Day 9 - Homestay!

Day 9

Well, after a long drought of no internet access – I’m back!!

The last few days have been amazing! One of the highlights of this trip so far was the opportunity to spend 24 or so hours with a Costa Rican Family on a sustainable farm. Three of us stayed on a wonderful farm called Finca Chiquita.

On the farm, Elias, his wife and his daughter grew their own crops, had a pond full of tilapia, alongside chickens, rabbits, cows, pigs and assorted other animals. Essentially, what they needed on a daily basis was available on the farm. If it was something they did not have readily available (which was often – one farm can only support so many crops and animals), they were able to either buy at the local market, or trade for with one of the other farms in their local area. Amazing stuff!

There were three of us who stayed with the family that night and the next day, and we were fed well and treated like honored guests! Although their way of life is simple, it was rich in community and family ties, as well as having a direct connection to the land that was worked. We were able to assist Elias in his work on the farm, from feeding the animals to cutting down trees for fence posts with a machete! It was hard work, but worth every second. In the end we were able to see and appreciate the way of live that is lived in rural Costa Rica, and get some wonderful insight into what it takes to actually provide for a family!

On this farm, they also used a very ingenious system called a bio-digester. Essentially, all waste products from animals (in this case, specifically pigs) are collected and allowed to go through the decomposition process naturally. One result of this decomposition is the release of methane gas. Methane gas is flammable, and can be collected to be used in cooking! Amazing!

The dinner we had the first night was a result of squash and other vegetables we picked in their gardens, different fruits for desert, and even some chicken and beef received from the other local farms. I have never had meal more fresh to the table!

Question for my students: what would YOU have to grow to support the things that you eat every day? Is there even one product that you could produce at your own house that would prevent you having to buy it from a store?

Here are some pictures to sum up the experience:

The home we stayed in!

Here are the pigs! They are used for generating the methane gas. Yum.



Here are the bags that collect the methane gas, for use in the house. There is a pipe that leads from this area into the kitchen where it connects to the stove!



Here I am picking the squash that will eventually be part of dinner!



Here is dinner that evening!



As I said, we got to work all morning in the fields. Those big boots are necessary because of the mud (it rains a lot in the rainforest, you know). We were cutting down trees with machetes!