Reflections

Pura Vida or a few words on Costa Rican culture

        Coming back to Canada has allowed me to look back at my experience in Costa Rica, where I have spent three and a half months, to make a number of comparisons and conclusions. One of the observation that I have made, which perhaps came from spending a lot of time in a rural area, is how relaxed Costa Ricans were. There was no rush in the village of San Francisco and everyone carried on at their own speed, savouring each day. The most popular expression in Costa Rica, which is also unique to the country, is “Pura Vida” which translates as “Pure Life”. This beautiful expression is used in numerous ways: as a greeting, to say “I’m doing well”, as a “Thank You”, as a “Good Bye” and even as an adjective to describe something you have really enjoyed. Perhaps these two words best describe the philosophy of many Costa Ricans, which is seen through their ability to celebrate the beauty of life.

View from the Cerro Volcano

          Living in Costa Rica has reminded me of how little one really needs to be happy and that we often value the least the things that our happiness needs the most. This experience has made it easier to see that those of us that live in a consumer-oriented society often tend to be attached to many unnecessary things and tend to base our happiness on possessions. In the village of San Francisco, most people live in small, one-room houses shared by the entire family. They often have to face challenges, such as the floods that frequently occur during the rainy season. Yet, such life conditions don’t take away their ability to appreciate what they have. Many Costa Ricans had inspired me by their ability to see the priceless value of family, friendship, human communication and beauty of the world around them. Perhaps, if one really wants to celebrate life, the opportunities will present themselves. I remember taking a public boat where all the men gathered by the radio and sang along the entire two-hour ride turning routinely travelling into a pleasant experience …

A fisherman giving fish leftovers to birds in Cabuya village, Nicoya Peninsula

Fishermen in the village of Cabuya

           I’ve been touched by the warmheartedness and friendliness of many Costa Ricans. When staying in the village of San Francisco and the towns La Fortuna and Montezuma (the few places that I got to visit, all in different parts of the country), everywhere I went, I was met with greetings and warm smiles.  This is not a typical reaction that I have observed in other places that I had traveled to, especially those where tourists are very common. It was also a pleasure to observe how people in the San Francisco community interacted – always cheerful and caring toward each other. Adults in the community work together to build a better future for their children, through actions such as gathering together to build an extension to the elementary school building. The new room will be used for computers which had been recently donated to the school.

Soccer in San Francisco

San Francisco at sunrise

     I also admired how open to nature Costa Ricans are. Most houses in the places I’ve visited had no glass windows – instead a net was installed to keep insects from getting in. Although some tourists suggest that people should be better protecting themselves from nature, the Costa Ricans I met say there is no need. Yes, nature may sometimes “intrude” in the form of monkeys stealing bananas from your kitchen or geckos chasing each other around your room, all of these “intrusions” are harmless and friendly in nature. It is thanks to the help of extremely knowledgeable Costa-Rican-born nature-lovers, that I was really able to connect with and learn the most about the local flora and fauna. I am very thankful to Manuel and Mario, who have generously shared their knowledge with me.

White-faced capuchin who “stole” a bag of bananas which I left in a hotel kitchen during my travels

              

More thoughts on culture

                Recently, one of my professors has asked his audience to define the term culture. After an hour-long discussion, my class was guided into defining culture as the “discovery of who we are”, a definition that I had never linked to the word culture in the past. It is believed that we learn a lot about ourselves and our beliefs when we compare “our own culture” to one that is very different from it. Such comparisons challenge our beliefs and allow us to start differentiating between beliefs that are truly our own and those that we have simply accepted as being a part of our culture. Such comparisons allow us to see alternative ways of looking at things or acting, which sometimes reveals that what we thought was ideal and right, in reality is not ideal at all. Living in Costa Rica has made it easier to see both flaws and beauties of places where I have lived most of my life. Likewise, it revealed that just like in any other country, life in Costa Rica has both downsides and upsides.

Sunset on Playa Grande, Montezuma

Global citizenship

Meditating in Montezuma

          During my stay in Costa Rica, I met numerous people who really wanted to travel, but never had a chance to leave the country. Many of them had learned to speak fluent English and were very knowledgeable about other countries and cultures. This had only inspired me to learn more about the Costa Rican culture and history and strengthened my feeling of being very lucky and privileged to have an opportunity to travel and explore the world.

