Student Post: Lucy S.

Everything in Costa Rica has been so amazing! I couldn't believe how beautiful the country is and was completely amazed by it all as soon as we landed. I’ve loved being able to improve and practice my Spanish so far and everyone here is super nice. I’m so grateful to all of the staff here on campus for helping us in the study abroad program, and for making some really awesome plantains! In the first couple days, we explored the trails as well as the campus and got to know our surroundings. We also started to learn more about the sustainable development goals and what it means to have a circular economy. One of the activities we’ve done so far is build models which run on sustainable energy! My group built a hydro-car which moves forward when water is poured into the funnel and then used to spin a turbine. It was the coolest thing to see it work! 

Later on we got to learn about the whole system in place for how our campus works. We visited the Integrated Farm close by and saw how our waste is put through a biodigester. This separates solids from liquids and captures the methane gas, which is used for heating and cooking! Almost everything is reused here and there is as little waste as possible, which I think is amazing. I wish this circular system was used everywhere, especially back where I live! We also got to meet the pigs and baby chickens here on the campus. They’re all super sweet!

My favorite part of the program so far has actually been planting baby coffee trees around the farm with everyone. It amazes me how excited everyone else was about the project! Some of us dug holes, others measured where they should be planted, some got the compost for the trees, and others, including me, helped carry over the trees and plant them securely in the soil. The whole thing was even more exciting with the addition of lots of heavy rain! I think it honestly made the experience more fun and memorable, but the shower afterwards was pretty awesome too!