Today we checked out of our rooms and said goodbye to Monteverde. We didn’t go too far though because we had one final stop while we were here in the mountains. We did a service project at the local school where we painted and spent time with the students there. They were all so friendly! We even got to play some soccer with them, Americanos v.s. Ticos. After this, we went to Life Monteverde to learn about their coffee farming practices and the life of a Tico farmer.
Life as a Tico Farmer is very interesting. One challenge they have to deal with is climate change and a changing market. This can be very stressful and threaten their source of income, and ultimately their lives. I think that one thing that gives them joy in life is family and a strong faith. I can relate to them on this! Farmers are also affected by the changing world and modern life.
Some positives of this are better farming technology, smarter farming practices, and greater understanding of how to manage their crops. On the flip side, as education gets pushed more and people move to college and getting degrees, they don’t work in the field, meaning that less food is produced, giving us a real food crisis. This is an issue Costa Rica is in the middle of right now.
However, we have so many talented and smart people coming up that we will be able to find a solution to these issues, and already people are moving in the right direction to create new ideas to tackle these problems. I hope that as an engineer, I can make a positive impact on the environment and help people at my job!
Flowers!
