There have been many things about the homestays that I did not expect. One of the first things that surprised me was the layout of the house. The front door and garage are basically the same entrance, and the back door to the patio is constantly open all day. I also learned that homes here…
Tag: Plus3 Cost Rica
Running on Coffee and Tico Directions
So far on this trip, my experience with my homestay family has been great. I have gotten to practice and improve my Spanish skills and learn more about what living in Costa Rica is truly like. One thing that has surprised me from living with my family is that they always have their front door open during…
Costa Rica Blog 1: Costa Rica Sustainability
Costa Rica’s environmentally sustainable initiatives have a positive connotation in my perspective. One thing that stood out to me was how Costa Rica has successfully built a large part of its economy around tourism while still prioritizing environmental protection. Tourism can easily become wasteful and damaging to the environment in other country’s models. However, Costa…
What Coffee Taught Me
After two weeks of exploring Costa Rica’s farms. We become aware of a lot of the important policies Costa Rican farms have implanted to balance sustainable practices in their businesses. On the farm, planning begins with sustainable land use and crop layout. Farms we visited grew coffee, bananas, or pineapples didn’t just plant at random….
Bars and Beans: Costa Rica’s Gourmet Scene
Today was our chocolate tasting day! We visited Sibö Chocolate, a small gourmet chocolate company, I admired how they try to mix Costa Rican history into their chocolate. We learned that chocolate, like coffee, originate before colonization, imbedded in native tradition. It was first consumed as a bitter drink believed to have medicinal benefits. Indigenous…
From Crops to Shops, the Growth Never Stops
Today we set off to visit two small family owned farms, the owners taught us how agriculture, sustainability, and community all connect in Costa Rica. Our first stop was a banana farm run by Francini, an entrepreneur who’s using agrotourism to teach visitors about eco friendly farming. Her farm, surrounded by tropical plants and wildlife…
Watch your step
Today, we returned to Sarapiquí to visit a banana plantation. The plantation was beautiful, and our guide, Francini, was incredibly knowledgeable. Her young daughter, Victoria, kept us entertained with her playful energy and charm. At the plantation, we learned how bananas grow from a flower, and how the petals protect the developing fruit. We also discovered…
The Pina Colada Supply Chain
Before today, I never really thought about where pineapples come from, I honestly thought they grew in trees. But after visiting an organic pineapple plantation in Sarapiquí and riding through the fields on a tractor tour, I was surprised by how much work goes into growing just one and they indeed do not grow on…
Tropic Like Its Hot
Today, we visited a Pineapple plantation in Sarapiqui, which was very hot and humid, might I say. This plantation exports around $1.2 billion worth of fruit annually. But this farm isn’t just about mass production, it’s about sustainability, community, and innovation. Pineapple and coffee may be tropical crops, but their journeys from farm to table…
Peace Among the Piñas
Today, we visited an organic pineapple plantation. Massive fields covered the ground as far as the eye could see. The overall process of growing and farming pineapple plants differs greatly from farming coffee, though there are some similarities. The growth process of pineapples is much less complex than that of coffee. In general, the process…