Batidos (Milkshakes)

The next day my dad met Liliam and I at the eco-lodge at 5:30 to go and feed the pigs. There was only one small bag of food because all of the groups were gone the day before so we let dad carry it. I think he enjoyed it. He helped clean the pens and give them the food and everything. After breakfast I met my parents at the lodge and took them up the trail to my house to show them around the farm and stuff. After that, we picked up Lucas at Eduardito’s and we all went on a quick car tour of Bajo San Luis. I showed them the church, the soccer plaza and took them by Lelo’s. Elvira was there so I asked if we could come by some time to eat.
We all went home for lunch and then met up again at the eco-lodge to decide what to do next. We decided to take a hike around one of the trails that makes a loop around the campus. About five minutes into the hike we heard some noise like little branches falling. Eduardito told us to stop, that it was monkeys. We looked up and sure enough, in the trees right above us there were several monkeys. As we followed them around the tree-tops we realized there was a whole band of them. We watched them for a while. They would stop and look at us also. It was fun. There was even one that had a little baby on its back. The second half of the hike we got poured on but it we had all brought ponchos since it pretty much always rains in the afternoons. Dad, Lucas, Eduardito and I all went up to the Cheese Factory to get milkshakes. After waking up early, the hike in the rain, and a milkshake, I was so tired. I rested the rest of the afternoon. At 7:00 I walked down to the lodge to meet my parents. Geovanny was doing a dance lesson and my parents decided to go to see what it was like. My dad won’t dance however and my mom would have liked to but she twisted her knee some how horse back riding. It ended up being really goofy because the group was really just about four girls that had done the lessons before so it was really just Geovanny dancing with all of them. It was still fun though. Lucas, Eduardito and I just played around and practiced the moves we had learned and my parents got a kick out of watching for a little while. I’m hoping maybe one of the days that they are here in July Geovanny will have an actual lesson and my parents can learn a few moves.

Tortillas in the dark

My parents arrived here shortly after my last post. Lucas and I went to wait for them at the eco-lodge around three o’clock Saturday afternoon and they did not arrive until after 7:30. By about 6:00 I was getting pretty worried since it was dark and I had not even heard from them. They finally made it though. The last three or four days I spent trying to give the best three day taste of San Luis as I could. The first night my mom was not feeling well and my dad was exhausted from the drive so we moved them into their cabinas and my dad made a brief appearance at my house and had a bite to eat. Their first morning here, we all (Lucas, my parents, Otoniel, Alicia, Liliam and I) went to Finca Las Brisas, a horseback/farm tour that Marlen (Otoniel and Alicia’s oldest daughter, my older “sister”) and their children run. It was hilarious having Lucas, my parents and my Costa Rica family all in one taxi bus. The Horseback ride was a lot of fun and really pretty. Afterwards, Marlen made us lunch and Celimo (Marlen’s husband) gave us a tour of the farm and showed us where he made sugarcane juice and guaro (common Costa Rican liquor made from sugarcane, corn and pineapple). He let us all juice some sugarcane that he chopped with the trapiche and explained the process of making the guaro then gave everyone as much of either as we wanted. After we left the farm, we walked up the street to Alicia’s parents house, where we visited for a while with her family that was there and had afternoon coffee, cake and cheese. After that, we walked to Marlen’s house where we stayed until almost 9:00, visiting more with Marlen’s family with the family (they have five kids from 5 to 16 years old). We played with the kids, talked learned how to make tortillas and had dinner in the dark. The lights went out not too long after we got there but they have a wood-burning stove so we lit candles and made the best of it. By the time we got back everyone was pooped. It was a long day but I was really glad Lucas and my parents got to see so much of my family and really experience what is like to spend a lot of time with them.

Patacones!

