A Joyous Homecoming

Sarah: Hooray, they're back! Friday late afternoon the entire gang showed up at QERC, finally home again. It was great to see everyone (ok, mostly great to see David...) and fun to have life around QERC once again. And as a bonus, I finally got to see Scott! He was David's professor when he was here as a student 5 years ago, and then for the past 2 years when David and I lived in California, it was Scott who was our boss. Scott became a good friend and it has been a blast to see him.

It has been a full house this weekend. In addition to the 13 SNU students, we have 3 LASP students, plus Scott, plus their driver Franklin (who is a stud). We all ate dinner together Friday night and got caught up on their travels thus far. Again, I'm going to have to have David write about the highlights of the past 2 weeks, but of course he has been busy crazy this weekend, helping with the group and getting things taken care of here at home (and spending time with me). We all went hiking on Saturday morning and had beautiful sunny weather. It was fun for me to have Scott as my "Naturalist", since I was a Naturalist in California working underneath him. Plus, it was great to learn more about the valley in which we live.

Today we had a great time of sharing and praying together with those that wanted to get together this morning. I love those times and it is neat to connect with the students on a deeper, spiritual level. This afternoon everyone has been busy doing their reading for the ESC class and frantically doing laundry. We did take some time to go visit Laura, the Canadian who lives in the valley. She has recently opened up a cafe of sorts on her deck on the weekends. Our students have really taken advantage of it and we usually get a fairly large group to go visit with her and eat her baked goods every weekend.

Tonight we'll have some more time of frantic laundry loads and quick re-packing, because tomorrow we leave really early. It will barely be tomorrow when we leave--we need to load the bus by 3 a.m.!! However, it will be completely worth it. I'm really excited that the 4 students who didn't participate with the first 2 weeks of this concentration decided at the beginning of the semester that they wanted to be a part of this week, because it's supposed to be the best. We are going to the Osa Peninsula, out in the middle of nowhere, where it's supposed to be the most wild place in Costa Rica. My goal is to see a jaguar and a poisonous snake...

Ok side note, I was planning on posting pictures as well, but I've been trying to upload them for an incredibly long time now (thanks, dial-up internet), so I'll have to wait until a later time to add pictures.

Tribute to Rambo

Sarah: Today Lizeth showed up and told me that Rambo had been killed. I didn't believe her at first, I kept saying "No, please no". She and I were both on the verge of tears as she told me that on her way down to work this morning, she found him in the road. She thinks he was attacked by another dog in the valley. Her kids hadn't found out yet, but I understand how they'll feel once she gives them the horrible news. Here's another kicker to the already sad news--I think I heard it happen last night. I was making dinner and I heard some awful yelping outside, and I thought it sounded an awful lot like Rambo. I went outside and whistled and didn't hear anything else, so I thought maybe I was mistaken or it was another dog. Sad, sad day today.

So here, in honor of one good dog, is my list of 10 Good Things About Rambo:

10. He was a picky eater. Rambo would dig through the compost pile to find the one thing that he would actually want to eat, and then carry it around, eating it and savoring every bit.

9. He was protective over certain pieces of food--namely, toast. Rambo would take the leftover toast and bury it--but not eat it. If another dog would come around and sniff around, Rambo would growl and then take the toast and bury it in another spot.

8. He was a good guard dog. Rambo always seemed to run off and bark at things at night and come trotting back to QERC. We never knew if there really was anything there...but Rambo acted like he was on guard duty.

7. He had one incredible overbite. This made it look like he was showing off a huge smile as he'd come running to greet us.

6. He could be counted on to sleep anywhere. In Rambo's mind, anything was fair game. He'd find someone's laundry left outside all folded up nicely and make a bed out of it, or gather shoes together and sleep on them, or a happen upon a towel that someone "accidentally" left outside to snuggle up in.

5. He was persistent. Right around the time it started getting dark and cold outside, Rambo could be found hanging around any door, waiting for someone to open it. As soon as there was an opening, he'd make a mad dash inside in hopes of people having mercy on him and letting him stay the night inside.