         I was asked what do I think about global citizenship and whether I see myself as a global citizen.  I must point out that there are multiple concepts and definitions revolving around the term “global citizenship.” The definitions that I can most relate to is “taking the responsibility to understand what consequences our actions can have not only where we live but in other countries as well, and making responsible choices that maximize well-being on our planet.” With such definition in mind, I believe that global citizenship is certainly something we should strive for. I also feel that becoming a global citizen under this particular definition is a life-long goal as we cannot change in one day. Traveling to Costa Rica has made it much more clear how easily the actions taken by people in one part of the world will influence the living environment at the other side of the globe. For instance, dramatic declines of sea turtles nesting in Costa Rica are partly linked to fishing and oceanic pollution occurring off the shores of countries like Canada, where the same sea turtles spend time during certain time of the year. Likewise, using once again an example of an endangered animal, declines and disappearance of macaws from Costa Rican wild can be linked to illegal pet trade, with many of the purchasers coming from places like North America (who fuel the pet trade by making their purchases). The list of such connections can go on and on.

the capital San Jose at sunset

Fishing ship near Nocoya Peninsula

Delicious Tica meal – a real piece of art!

Lastly, as part of my blog-assignment I was asked to complete a quick survey about my experience:

Five things that I enjoyed about my internship experience are:
1. All the beautiful and trusting animals I got to see and even make friends with
2. Wonderful and inspiriting people I got to meet, work with and become friends with
3. Landscapes that took my breath away
4. Simplicity of life
5. Warm weather

Five things that bothered me during my internship experience are:
1. Bug bites
2. Having to wear wet clothes during a rainy week when nothing would dry in the humidity
3. Lack of sleep
4. Being in one place all the time

5. Sharing a small living place with many people – which sometimes meant no place to be on your own

Five things I missed most about Canada/Toronto are:
1. Family, friends and my cat
2. Capoeira
3. Home-cooked food of my choice
4. Dry non-mouldy clothes that wouldn’t smell like bug spray
5. Having no sand in my hair

Five things I will miss from my host country are:
1. The amazing friends I have made
2. Being outdoors and surrounded by animals at all times
3. Harmonious lifestyle with no stress
4. The non-stop choir of crickets and birds that I got to fall asleep to
5. Walking 10 km on the beach and moving around all day long instead of having to sit still

Surrounded by jungles at Cano Palma Biological Station

Freedom on Playa Norte

La Fortuna Waterfall

Coati  in a park near the Arenal Volcano

a nest with hatchlings, near the Cerro, San Francisco

Tortuga Island

A couple socializing in Montezuma

Juancho coming home

Sleeping tree frog

Sea Turtle Conservation

Participation in the sea turtle conservation project has been one of the most rewarding experiences that my internship has offered. As a part of this project, we patrol the nearby beach of Playa Norte, which is located within only 10 km of the beach of Tortuguero – the main sea turtle nesting site in Costa Rica. European settlers had originally been attracted to Tortuguero by the unbelievably large number of turtles that came to nest on the beach. Throughout the nineteenth and twentieth centuries a massive sea turtle hunting industry was established in Tortuguero, exporting turtle meat and shells to numerous places around the world. Partly due to overhunting, the abundance of sea turtles has been decreasing exponentially over the past centuries. Other causes of turtle mortality include ocean pollution and beach-front development.

Hawksbill turtle

Today, four species are known to nest on Playa Norte and include the Leatherback, Hawksbill, Green and Loggerhead sea turtles. Unfortunately, all of these species are currently under high risk of extinction. In an attempt to reduce the occurrence of poaching, we daily patrol a 5 km stretch of Playa Norte. We ensure that each of the turtles that we encounter safely returns to the sea after nesting, even if this means watching a turtle in pouring rain for up to four hours. All the nests found are disguised to reduce the chances of poaching. Even with all our attempts, poachers and dogs are very good at finding nests and even the most hidden ones sometimes get dug up.