I made breakfast this morning then made patacones (double-fried plantain chips) this afternoon all by myself. I am determined to be able to come back and cook Costa Rican food for my roommates. Lucas and I also learned how to make cheese empanadas with Lilian the other day and about a week ago Marina, one of the ladies who works in the kitchen, taught me how to make tortillas. Speaking of things Lucas and I have done, I have been doing a horrible job of keeping up with my blog the past week or so. So here is a big jumble of what I can remember off the top of my head: One day Eduardito took Lucas and I on this crazy hike though the mountains to a waterfall. You could hardly call it a trail. Eduardito was in front, clearing the way with a machete as we hiked up the river. It was really beautiful. We were walking along huge, fallen trees, climbing on all fours up rocks I the river and scrambling up and sliding down steep inclines. The waterfall itself was not very big but very peaceful and elegant looking.
Lucas and I also went to one of Geovanny’s dance lessons at the eco-lodge. We even convinced Lilian and Eduardito to come (not something they would normally agree to) I had a lot of fun and Lucas was a great sport. The truth is, it is pretty frustrating because there is a lot to learn all at one time. The first time I did it I wanted to quit because my head hurt from trying to remember it all. I was surprised at how much I did actually remember on my own though from the six or so dance lessons I have “helped” Geovanny teach. I danced half with Eduardito and half with Lucas. Eduardito had a blast which was so funny because about a month ago I couldn’t physically force him into one of the lessons. Since then, the four of us have practiced our moves several times in the living room. That was even more fun.
Lilian, Eduardito and I have also played a mini game of soccer in the front yard and have spent a lot of time just joking around the house with everyone. Aaand I almost forgot. Lucas and I spent one morning in Santa Elena “town”. There isn’t a ton of stuff to do there but we walked around for a while just so he could get to know it. On our way back home we stopped at the cheese factory and got some delicious ice cream.
That is about all the major stuff I can think of. It has been great having Lucas here. There are a million things that he won’t get to do and plans that won’t work out the way I wanted, but it is so neat that he is here and that he knows at least some of the people and places that I love so much and that I tend to talk about a lot. I am really happy that my family here treats him so naturally. I was a little afraid they would act less open around him but they act more or less the same. It is a lot of fun to get to share that.

Tamales

Lucas got in Friday evening. At first he was going to take a shuttle bus but they were full when we tried to make the reservations then he was going to take the public bus but Lucas’s mom called me Friday morning to tell me that his flight was delayed so he may not be able make the last bus from Alajuela so we called Freddy, a taxi driver that we always use, and I rode with him to the airport to pick up Lucas. We got “home” at around 6:30pm we ate dinner at my house, we stayed there for a little while talking, then walked to Eduardito’s house, where Lucas is staying. The first day he was here, I pretty much followed my usual morning schedule and at about 10:00 Eduardito and Lucas met me at the farm. We ate lunch together at Eduardito’s house while we watched one of the world cup games. After the game, we came down to the eco-lodge so that Lucas could check it out then we walked to Virginia’s house. We ended up spending quite a while there talking with her and one of my ex-professors who is friends with Virginia. We were there long enough for it to start raining hard, for the rain to let up and for it to become clear again. We sipped coffee, talked and looked out the window at the view until the sun started to set.
Yesterday was el Día de San Luis, the patron saint day of the town. Eduardito, Lucas and I all headed down a little before 11:00. It is about a 45 minute walk down but isn’t bad because it is entirely down hill. We ended up staying until almost 9:00 at night….. There was a lot of just enjoying the atmosphere of the community. There were “Carreras de Cinta” where people on horses had to get a pencil through a little ring that was hanging on a rope at a full run. There was a lot of homemade traditional food, a cattle auction, a little kid pageant, bingo… and of course mass at the Church. Attending mass was pretty neat. I was surprised at how much I understood and I didn’t really feel out of place because I knew so many people there and all of them smiled and waved when we saw each other. The whole day was a neat experience but it was a long day.