4. He was playful. Rambo jumped like a mexican jumping bean and loved it when anyone gave him attention.

3. He was loyal to his family and to us at QERC. Rambo loved to sit and relax and keep people company--he'd follow David and me around everywhere and keep us company when we worked outside.

2. Everyone loved him. No matter how many fleas or ticks he had, everybody loved Rambo and enjoyed having him around.

1. He knew how to love. Rambo was a good dog, and will be greatly missed.

Spiders and Bingo

Sarah: Well David and the crew have been gone a week now and for the most part, it’s been pretty quiet around here. Actually the first night, everyone was gone and it was just me to hold down the fort. So I usually enjoy time to myself and I don’t really get freaked out, especially in this safe small valley. However, it does seem like when I’m here alone, the bugs come out in full force. Last Sunday night it was a particular spider. I went to brush my teeth, and there he was—large and hairy. I’m used to the small spiders that live in every corner in our apartment, but this one was BIG. I didn’t know what to do. I kept entering and leaving the bathroom, sorting it out. I couldn’t leave him there, knowing full well that he might not be there the next time I checked and he might be on his way into my bed. I also have a fear of killing spiders, did I mention that? So I did the only rational thing possible. I took a number of David’s shoes and started chucking them at the wall, yelping and running out of the bathroom with each throw. Finally he fell into the shower, so I tried to drown him with hot water, but he kept escaping the water spray. So I resorted back to throwing shoes at him, and finally I won. As I left the bathroom feeling victorious, I realized how ridiculous the entire past 20 minutes had been and what a scene I had been making. I have to admit I was glad that some students returned the next day…so far we have gotten rid of 5 spider egg sacs and about a dozen spiders in my apartment (ok so THEY have gotten rid of almost everything…)

There are 3 girls and 1 guy who aren’t participating with the other students on the Environmental Science Concentration (ESC). The girls returned to QERC on Monday night, and the guy has been in and out because his girlfriend was here to visit last week. Tuesday night we all went to a very special event here in the community—Bingo Night. These nights only happen a few times a year as a fundraiser for the school. We showed up not knowing exactly what to expect, and found most of the community ready to participate. There was plenty of food available to purchase and lots of prizes available to win. Apparently it’s a pretty competitive event, and even Efrain and Caridad come to win. We were having a lot of fun, though not winning anything, until at last one of our students, Laura, had a bingo. She ended up walking away with a new coffee maker!

The rest of the week has been pretty low-key. The students had a big test they were studying for, so they’ve been pretty non-social. Plus, I think they are enjoying having the building practically to themselves, so it’s been many late nights of them watching movies and chatting, and it’s been a rare day that I’ve seen anyone up and moving before 10:00 am! Ahh the life of a college student.

On the other hand, David’s reports have been really positive. They saw some turtles laying eggs on a beach at night, and now they are staying near Arenal Volcano to study volcanology. David says that everyone is having a great experience and taking away something new they are learning and excited about. I'm sure he'll have much to report on when he gets back!

Los Cusingos and the Trooper

The clouds are rolling through right now and our weather is beginning to shift a little. We still have beautiful sunny days that get into the upper 70’s but now we are getting a little moisture buildup in the afternoons that sometimes turns into a 10 minute downpour. And the Quetzal nesting season is in full swing. There are several nests that are being occupied and ready to be observed.

Thanks to an awesome birthday present from Sarah I cashed in on a day of birding with Melvin, a family member in San Gerardo that is also a bird guide. He took me to a place called Los Cusingos. It is preserve in the middle elevations of the pacific side of the Talamancan mountains and former home of famous late birder Alexander Skutch. Alexander Skutch is the co-author of the field guide for birds in Costa Rica. We had a great time and it was just really nice to have somebody to bird with. Along with all the birds, one exciting point was when Melvin convinced me we needed to run from a pack of peccaries, that weren’t really there.

And finally, we have our car. Meet the 1986 Isuzu Trooper that has been tied up in the shop and otherwise dark abyss of the unknown since we have been here. It has a lot of character and it is really old. It probably is not the most reliable thing out here, but it does help us not look like tourists and we can pick up like 10 hitchhikers in one trip because it has so much room. It gets horrible gas mileage. I guess hybrids were not popular in 1986.

