Sloths on the Farm!

Dear Families,

Today was a busy day of learning and labor for your sloths.  After breakfast, our group boarded the bus for a drive into the agricultural highlands around Monteverde.  We soon found ourselves at the Monteverde Life Coffee Co-operative, a biodyamic learning farm, specializing in coffee production, but also with a robust curriculum centered on biodiversity and sustainability.  Over the course of the morning, students first learned about all the various crops produced on the farm -- yucca, bananas, herbs, lettuce, corn, sugar cane, beans, then took a short break for coffee and fruit.  For some, this was their first cup of coffee, ever!













































After, students took a more extensive tour of the full farm and learned about a range of projects completed by local environmentalists and American college students as live/work projects.  Perhaps most impressive to the students was the methane exchange -- a college student from Arkansas built a mechanism to capture the methane gas from livestock waste and recirculate it back to the farm's furnaces and stoves, providing two hours of "gas" daily.  They met and fed much of the farm's livestock, including the ultra-impressive giant pig, Rosita.  The students then discovered and climbed a giant guava tree on the property, to great amusement.

The students finished the first half of the day with a delicious lunch of traditional Costa Rican rice and chicken, meeting a befriending the farm's local kittens, Ginger and Puma in the process.  Before leaving for the second half of the day, students broke into spontaneous braiding sessions, arm wrestling, and a competitive game of Uno!



















After lunch, students broke up into teams to perform work on the farm, including clearing and gathering sugar cane to feed the livestock, planting yucca, and shucking green beans.  The day was not nearly as hot, but the work was laborious.  As a break, students made cheese and plantain empanadas in advance of their final snack.













For the final experience of the day, students gathered in Monteverde's small coffee roastery, where they sampled various types of coffee, including two varieties that are nearly unavailable in the United States -- "natural," which is with the dried berries of the coffee bean still attached like a raisin, and "honey style," which is with the juice and pulp of the coffee bean left intact.  It was all delicious, and many students purchased coffee for their parents at home.  Look forward to it!















It was a long, full day for our sloths.  Students returned to the hotel rejuvenated, as they will meet up with their Toucan friends tomorrow evening, and look ahead to a return home on Saturday.  But for now, to bed, and ziplining tomorrow morning!  Wow!

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Our journal writers this evening were Luke, Riya, Ally, and Sam G.:

Luke:
"Hello, Mom and Dad I'm not dead :)! Costa Rica has been an unbelievable experience that I will never forget. Today, we saw the BIGGEST pig that has ever existed, her name was Rosita. I felt a connection with her. Everyone is enjoying themselves even though some students aren't feeling 100%.  Many of my classmates are bona-fide troopers!! We farmed today to understand what the people in the farm do everyday. Our teachers/chaperones are amazing so don't worry because we are in good hands!! See you parents in 2 days. Father I have no idea what is happening to our beloved Celtics, I demand updates on the blog, if not I will have no choice but to run around the countryside until I find a public computer."

Ally:
"Today was a long day.  We're close to the end of our trip, and a lot of us are not feeling our best.  However, I think today was a good experience and all of us enjoyed it.  At the coffee co-op we learned about how coffee is made, from the flowers to the roasted beans.  We also had opportunities to make empanadas, ride a bike to cut sugar cane, and plant yucca (by the way, Sophie and I have a new-found obsession with yucca chips, which are really good!).  Overall, it was a great day, which we finished with an awesome BBQ dinner.  We are all looking forward to ziplining tomorrow and are excited to see our families soon.

P.S. Hi Mom, I miss you!"

Riya:
"Today was truly an eye-opener to the natural side of Costa Rica (keep in mind that's a pretty big side).  I found the hands-on experiences made the educational part fun, but my favorite part was smelling the coffee.  I learned that I am not at all caffeine-tolerant.  Although I gave most of my coffee to my friend, I was still twitching like crazy, not to mention super awake.  It felt like my soul was awake!  We got ice cream right after, which probably wasn't the best decision because we were all hyper on caffeine and sugar, but otherwise I felt like this day was pretty enlightening."

Sam G.
"I really enjoyed visiting the farm, and while I was there I truly learned a lot about some different methods of sustainability.  I was very interested in the farm's use of methane produced by their livestock.  Without any expenditure of electricity from their part, they pump the natural gases up to the main building where they use it to heat the farm and cook food, and other uses, as well.  Meeting the goats was one of my favorite activities.  I saw their beards and I now finally understand the meaning of the word, "goatee."  I also got a pretty good workout grinding food for the goats on a bike attached to a grinding machine.  Interestingly enough, that contraption was built by a volunteer a while back who spent some time helping on the farm.  All in all, I had a great time today, throughout all of the engaging activities, and while I am tired, I am also excited for a new day tomorrow.  Adios!"