Green turtle swimming over reef

I remember the unforgettable night, when I saw my first nesting marine turtle, an almost two meter long Leatherback.  Its size and strength were beyond anything I had ever seen and its deep-sounding breath reminded me of the deep oceans, which these turtles inhabit. Also referred to as the “last of the dinosaurs”, Leatherbacks are the most ancient and the largest of all sea turtles and have been around for the past 150 million years. Their smooth leathery shell makes them unique amongst other marine turtles. An equally memorable experience was seeing the first Hawksbill turtle – these are highly hunted for their beautiful shells. Lit by bright moonlight, the turtle was emerging on shore from foaming waves when we first saw her  She was only a couple of meters ahead. We froze, knowing that turtles can be easily scared away, in which case they will return to the sea without nesting. As we quietly watched her climb up a hill on the beach on her way towards the vegetation, we all noticed something very unusual. The turtle’s shell, in addition to being covered in big barnacles, was also glowing in the dark!  On closer observation we noticed that this was because she was covered in bioluminescent microorganisms – quite a magical sight.

Leatherback turtle swimming with remoras

Loggerhead turtle emerging from the sea

Leatherback turtle tracks

During night patrol we walk the beach without flashlights, usually in groups of three. Light can scare away the turtles and also reveals our position to poachers. Knowing that the patrol team can show up unexpectedly discourages poaching. We work in all weather conditions, ranging from clear moonlit nights to pouring rain and thunderstorms, when one can barely make out the silhouettes of teammates.

Unfortunately, as the peak of turtle nesting season is approaching, the rate of hunting is increasing. Lifted turtle tracks, identified by lack of tracks returning to the sea, are becoming more common.  A few days ago my coworkers found a green turtle flipped on its back by poachers who were planning to come back for it, knowing that this position would leave the turtle helpless and hinder it from returning to the sea. The lucky turtle was flipped back and given the opportunity to return safely to sea. This is one turtle saved, however sadly, many of her relatives will be brutally killed. People have been contacting our station to report the witnessing of turtle killing.  Sometimes poachers leave the turtles with flippers cut off, only to come back to pick them up later on. Shell hunters have also been known to rip the shell off and not kill the turtle. With all the organs exposed, the turtle will still stay alive for a long time, dying a slow and painful death.

Recently, two dead Green turtles washed up on the shore of Playa Norte. Turtle carcasses in similar condition hadalso washed up on shores of nearby beaches. As it turned out, this was the work of a poaching ship located in nearby waters. People on such ships are hunting turtles in massive quantities and selling their meat on black markets. The turtles that we saw had their flippers pierced and tied up to keep them from moving around the ship. When poachers encounter a coastguard ship at sea, the turtles are thrown overboard. Being unable to swim, with flippers still tied, and not being able to come to the surface to breathe results in subsequent drowning of these turtles. Organized crime like this is an even greater issue than poaching that happens on the beach. To get more information, please visit the blogs of my coworkers Sarah and Kirstin.

Fortunately, amidst all the sad stories, there is good news as well. A number of my coworkers have had the opportunity to see live hatchlings coming out of nests. Although hatchlings usually emerge at night, when there are less predators around, some also come out of the nest in early mornings and those who are lucky get to see them!

Sarah with leatherback hatchlings

Leatherback hatchlings heading towards the sea on Playa Norte (Photo by Sarah)

Leatherback hatchling on Playa Norte (Photo by Sarah)

Last week we also got the chance to witness the release of a Green Turtle tagged with a satellite tracker in Tortuguero. Many locals and tourists gathered to see the turtle go. Although sea turtles migrate very large distances, very few studies have been able to track their movement. To find out where Shelldon and other tagged turtles are at the present moment, please visit:  http://www.conserveturtles.org/satelliteturtles.php

Life at Cano Palma

Although life at the station is very eventful, time seems to fly by quickly. Someone has said that time goes by at a different pace here and I never seem to know what date or day of the week it is. One of the things that I like about living at the station is the number of different people I get to meet and learn from. The station visitors often have a strong interest in a particular aspect of conservation. As someone who doesn’t learn well from textbooks, I am happy to have others share their knowledge with me. Currently, we have a group of university students who are studying the three species of monkeys found in this region.  I found out,  White-faced Capuchins, which I love observing, are among the smartest monkeys around. They use fake alarm calls when they want the rest of their troop to leave them alone (video). Today I saw a group of young Capuchins come down from the trees, steal a bag of sugar from someone’s table and run away with it, enjoying the sweet treat. I’ve also learned that the Howler Monkeys (video), which I get to hear multiple times a day, are the loudest mammal on Earth.