Projects

Sarah: It’s been busy since we got back from Panama (isn’t always busy, no matter what you’re doing?). The students have come to realize that they don’t have too many more weeks here at QERC, so most of them are frantically working on their research projects. Those that had gotten a good start before their trip to Nicaragua have used this time to really be out there collecting data, and those that hadn’t had such a good start have realized that they need to kick it into gear. Needless to say, it’s been fun to see them out on the trails more and finding some good information for their projects. Both David and I have gotten to help with different projects (naturally David quite a bit more, seeing as he’s the biologist. However, my days teaching outdoor education at Mission Springs have allowed me to help a girl catch invertebrates in the stream—one of my favorite activities!).

David’s also been working hard on some other projects that he’s started. Lately he’s been pouring his time into an informational board for QERC so that the entire community can be a part of the work we have going on here, and also the museum. We are having a couple of ladies paint a mural of the cloud forest on one of our walls in the museum, which we are thrilled about. So David has been collecting pictures and video footage so they have a lot to work with. (This beetle is one picture he was really excited about.) We even had one of the boys in the valley find a dead snake and bring it to us to preserve for the museum! Both David and I are really excited about the transformation of the museum, since it was one of Efrain’s dreams from the very beginning to have such a room for the entire community, especially for the kids.

We have also had to make a couple trips into San Jose since returning to Costa Rica. Many students came back sick from Nicaragua because of change in diet (LOTS of food consisting of mostly rice and beans) and a couple actually contracted some kind of parasite from having drinks with ice in it—the water is not drinkable in Nicaragua. So, we’ve had to go into the city to get them all checked out and cured.

And today David is out with Melvin, one of the main birders in the community. For his birthday back in January, I paid for an all-day birding outing for the two of them, and today was finally the day that they are both available to take advantage of it.

Panama

Sarah: Last week we ventured off to Panama in order to get our visas renewed. To get there we rode a bus from San Jose down the Caribbean coast, and then literally walked across a bridge to get to Panama. It was the most relaxed border crossing I've ever seen. We decided to go to the beach to get a change of scenery and started looking for places on the Caribbean side, in this group of islands called Bocas del Toro. We found one for a reasonable price that seemed interesting, and decided to check it out. There were a lot of hotels that looked neat, and kind of randomly chose this one. It was completely off the grid—so they used all solar power, wind power, and collected all their rainwater to use as their water source. And they recycled and composted and all that good stuff too. Their location on the island was on the opposite side of the town, so it felt super remote, and was located a little higher up (still right on the beach) so there was a bit of a breeze and hardly any bugs.

It was run by a family from Colorado and was not like a typical hotel—there was no restaurant, but each day they posted on a board what they were having for dinner and if any guests wanted to join them, it was like family style. Each room also had its own kitchenette, and they had a pantry stocked full of food that you could purchase and make your own food instead. We ate breakfast and dinner with them and most other guests, and then made our own food for lunch to save some money. It was a great opportunity to get to know the other guests who were staying there, and it really felt like we were in town visiting a family and hanging out together. Our first night, the neighbor came over to play the guitar and hang out, and about halfway through we found out that he was a famous songwriter! His name is Clay Blaker, and has written songs that have been sung by Tim McGraw, LeAnn Rimes, George Strait, and Barbara Streisand. He was a really cool laid back surfer and fun to get to know briefly.

The first day we had a huge rainstorm and the waves crashed and it was really cool. We hiked and saw lots of small colorful poison dart frogs and a sloth. We also took a full-day boat tour and visited lots of the surrounding islands. On that tour we saw dolphins, and one swam right underneath our boat! We also went snorkeling and it was the best I’ve ever seen—SO many colorful fish and beautiful coral and other underwater things. On our boat tour we heard that we were close to the island that they are currently filming a new Survivor—I wanted to go check it out and see if they needed anything (some food? A match?) but apparently there are rules and regulations about that. We even saw a helicopter fly over at one point and we’re sure that it MUST have been Jeff Probst. There was also an island that a previous Survivor had been filmed on. At the end of the boat tour we stopped at a beach and saw lots of starfish and an anteater really close. So, it was really relaxing and a really good deal. A great blend of hiking and relaxing and being on the beach and in the water.

