Oh my goodness, just when I thought this place couldn’t get any better it did. Our day started bright and early like usual. We first visited farm Life Monteverde and I really did not know what to expect. I thought it would be like Doka and Cafe Britt just like any other coffee plantation but it was really informative and beautiful. We learned a lot about the lifestyle of a Tico farmer. They spend their days growing and maintaining the coffee plants all across the plantation. I learned that they place coffee rows near forests for natural predators. They also turn over the soil to mix up the nutrients and plant multiple things in between seasons to maintain profitability. I really enjoyed learning about the compost process. We learned how they make fertilizer in a natural way. Some challenges that they face was little rain. The crops would not get watered enough during the dry season so to compensate for this they placed the vegetable plants in a little greenhouse. It brings the farmers joy to educate tourists on their lifestyle and how they operate the farm. They said even though the pandemic was tough, in 2022 they doubled the amount of tourists they had in 2019.

Farmers are affected by modern life and community for a numbers of reasons but one that jumps out to me is how people interrupt the cycle of decomposition. Microorganisms in the soil like worms provide nutrients to the soil and when humans try and remove these bugs it disrupts the natural productivity of the plant. Sometimes people think they can go out and buy supplements or elements to enhance soil and crop growth, however this process is artificial and not natural. Engineering and technology is important for the farm to help ensure efficiency and speed up production. If I were a child of a Tico Farmer I would like to be apart of research. For example we were shown an experimental area of the farm where they purposefully grow the same crops without pesticides to compare outcome. This takes years, a lot more labor, and work however, they found it actually produces more and is successful. I found this fascinating and believe it is really important. Being apart of a community is important so you understand the needs of others, broaden perspectives, and add value to the lives of those around you.

After this we assisted in painting a local school. This is something I have been wanting to do for awhile. It really meant a lot to me to make a difference in the Costa Rican community especially because community service and volunteering means so much to me back home in America. It was also really eye opening to see what schools are like in different countries. It was mostly outdoors, little to no air conditioning, and concrete or brick walls. It made me really grateful for what we have in America. I noticed a lot of conservation while we were painting too. Because they don’t have much money or access to paint they added water to the buckets to make it thinner and ultimately create more paint. Honestly, there were times I didn’t know if what I was doing was good enough or looked pretty, but working alongside the principal of the school made me feel really awesome because they were just grateful to have the help. They just wanted to freshin up the place and make it a little brighter. It was a good feeling to be apart of something like this.

Finally we headed home, back to Heredia! Such a good day. My heart is full. This place just keeps amazing me.