Thursday, July 29, 2010

Learn Something New...

As a fun little excercise, I asked the students to provide you all with one thing they have learned that is of serious, academic nature, and also something they have learned that is more on the funny side. I hope you find their compilation both informative and entertaining. - hope

Serious/Academic:
1) I have learned that there are 83 communities that have been awared the Blue Flag Certification. The Blue Flag Certification seeks to conserve beaches, communities, central education, natural parks, and actions to face climate change. Panama adopted the Blue Flag program and Cube is in the process of getting it customized.
2) The average annual salary is $6,000 dollars for Costa Ricans. Today, much of that income is attained from the tourism industry.
3) I learned that focusing on eco-tourism can be very profitable both for the bottom line and for one's knowledge base.
4) I have learned that the elevation and region controls whether a forest is as wet forest, dry forest, or cloud forest.
5) Ever since I found out about the cocao butter not being real chocolate in bars such as Snickers, I want to find real chocolate and use the organic coffee beans I purchased to make chocolate covered coffee beans and Snicker-replica delicacies.
6) I learned that it takes a lot of manual labor to produce one cup of organic coffee.
7) I learned that CATIE is trying to implement another action in order to conserve the environment which is to develop ways to face climate change, which is all part of the Bandera Azul.
8) It can be a profitable move for small businesses to practice eco-tourism.
9) Costa Rica is much more developed for a third-world country than I had anticipated.
10) I learned that people in Costa Rica are really concerned with recognizing individuality.
11) Seriously, I found it very interesting how sustainability has played a big roll in the lives of Costa Ricans from the way they run their businesses to the way they just do everyday things.
12) There is so much serious information on this trip, but what stood out to me most was how often the professors are warning us about this coming Friday. I feel like we're going to be on Man V. Nature. I'm doing some serious mental preparation.
13) I have learned to be more sustainable! I am going to work on being less high maintenance and more aware of the products I use and clothes I wear. I will definitely think about the food I eat by considering where it comes from and how organic it is.
14) Sustainable tourism is mainly focused in Costa Rica and South America.

Personal/Funny:
1) Velcro watches can come undone and get lost when river rafting or cliff jumping.
2) I have learned to read the meter very carefully when traveling in taxis so that I will pay $1.00 instead of $10.00!
3) What was funny about this trip so far is when we went to the cheese factory. I thought since the cheese we were eating was called "The Baby" it would be new and fresh. So I ate it, and it turns out it was 45-60 days old!
4) I never thought I'd see the day when I'd wake up in the jungle and have no hot water!
5) To avoid making new micro-organism friends, I learned not to bury my damp, dirty clothes at the bottom of my bag. (ewww)
6) Just because Costa Rica is close to the equator doesn’t mean it’s always hot. Bring a jacket.
7) My facial expressions are very “readable”.
8) Don’t ever pay the taxi 15,000 Colones. Lesson learned.
9) I learned how clumsy I am once my toe hurt every time I tripped.
10) One must learn to maneuver your head and body in such a way, so as not to get stuck inside a very tight crevice of a Strangler Fig tree.
11) You should never look up when Howler Monkeys are above.
12) I’ve learned not to question what the milking area of an organic dairy farm looks like.
13) I have learned that zip-lining harnesses give you wedgies.
14) Different people really like different types of cheese, even the old, rotten looking cheese; the uglier the cheese, the pricier.

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