Now we’re back, and it’s good to be back. The students got back from Nicaragua the same day we got back in town and it was really fun to hear their stories. They had incredible experiences, and I think it caused them to really think about their lives and analyze their worldview. That’s what the experience did for me when we went to Nicaragua as students, so it was really neat to see how they came back changed as well. We are all finding that this semester is going really fast—it’s already about halfway over! It just makes me realize again how we need to be taking advantage of each day, and be thankful for the opportunity we have to be in this position.

Traveling

I'll make this quick since I am sitting in a hotel writing this entry...this past week started off pretty slow for David and me. We were all alone for the first time at QERC since...November? It seemed pretty quiet around the building. Wednesday for Valentine's Day we took off to explore some more of the area around our valley and went in search of some hot springs that we had read about. We had sort of thought the trip would take about an hour to get there, hang out and swim, and then an hour back. Ahh culture lessons. After 4 hours of travel, with many people "helping" by giving directions, we finally made it to the hot springs. It was super fun, and a good relaxing way to spend Valentine's Day together. It is a day that's celebrated here in Costa Rica as well, but it's definitely not commercialized like it is in the U.S.

Friday we had 3 researchers come who are doing a many-year project that combines Latin American history and science, studying the Quetzal. It was great to have them around and they even interviewed David on video. This interview will be on the website in the next month or so, and we'll post a link so anyone who wants to can see it. It was a great chance for David to share some of the visions of QERC.

Today we came into the city and went to see El Descanso (The Holiday) which finally came out in movie theaters here. It's so fun for us to be able to see movies for so cheap when we get a chance! And tomorrow, REALLY early, we are getting on a bus to Panama in order to renew our visas again. What a pain, right? Yeah, right. It hardly seems real that our job can include paid trips to other countries every three months. The place we're going is on the Caribbean side and is located on one of the many islands off the coast. Once we're back at QERC in a week, we'll be sure to post pictures.

Presidents and Nicaraguans

Sarah: This week has been full. Last weekend we had a Super Bowl party where I was thrilled to watch the Indianapolis Colts win. We also had some visitors last weekend. A group of students from the LASP program came to spend a couple nights away from the city. We were encouraged to see the two groups interacting and forming friendships.

This week the students have been diving hard into their research projects, actually getting to a point where some of them are even collecting data. It is fun to see their enthusiasm for their projects as they are really starting to take shape. We also went into the city for a couple days. As part of their cultural class with the LASP program, they needed to go in to hear a speaker from Nicaragua and be a part of the Nicaragua orientation. A Nicaraguan woman named Amita gave her story to the entire group. She grew up during the Sandanista revolution and lived through many rough times of change in Nicaragua. Amita was barely able to make it through her talk without crying, and it was emotional for us all to hear. After Amita spoke the students learned more about their upcoming trip to Nicaragua—expectations, purpose, and what to bring and not to bring on the two-week trip. The rest of the day they had free in the city to hang out and make any needed purchases for the trip.

The following day was a real treat. The LASP program had scheduled Otton Solis to speak to their group and invited us to sit in on it as well. Otton Solis is the head of a political party called the PAC, and has twice run for president here in Costa Rica. The first time was when David and I were students, and he caused a run-off between the two top candidates by securing a high enough percentage of the votes that there was no clear winner. The second time he ran was about a year ago, and he lost by a very tiny margin. So, Otton Solis is one of the top political figures in Costa Rica, and he allowed us all to come to his party headquarters to hear him speak. It was awesome. He definitely would have had my vote! It was inspiring to hear his views and political stances on many controversial subjects, and my hope is that in 3 years he becomes the next president of Costa Rica.

And finally, today the students left for San Jose. They leave really early for Nicaragua tomorrow morning. And the professor who is with us now, Sharon Young, leaves tomorrow to go back to the states. And then it will be David and me.

