Week 5: Work and Play

I used to think the tree pruning process involved a pair of cute hand-held clippers; baby branches; an oversized gardening hat; colorful gardening gloves; and a bright, blue sky. Let me tell you, this is NOT the case when it comes to pruning Cacao trees. 

My recollection of the Cacoa pruning process:

a crackling noise… 

a harsh snap 

BOOM! 

One of the largest branches fell from high above my head, nearly missing my ear. Through the new clearing, rain pattered off of my head and rain jacket, mixing with my sweat (sudor). I dragged the fallen limb to the side, fetched my saw, and trudged over to the next tree to find the next pesky, light-inhibiting branch (rama). Then, I took a deep breath and in a fresh burst of energy, I hacked away, counting out 50 rapid back-and-fourth movements and then taking a step back to catch my breath. I repeated the process until my next victory. 

(Trabajo Cacao con Mi Amiga - 07/06/24) 

In this day of work experience, we were pruning branches of the Cacoa trees that lacked fruit and blocked light for other, more bountiful branches. This way, the most productive branches would receive more sunlight and more of the tree’s energy. 

Instead of taking a coffee break with the rest of the work experience groups, we gorged on fallen cacao flesh. – Pro tip from experience: Don’t actually bite into the seeds (trust me on this one😵‍💫); the fleshy pulp around the seeds is what carries the sweet, fruity flavor (sabor). – 

With cacao flesh in one hand and a mini-saw in the other, I grinned to myself and thanked EARTH for its rich fruits and experiences. 

I’ve noticed here, we savor life more. Yes, we thoroughly enjoy the fresh foods (especially because snacks are incredibly expensive in Costa Rica), but we also savor the beauty around us. We obsess about every animal we see (and take millions of pictures), and we never tire of walking around campus and listening to the peaceful hums of cicadas (cigarras) and chirps of birds. I relish my cold, refreshing showers and laugh at my moments of cluelessness (like how I still can’t figure out the laundry system). Each day, I love meeting new people and learning about their lives and cultures. 

After five weeks, I’ve become familiar with common EARTH customs and phrases. I’ll start with meals. Every time I sit down at a table with my friends during meal times, everyone greets me with “¡Holaa!” followed by “¡Provecho!” which means “Enjoy your meal!” We normally wait for everyone to finish eating and leave together, but if one of us were to leave earlier, this person would circle the table hugging and kissing each person on the cheek before departing. 

I adore the loving warmth here. Before coming the EARTH, I winced at the slightest touch and felt awkward during hugs, but now it feels like second nature. My friends and I call each other “Mi corazón” (“My heart”) or “Mi vida” (“My life”), and Fernando calls all of us “Babe” because he is practicing his English expressions. People also use the phrase “Con gusto” (“With pleasure”) instead of “De nada” (“You’re welcome”) in Costa Rica. 

Recently after dinner, my friends and I have been going to dance rehearsal (ensayo) to prepare our choreography routine for the annual EARTH games. For one day each year (around July 3rd), EARTH cancels all classes and hosts roughly 20-30 different competitions (in anything from chess to jungle obstacle courses to frisbee to competitive biking to soccer) to include all students. The teams are made up of the different dorm buildings, and the rivalry is intense. The games kick off each year with the dorm’s choreography routines, featuring a mesh of music and dances from different cultures; passionate cheering; and a parade of the dorms and their homemade mascots. Ours was a turtle (My dorm building was Carey).

(Carey Flag - 07/02/24)

(Turtle of Carey - 07/02/24)

I am thrilled that my friends encouraged me to join. Even though I had no prior dancing experience, I think we all slayed during our routine. For future interns, I definitely recommend that you ask to participate in the dance or any of the games! There is no pressure to win, it’s truly just a fun-filled experience. 

(Carey Dance Routine - 07/02/24)

Although, because of the fiery competition, there were LOTS of injuries. It seemed like everywhere I looked, people had ice or athletic tape wrapped around their legs. But then again, injuries are pretty typical at EARTH because of the hands-on learning. One of my classmates needed stitches to refigure his hand after a machete injury, another one of my friends fractured his wrist (la muñeca) on a bike ride, and I saw one student in a wheelchair because a tree fell on her leg (la pierna). 

But when the fun was done, exhaustion consumed every tissue (tejido) of my body. The next few days featured fatigue headaches (dolores de cabeza) and a sore throat, but I had trouble slowing down. It seemed like time was flying (el tiempo volaba), and I still have much to learn about Costa Rican agricultural systems and EARTH’s role in advancing sustainable agriculture. 

But a bit of fatigue didn’t stop me from taking my first Spanish class; I have my heart set on learning the language this summer. My classmates were first-year students from Africa who were also fairly new to the language. EARTH University requires new students who do not speak Spanish to come to Costa Rica in August. Here, they live with a Spanish-speaking host family until the school year begins in January. I couldn’t imagine learning a new language in a new country for only four months before taking classes in that language. The process is rigorous, but after eleven months, the students know bastante (a ton, LOTS). 

In class, we had twenty minutes to prepare a skit about the 2024 EARTH games using the subjunctive in Spanish (the ultimate challenge). The subjunctive is used in the Spanish language to express moods and hypothetical situations. It’s new to me, so Me cuesta mucho (The exact translation is “It costs me a lot,” but this is a more natural way to say “It’s difficult for me”). Our skit featured hype Latin music, a stretching demonstration, and superb uses of the subjunctive. 

I’m grateful for this extra opportunity to practice. After living here for a month, I find myself understanding most conversations, and I can communicate more fluidly without having to compose the sentences in my brain beforehand. 

After class and dinner, I crashed into bed and reluctantly slept the next couple of days away, but I felt better and ready to go by the time Sunday rolled around. My friend Teresa invited me to Figue’s Farm with some of her friends. 

Figue’s Farm was NOT the farm I had in mind. I was expecting something like a barn, greenhouses, and an ice cream bar, but I was very pleasantly surprised to find ponds (estanques) filled with diverse vegetation, a path through the jungle, and gorgeous waterfalls. 

(Trip to Figue’s Farm - 07/07/24)

I spent the day marveling at all of the different colors and shapes of green I saw. After we splashed in the waterfall, I laid on a boulder and just gazed up to watch colorful flurries of birds, butterflies, and leaves. Another savory experience.

A few phrases to describe life at la U:

How beautiful (Que hermoso). How rich (Que rico). 

Pura Vida :)

(Cascada Bonita - 07/07/24)