Project update

I have actually gotten my project completely in the works. I haven't said much about it because I was pretty much just waiting for the lettuce to get big enough to transplant. I'll post a little picture journal of me doing my project. A brief explanation: I am testing four different methods of organic weed control. Weeds are a major issue on all farms but here especially because they grow sooo fast plus Otoniel already hardly has enough time to do everything else he has to do without having the extra constant battle with weeds. I am testing materials that would be cheap and easily obtainable here. They are: Saw dust, landscape cloth, kraft paper(destroyed after the first hard rain, one down...) and banana leaves. There are twenty separate quadrants each with 12 lettuce plants( I am using lettuce because it is relatively fast growing plus they can always use as much lettuce as we can provide so the crops will not be wasted.). There are four methods being tested plus a control and each method, plus control, are repeated four times in different locations so that any variability in soil fertility of weed population or whatever else, is taken into account.

Homemade snacks and a movie!

I have discovered in my time here that the key to not getting bored is to wear yourself out. Sunday morning at 5:15, after getting home at about 12:30 or 1:00, I wake up to my lights being flashed on and off (my light switch is outside of my room). I had promised Eduardito that we would go with Otoniel to do all of his morning chores the next time that he came over. At first I just laid there then eventually I yelled at him to cut it out with the lights already. I rolled out of bed, asked what time it was and told him I needed a second to change clothes and wake up a little. So we we nt to milk the cows and feed the pigs with Otoniel. It was just as enjoyable as always but I was absolutely beat. We got back around…7:30? The first world cup game was on. I ate breakfast, watched part of the game but by about 9:00 I had to surrender to my bed. The rain that had been threatening all morning began to fall as I laid down. I could here the rain and the chatting of everyone in the living room all morning as I drifted in and out of sleepy consciousness. As I lifted myself out of bed, I heard the rain tapering off. I stepped out of my room and blinked at the clock to get my bearings of where exactly in the day I was. At first I was a little confused because there was only one arrow then I realized it was 12:00 on the nose. Alicia immediately put my lunch on the table for me. By the time I had finished lunch, the next World Cup game was starting. I made it through this entire one, thanks to our afternoon cake and coffee. One of the people who works at the lodge, an uncle and a cousin of Otoniel’s and Geovanny were also over eating and watching the game, which made it even more enjoyable. I Usually get anxious when I stay at the house all day without something active to do, but it was a perfect way to spend a lazy, sleepy Sunday morning/afternoon. At one point during the game, Charlie, who works in the office at the eco-lodge, called the house to tell me that the same group of people that had all just gone out together were going to prepare some snacks and have a movie night. After the game ended, I showered, picked some limes from the yard and headed down to the station. We all spent the next couple of hours goofing around the kitchen, making salsa, bean dip, guacamole, and twice-fried plantain chips all from scratch. I didn’t want to go all the way back up to the house just for the hour or so between when we finished and when we were gonna start the movie so I hung around the kitchen and helped cook and clean a little. The movie night went great. We took over one of the new research casitas that no one is currently living in, had a whole spread of our foods, borrowed a projector and hung up a sheet to watch the movie on and filled the three beds with extra pillows and blankets from the laundry room. It was such a relaxing fun way to end an already nearly perfectly relaxing Sunday.

Coconut number one

Saturday I worked ‘til lunch as usual then went to the eco-lodge to use the internet and play soccer. There was no soccer game but a few of my friends went down to Lelo’s to watch the England vs US World Cup game. Two people were Alex and Claudia had already walked down there so I caught a ride with Brian and Charlie(girl). It was just the few of us and Lelo and his wife. I hadn’t eaten lunch yet because I didn’t know I was going to be going so I had fresh caught and fried tilapia mmmmm. After the game we all walked around the property to watch Lelo feeding the tilapia. It is not very big but is very pretty and has just about every different kind of tropical fruit tree you can think of. Before we left, Lelo cut down five coconuts and them around with straws in them. Later that night, that same group of people went into town because it was Charlie’s last Saturday here after ten months of being here. It was a lot of fun. It is a great group of people that all get along really well. We went to dinner first then to a little bar/lounge place then to more of a dance bar. It wasn’t a super late or crazy night because we were all a little tired, but everyone had a great time and we all definitely got to know each other better.