First, our boss (Wes) flew in from Southern Nazarene University (SNU) to help prepare for the semester program for the SNU students. David met him in San Jose and they did some looking around to price items that would help us set up our new kitchen facilities. They arrived here in San Gerardo de Dota around the same time we were welcoming our first group of the year to QERC. They were a group of 18 from Spring Arbor University, and David got to do the hosting for the few days they were here. He led them on hikes and was even their guest speaker. They were a fun bunch of students who were spending a few weeks in Costa Rica traveling around and learning about different ecosystems and organizations throughout the country. It was good preparation for our new students to come!
While they were here, and the few days we had to work with after they left, David and Wes spent the majority of their days in the bodega (our garage/storage area), turning it into a functional kitchen. To this day I still can’t believe they accomplished it, but with David’s organizational skills and Wes’s gift in electrical work, it is finished. It will be great to have use of this new kitchen, so that the students can have a hand in preparing their own meals, and so that they don’t become tired of the repetition of eating at the restaurant every day.
During this time, our students arrived in San Jose. David, Wes and I drove into the city to pick them up last Monday and we spent the rest of the week going through an orientation with the rest of the students who also arrived to participate with LASP (Latin American Studies Program). We will be doing some traveling and listening to some guest speakers with them throughout the semester, so it was a good experience both groups to meet and get to know each other a little bit. Plus, the LASP staff does an incredible job of preparing students to fully experience another culture, so it was great for our students to be a part of that training. I stayed with the students the whole week, while David and Wes returned to finish the kitchen and make sure everything was in order for our arrival.
We arrived here at QERC a week ago on Friday night and dinner was even ready for us in our new facility. Everyone got settled in and after a quick intro to QERC and a short debriefing of orientation, we all were able to sleep peacefully here in the valley. Saturday the students had a short Spanish interview with their new Spanish teacher, Paola, and then were able to relax and do some exploring to finish off the weekend.
This past week has been busy as the students have been taking their Spanish classes and getting involved studying their other classes through SNU. Most have been working on getting their research projects set up, and will hopefully begin their research soon. We also have been getting all ready for another group to join us! Talk about a full house--last night a group of students from Calvin College arrived to stay for a few nights. We are packed in and have NO extra space--our guys from SNU are even sleeping at another facility up the road! The leader of the Calvin crew is Dave Warners, who spent his sabbatical here a couple years ago. His family lived here at QERC for 6 months, so it has been great to share stories and learn from his wisdom--Dave is a true field biologist.
Anyway, with so much action going on, we are excited to be a part of these new developments, and are really looking forward to seeing how our SNU students adapt to the culture and jump into getting involved in the community this semester!
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