Charlotte, the station manager, and some of the visiting volunteers have a strong interest in birds. With their help, I’ve learned what some of the local birds are. Toucans are probably the prettiest birds I have seen so far. I often get to witness the magic of hummingbirds drinking sweet  nectar in the station’s gardens. Usually I hear the buzz of their wings before I see them. Among the cutest and smallest birds I have seen are also red-capped and white-collared Manakins. I have been lucky to observe parts of their mating dance (video). A visiting herpetologist has been catching and showing others  the most beautiful (and sometimes the most venomous) snakes that that are found in this area. In the few days that he has been here I have seen more snakes than in the entire month prior to his arrival. This helped me realize how little of the surrounding wildlife we get to see in everyday life – most of animals are excellent at hiding.

I’ve really enjoyed trying new types of food and learning to make new dishes. I never knew there were so many ways to cook bananas! When there are less than ten people at the station, we cook for ourselves. Usually we get together and cook a communal dinner, which is quite fun to do. While doing so, we have come up with some unique creations. On occasions when there are many people, we have a cook come in. Dona Petrona, a very friendly Nicaraguan lady, makes all sorts of treats for us. My favourite so far was golden fried plantain chips.

I find that getting to know local people is a key to understanding the lifestyle of any place that I am visiting. Interacting with members of the community has really helped me to become more understanding and less judgmental towards practices that do not appear the most environmentally friendly. In addition, it makes me feel like less of an outsider. Together with the other interns I have had a chance to participate in a language exchange with Michael, a hardworking ten-year-old boy who is learning English. Michael has taught us the Spanish terms for many of the animals found in this region.

I have noticed that people here are often asking multiple questions at a time when they ask where you are from. In particular, they are usually curious as to where you are living currently, where you were born and what is your ethnicity. When we introduce ourselves to people here, we first tell them that we are students from Canada doing an internship here. Usually they look puzzled after we say that. However, once we specify where we were born, their faces usually reveal that their question had been answered. Answering the question is more challenging for those of my coworkers who were born in Canada and consider themselves Canadian, but don’t match the stereotype of a Canadian that other people have. One of my coworkers, who is of mixed descent, found that even when she tells people where she was born, they ask her: “But where are you originally from?” Of course what they wish to find out in reality is where her physical appearance comes from.

Fun always comes with challenges of some sort. I have made an observation that since arriving here I have had more insect bites and have been sweating more than in my entire life prior to coming here. Mosquitoes certainly heard me when I told people that they weren’t as bad as I expected them to be after the first couple of weeks. Now I have become their favourite target at the station. Working  does get very exhausting sometimes, especially on days when we have to work long hours while running on a few hours of sleep. Being away from family and friends, especially during moments when you feel they may need you, is as much of a challenge. In addition, at times it is hard not being able to do some of the things and hobbies that I love. Although it is great to be surrounded by people, sometimes each of us needs time to ourselves, which isn’t always easy to get. Both myself and many other people at the station agree that one of the biggest and most beautiful challenges, which helps us in personal growth, is being positive and patient with surrounding people now matter how you feel at a particular time. I have noticed that we are have been getting better at it. What really helps is that all of us here are united by one passion – love for the outdoor world.

One of the things that I find the most enjoyable is photographing the surrounding wildlife. Below are some of my recent photos. Enjoy!

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First Impressions

Small Postman butterfly

I was asked to pick one word to describe my first impressions about the place where I have arrived.  The word is MIRACLE. Everything around me is a confirmation that life indeed is a miracle.  The gorgeous landscapes, plants, and animals simply take your breath away.  Since arriving, I had a chance to see many animals that I have always dreamt to see in their native environment.

Mantled Howler Monkey with a unique leopard-like tail

White-Faced Capuchin resting on a tree at the station

Slaty-Tailed Trogon eating a freshly caught insect

I feel like I had been brought back into those childhood summer days, when each day seems as long as a year due to the great number of fascinating things that you see and learn.  I can particularly understand the excitement of two-year-old Emanuel, who spends a lot of time at the station and shares his discoveries with me.

