A message from Hope...

I apologize for this only being my second blog post, but the internet has not been the most consistent depending on our daily destinations. On a daily basis back home, the thought of being without internet would be both horrific and unimaginable, but here, it’s the way of life, for the most part. Perhaps I’m showing my ignorance here, but I wasn’t aware that Costa Rica was a 3rd world country. Of course, I’ve seen world maps that color code what countries are considered, but 1) they are never really consistent, and 2) with all the touristy advertisements I recall floating around about CR wouldn’t directly lead me to believe it was luring me to a 3rd world country. So as of yesterday morning, I realized I was visiting one.

That being said, here are the things that I have found surprising: No one has become sick from drinking the water, items for purchase are not dirt cheap (cheaper than in the states, but not by much), there is incredible food everywhere we go, and from my small sliver of the country I’ve seen, people seem to have nice items and accommodations (of course we have not yet seen the most poverty-stricken sections of the country either), and I believe places to be on the cleaner side of what one might imagine. Pleasant surprises around every bend. And obviously, it’s a remarkably gorgeous country with so much to appreciate. I have traveled a good amount and am not certain I have seen anything near such natural beauty for such a vast amount of open space.

For the last few days we have been in Monteverde, which includes the Cloud Forest. The nearest I’ve seen to this phenomenon is the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. The morning could be clear skies, only to yield to a quick takeover of mist, shortly followed by a downpour. Afternoon/evening rains have shown themselves every day, but the amount of rain has differed each day. The most important issue for our group is that hopefully our students listened to us when we warned about daily rain and handed out the recommended packing list. Let’s just say that for the most part, all has been well, and if there have been areas they missed on their check-off lists, their new friends have been kind enough to accommodate the missing parts.

Jennifer informed the group early on that there would be no whining or grumbling allowed on the trip. When they nodded in unison we were certain they would soon change their tune as it grew too hot, too cold, too wet, too remote, or too bug-ridden. However, wonders never cease, because either her motherly brow convinced them this rule was definitely real, or they are wonderful people whose adaptability is incredible and worth nothing! In either case, they are very good with rolling with the punches and making the best of any situation. This is most impressive, as I do not remember myself or any group in my hang-out groups being this jovial at their age. Bravo group!

Not only have we noted their nature, but thus far, every tour guide or host we have encountered has given our students praises for their sincere interest in what they have to say and also for asking well-informed and thoughtful questions. Of course many of them are not on this trip for their direct majors and had minimal interests in tourism or sustainability prior to this trip, but their minds are expanding like sponges with each new crumb of information. I have a sneaky suspicion they are Discovering the Power of Ideas and am excited to see how they will use what they have learned in their social and academic lives in the future.

In some of the pictures, you may see colored index cards tied to the student’s backpacks or purses bearing their names and Top 5 Strengths. During the first week of class, they were each asked to take the Clifton Strengths Finder assessment to find their Top 5 Strengths. At first they were nothing more than 5 random words on a piece of paper, essentially meaningless. And they would remain so, if we had not taken the time to explore them more and find out how they were playing out uniquely in each of their lives and characteristics. Since they have been assigned teams to work in, understanding not only their own strengths, but also the strengths of others has been very interesting for the students to explore more and has also helped them understand more about those they will be working with for the coming weeks. Beyond applying it to their obvious academic goal for this course, they have also had fun with their strengths, finding humor in their differences and more importantly embracing those differences with kindness and acceptance- A beautiful thing indeed!
- hope