "helping" CR with its many multi-facted issues.  

Hopefully more later...dinner is calling.