Pura Vida

A week has already passed since our wonderful experience at La Gran Vista farm in Costa Rica. I believe through our ten day service trip, our group got a lot closer for a great cause. The leadership of Donald Villalobos, our community partner was integral for the development of our experience because he really tried to provide us with multiple projects and also gave us a fresh perspective on what sustainability really means on a farm and the world around us.

On this experience, we learned about sustainable agricultural practices and how to reduce global impacts of harmful farming practices. As a diverse group of students, we not only learned how the world around us is connected but also got hands on experience. What I enjoyed the most about our trip were the conversations we had while working in the field. Working together under the sun gave us the opportunity to discuss topics about sustainability, education, globalism, and other topics with a more open perspective. I definitely grew from this experience and hope to be able to apply it back on campus.

The Countdown From Newark Airport Begins

After completing my externship, it just hit me. I’m going to Costa Rica! In a few hours from now, I’ll be leaving from a flight out of here.

I really do not want to make any assumptions of our trip because as I have learned from a previous internship to Honduras two summers ago, I tend to over generalize. I’m ready to learn, meet new people, become closer to our team, and bring these new ideas and apply them to our campus.

I’m looking forward to learning more about Costa Rican culture and traditions. I even focused my Latin American history project on Costa Rica’s brief civil war. Finally, I want to continue to learn more about sustainable practices in different Latin American countries.

Trejo