Emanuel with a tarantula

Tarantula crawling on a laptop

I found multiple confirmations that the Costa Ricans are very friendly people.  As interns, we had a chance to meet many people living in the nearby village of San Francisco as well as in other nearby areas. A few days ago we participated in a fundraiser bingo, all proceeds from which went in support of school. It was a big event and most villagers came out to support.

I am lucky to be working with an amazing crew, all members of which have a great love and appreciation for the magical ecosystem that surrounds us. There are seven people at the station with whom I will have the pleasure to work throughout my entire internship: station managers Charlotte and Manuel and their son Emanuel, Khrissy (turtle monitoring project coordinator) and three interns from York University – Kirstin, Shenique and Sarah. There will also be volunteers, researchers and university student groups that will come and leave throughout the summer. There is also a very friendly station dog Maggie, who has lived at the station longer than any human being.

Maggie sleeping

Emanuel – the smartest and happiest two-year-old I ever met

Getting here

Getting here was an adventure on its own. Together with Shenique, my very friendly coworker, who is doing the same internship as I am, we flew to El Salvador, and then to San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica.

Active volcano seen from a plane on our way from El Salvador to Costa Rica

On the Taca plane to San Jose

 Having a very limited knowledge of Spanish we equipped ourselves with a Spanish dictionary and a phrase book, which turned out to be extremely handy!  We spent a night in Gaudy’s backpacker’s hostel in San Jose. Beatrice, one of the hostel’s owners, picked us up from the airport, which saved us from having to deal with a cloud of taxi drivers that surrounded us and would not leave although we told them we were getting picked up.

At Gaudy’s hostel

In the morning, we hopped on a bus heading from San Jose to Carriari. I never imagined I would have to communicate with people by pointing at words in the dictionary! In fact, this technique helped us to get our tickets for the bus. Most people that we met on our way did not speak a word in English. However, there were a few people who did speak English who really helped us.  After a two-hour ride through misty mountains covered by a dense rainforest, we arrived to Carriari.

Muddy mountain river coloured by erruptions from an active volcano

 On the bus we met Anthony, a friendly Costa Rican who happened to have spent half of his life in Toronto. He told us about the areas that we were travelling though and helped us find the second bus, which was heading from Carriari to Pavona, our next destination. As we rode through farms and villages, passing a variety of plantations, I saw for the first time how many of my favourite tropical fruits and vegetables grow. I was surprised to see that all the bananas on banana plantations were covered in blue plastic bags. Turned out there bags were sprayed with pesticides.

Banana plantation

On a boat heading to the village of San Francisco

Travelling through a tropical river surrounded by jungles

Travelling through a tropical river surrounded by jungles

On the second bus we met Bony, a very nice local Jamaican tour guide from Tortuguero. He told us interesting stories about the local lifestyle and ecosystem and helped us load our luggage on a boat once we got to Pavona. That is where our journey on dry land stopped as we arrived to Caribbean lowlands. From there, the only way to get around was by boat and that is where the real beauty stated. A small motor boat took us down a long  river surrounded by dense jungles.  When we arrived to the village of San Francisco, we were picked up on a small motour boat by Emanuel, one of station managers. His two -year-old son Emanuel as well as Sarah and Kirstin (who are also interns from York University who arrived a few weeks earlier ) also came to pick us up. They brought us to Cano Palma Biological Station.

Manuel, one of station managers, with his two year old son Emanuel, who controlled the boat on his own! Emanuel is one of the smartest children I have ever met.

Shenique (left), Sarah (centre), Manuel and I (left) on our way to Cano Palma Biological Station

Hola!

I will be spending the next three months at Cano Palma Biological Station, doing an internship with COTERC (Canadian Organisation for Tropical Education and Rainforest Conservation).  The station is located  in northeast Costa Rica, in a dense jungle of  Barra del Colorado Wildlife Refuge, near the Caribbean Sea coast. It has been two weeks since my arrival to the station and I can say with no doubt that this is one of the most magical things that I have ever experienced. All of this was made possible thanks to the York International Internship Program. It seems as if just yesterday I was preparing for my interview, and it is hard to believe that being here isn’t just a dream. My work here is mainly focused on sea turtle conservation and mammal monitoring projects. There are also other conservation related projects running at the station, in which I hope to participate as well in order to appreciate the magnificence of the surrounding ecosystem to the full extent.

Location of Cano Palma Biological Station

View from the station dock