David says:

“It’s always more fun to share with everyone.” – Jack Johnson …. And that is why I want to share this with you. Let me just share that life is super crazy here. I know that life seems to be moving at an accelerated pace for most of you as well. But, that doesn’t change the fact I am in amazement with how fast days are moving for us. So many things are going on that are great to see happening and at the same time I have a long list of things I need and want to get that is growing by the hours. Sometimes those things I want to get done somehow get done before the things I need to get done (ie. this blog entry).

Before those things start moving fleetingly from our minds I thought I would just make mentioning of a few things we are excited about. Take a look at the picture of the recycling bins that Sarah painted. We are now an almost fully functioning recycling drop point. We can’t recycle aseptic packaging yet. We are close to being fully compostable too. I am working on the pile and am close to being done.

I have been spending a good chunk of my days helping some of the students begin the implementation of their research projects. Each student is responsible for a semester long research project that works towards the goals of conservation and natural history learning. A student named Becky is setting up 10 meter x 10 meter grids to measure species diversity of fungus. She will be comparing the growth between the primary forest, secondary forest, and disturbed pasture. We’ve been in the field getting here study plots set up. It’s been a lot of work and it gives me appreciation for the many hours of work field researchers put into the pursuit of knowledge.

One of our goals is to get the students plugged into the community as much as possible. We have paired up the students and arranged for them to eat dinner with one specific family twice a month. It is kind of like an “adopted family” program. We are hoping that it will give them a chance to practice their Spanish and feel like the have friends in the community. At the same time it will help them to gain an outside perspective.

And finally, I went hiking on the beautiful Los Robles trail this morning with a visitor from Philadelphia who is checking out sustainable development programs in Costa Rica. We came across a lizard I have not seen here before and were lucky to get a good picture. It is some type of anole. Check, check, check it out.

Business Trip

David says:

Yesterday was Taiwanese culture day in la plaza de cultura downtown San Jose. It seemed very appropriate because Friday night Sarah and I got together with a Costa Rican friend of Matt Chitwood who Matt met in Taiwan. We met Jose and his family and went out to dinner with them. It was great to make the connection.

We came into San Jose Friday morning because our 13 SNU students are joining LASP for their cultural trip to Limon to study racial equality in Costa Rica. It should be a great trip for them. And Sarah and I needed to come in to San Jose to rent a car until our Isuzu Trooper is released to us and also to buy the next round of food supplies. We are now responsible for purchasing the food for the student group. We are hoping that we can limit it to a trip into the city once every two weeks. Anyway, we can’t pick up the car until Sunday morning so we are using the extra time to see some movies and enjoy being in the city. Friday we saw Children of Men, which was an interesting movie. Last night we got together with Sophia, my Costa Rican sister, and her friends to see Babel. This is also interesting and well done. Today we will make several stops on the way out of town in order to pick up a number of different supplies for the students.

Interesting Cultural Tidbit: I learned this today in a taxi ride when I was sneezing. If you sneeze once they say “salud” (health), if you sneeze twice they say “dinero” (money), if you sneeze three times they say “amor” (love), and if you sneeze a fourth time they will say “perdio todo” (you lost it all). It’s pretty funny when you get the sneezes.

Funny Story: On Friday night we spent the night at LASP’s sabbatical house. On Saturday morning when we left we put the keys on the table as we locked the front door behind us. The thing about front doors in Costa Rica is that they are preceded by a carport gate that is locked and then a driveway gate that is locked as well. So when we locked the front door with the keys inside and then realized the carport gate was locked, we realized that we were locked out of the house but also locked into the carport. We were in trouble and it felt like we were caged animals in a zoo. So the next 20 minutes consisted of Sarah and I finding wide enough openings in the gate that we could possibly squeeze through. We ended up being able to push the gate open enough that we could crawl 10 feet up and through a small hole. I passed all of our stuff through the hole to Sarah and then followed. It wasn’t too hard and it didn’t look too suspicious since we were trying to break out and not in.